Orvis · 2 weeks ago
Director Design, Development, and Sourcing Fish & Hunt Hard Goods & Gear
United States
Full-time
Remote
Director/Executive
$155K/yr - $165K/yr
10+ years expOrvis is a company that specializes in fly fishing equipment and outdoor products, and they are seeking a Director Design, Development, and Sourcing for their Fish & Hunt Hard Goods & Gear team. This role involves leading product design and development, overseeing the entire product lifecycle, and managing a team to ensure innovation and quality in product offerings.
Consumer GoodsRetail
Hiring Manager
LAURIE BARRETT
Responsibilities
Lead a customer-obsessed Fish and Hunt Hard Goods Product Design & Development/Sourcing Team
Lead a culture of partnership, communication, and collaboration across the organization
Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement a strategic plan for new product design and development that aligns to deliver the Assortment Strategy, thus ensuring alignment with market and customer needs as well as company and financials goals, specifically target retail, AUC and IMU across all Fish/Hunt Hard Goods products
Design Inspiration – Lead the Hardgoods / Innovation Design Kickoff, the Design “blank canvas” to push the Orvis brand forward and ensure that we are leaders in innovation
Design Partnership – Partner and collaborate with Soft Goods Designer on seasonal Design Kick Off, DDR and Line Adoption Meetings to ensure a One Orvis Design POV
Product Lifecycle Management: Oversee all phases of product design and development for Fish & Hunt Hard Goods, from initial concepting and prototyping to field testing and manufacturing to on time product launch. Ensure that the Hardgoods PDD and Sourcing team is prepared on time for all milestones and inspire cross functional partners across all Hardgoods to prepare milestones and ensure they happen on time
Deliver the Line: Ensure that the products agreed upon through the Design Kickoff and Assortment Strategy deliver on time and are discussed at DDR 1, 2 and Final Line Adoption. Aim for 90% of products aligned upon launch on time
People Management - Coach the team by providing consistent and candid feedback to ensure great partnership and collaboration with cross functional partners. Guide team to have effective communication and influence decision making. Hold the team accountable for milestone preparation and on-time delivery of product.Inspire the team to make decisions in milestones to reduce swirl and to keep all key partners up to date
People Development – Develop and empower direct reports by coaching and mentoring to build skills and support individual career development
Mentorship: Provide mentorship to associates within the organization
Market and Trend Analysis: Utilize expert knowledge of fishing and hunting techniques, gear preferences, and market trends to identify new opportunities and guide/influence product design decisions and to deliver an industry-leading Design Kickoff
Collaboration and Communication: Work closely with cross-functional teams including leadership, marketing, sales, and customer service to ensure a cohesive user experience and effective product positioning, most importantly at key milestones
Vendor Management: Partner closely with our vendors to negotiate product pricing, ensuring financial goals are met – ensure vendors are clear on product design requirements within the cost parameters set to meet retail and IMU targets
Budget Management – Partner closely with the Vice President of Product Design, Development, Sourcing, & Import Compliance to ensure accurate operating expense budget forecasting and adherence to budgeted monthly/annual cost spend
Calendar Management - Partner closely with the Vice President of Product Design, Development, Sourcing, & Import Compliance to refine, enforce and adhere to seasonal development calendar dates and milestone meetings
Quality Control: Responsible for the overall quality of the final product as measured by return rates and/or product recalls
Steward of the brand – Partner with Marketing and Brand Amplification team to align regular travel to regional training events, sales meetings, key wholesale accounts and industry trade shows. Knowledgeable of product performance, durability, and regulatory standards and maintain a continuous pulse on industry trends and competitors
Proactively recommend and/or execute new processes, procedures, SOPs to provide clarity and simplification for the Product Team
Support the Vice President of Product Design, Development, Sourcing, & Import Compliance and Chief Product & Creative Officer with projects and initiatives that benefit the entire organization
Manage internal testing of all products in a way that is consistent with our brand standards
Accountable for our field-testing program to ensure 90-day field testing is complete prior to SMS sample ordering PO placement
Accountable for on-time delivery of photography, tradeshow, marketing and SMS rep samples
Partner closely with Vice President of Product Design, Development, Sourcing, & Import Compliance to influence our manufacturing and vendor placement for Fish/Hunt Hard Goods Orvis branded products
Create relationships across our all-product categories to ensure we deliver a One Orvis experience for our customers
As a Director, think beyond your function.Proactively anticipate and solve problems that are One Orvis challenges. Give leverage to the leaders around you by taking on projects or solving problems that go beyond your function, therefore giving time back to those around you
Qualification
Required
A strong background in mechanical engineering or industrial design
Deep knowledge of fishing rod, reel, wader, boot, packs, bags, apparel materials, design tools, and manufacturing processes
Proven leadership skills to guide teams, inspire innovation, and manage complex projects
Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments and partner in problem solving
Strong capacity for creative problem-solving and finding innovative solutions for design and production challenges
Practical, real-world fishing experience and an understanding of angler needs
10+ years of Product Design & Development experience with a proven track record of helping to create a positive, supportive and inspiring work environment
5+ years of experience managing a team with a proven track record of excellent leadership, collaboration, and coaching skills
Ability to inspire, support, coach, teach and direct team – and the ability to know which is needed in each situation
Empathetic, supportive, and direct leadership style
Highly proficient in cost estimating with baseline inputs, understand relationship between like for like style, COO, duties and freight
Strong organizational, prioritization and time management skills with exceptional attention to detail
Management of the team for on schedule design and development of best-in-class Orvis branded products
Efficiency: reduced spin and reduced need for communication outside of milestones by maintaining process and calendar discipline
Quality as measured by returns and recalls, as well as feedback from customers, sales personnel in retail and wholesale, and the endorsed guide network
Margin rate, cost of goods and sourcing strategies for Orvis branded products
Increase in sales and gross margin dollars
Company
Orvis
Orvis is a family-owned retail and mail-order business specializing in high-end fly fishing, hunting and sporting goods.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
B
Bill McLaughlin
Pres and CEO
R
Robert Bean
Chief Financial Officer & Chief Administrative Officer
Recent News
Company data provided by crunchbase