Director, Product Operations

You will build and lead the product operations infrastructure that improves costing, sourcing, and product placement decisions across a global apparel business.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain costing methodology, cost driver libraries, and benchmarking standards.
• Lead a team of costing analyst(s); develop guides and training to institutionalize costing rigor and best practices.
• Partner with Finance on margin governance and target costing to support predictable, healthy product margins.
• Act as a key partner to Digital & Technology on tools and platforms supporting product development, costing, sourcing, and placement.
• Translate business needs into clear requirements and shape modern, data-driven capabilities that improve speed, accuracy, and traceability.
• Lead change management, training, and adoption across stakeholder communities; track outcomes that measure success.
• Lead analytics that inform production award decisions, balancing factors that drive optimal sourcing and placement.
• Build scenario modeling and what-if analyses to support placement recommendations.
• Govern key data inputs for sourcing and placement decisions; deliver decision-ready insights to leadership.
• Oversee support for core product and costing systems (examples include PLM and BOM tools) to ensure reliable performance for global users.
• Establish triage protocols, service levels, and escalation paths; partner with IT to resolve issues and protect go-to-market deadlines.
• Maintain and enhance tools so product, costing, and placement processes run smoothly; support with user training and super-user networks.
• Partner with Product Development, Sourcing, and Finance to align on costing and placement ways of working.
• Lead workshops and executive readouts; represent Product Operations in cross-functional governance forums.
• Lead and continue developing a high-performing team, promoting ownership and continuous improvement.
• Report into the VP, Product Operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 12+ years experience in Product Operations, Sourcing, Supply Chain, Procurement, or Costing in a global apparel, consumer goods, or vertical retail environment.
• Experience leading costing, sourcing, or analytics functions, including building standards, teams, and governance.
• Track record leading process and system improvement, including work with PLM, costing, or sourcing platforms; deep should-cost modeling and eRFX expertise.
• AI experience, with hands-on experience designing or deploying AI-enabled tools.
• Fluency applying analytics and modern digital tools, including AI and machine learning, to costing, sourcing, scenario planning, and workflow automation.
• Comfort with modern data tooling: Power BI, Airtable, Power Automate, SQL fundamentals; plus advanced Excel and PLM expertise.
• Deep understanding of the apparel go-to-market calendar, costing lifecycle, RFQ processes, vendor negotiation, and placement decisions.
• Command of total landed cost drivers; experience codifying costing standards into enterprise tools.
• Proven executive presence and strategic leadership: partner effectively with C-suite and VP/SVP stakeholders; translate complex analysis into actionable business insights; lead enterprise-wide, P&L-impacting initiatives and business cases.
• Track record of building and developing teams.

Technologies

• PLM, BOM
• Power BI, Airtable, Power Automate
• SQL, Excel
• AI, machine learning
• eRFX

Compensation

• USD 167,300 - 230,000 per year

Benefits

• Base pay
• Incentive plans
• 401(k) matching
• Paid leave
• Health insurance
• Product discounts

Location and work schedule

• San Francisco, CA (hybrid)
• Hybrid schedule based in San Francisco headquarters
• Expected in office 3 days per week, typically Tuesday through Thursday
• Time in office can vary depending on business needs

Employment details

• Full time
• Expected fill date: 11/23/2026