Overview
Product Development (PD) Manager, Fashion Jewelry & Accessories Jobs in New York City Metropolitan Area at beth ward studios
Title: Product Development (PD) Manager, Fashion Jewelry & Accessories
Company: beth ward studios
Location: New York City Metropolitan Area
About the role
We are seeking an experienced and driven Product Development Manager to lead product development for one of our largest and fastest-growing customer accounts. This role will begin with a primary focus on this single high-potential account — the customer has substantial growth potential, with opportunities to expand beyond fashion jewelry and hair accessories into additional categories. As the account grows and the candidate demonstrates strong ownership, this role has the potential to expand to include additional accounts and a broader scope of responsibility within the PD team.
This is a high-visibility role with significant influence on the trajectory of the account, and an opportunity to grow your scope of responsibility over time as both the account and the company scale. The ideal candidate will combine strong product development expertise with the relationship management and strategic thinking needed to grow this account into new territory, while also demonstrating the capacity to take on more as the role evolves.
This role reports to the PD Department Manager and works cross-functionally with Design, Sales, Production, and Overseas Operations to ensure the account's product pipeline is executed on time, on cost, and at the quality level the customer expects.
Key Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end product development for the assigned account — from concept through sample approval to production handoff
- Serve as the primary PD point of contact for one of the company's largest customers, building a trusted, long-term partner relationship
- Lead the development of seasonal collections across fashion jewelry and hair accessories, with an eye toward identifying and pursuing growth opportunities into adjacent accessory categories (e.g., hair accessories, small leather goods, scarves, sunglasses, or other categories relevant to the customer's assortment)
- Manage the full sample development calendar, ensuring on-time delivery of CADs, prototypes, and pre-production samples
- Partner closely with Sales and Design to align target costs, factory capability, and timelines before development begins
- Proactively flag risks in the development timeline — particularly around customer-driven changes — and bring forward solutions before they impact production
- Track SKU performance, adoption rates, and sell-through data for the account to inform future development decisions
- Collaborate with the Sales team to identify white space opportunities within the account and help shape proposals for new categories
- Ensure all product developed for the account meets compliance, safety, and quality standards prior to submission
- As the account grows and bandwidth allows, take on product development responsibility for additional accounts, expanding scope in partnership with the PD Department Manager
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of product development experience in fashion jewelry, accessories, or a related consumer product category
- Proven experience managing a major retail account or private label customer relationship, ideally with exposure to multi-category development
- Strong understanding of jewelry and/or accessories construction, materials, and manufacturing processes
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent timelines under pressure, including fast-turn or compressed development cycles
- Strong cost negotiation and target costing skills, with the ability to balance design vision against margin requirements
- Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator
- Experience working with overseas factories, particularly in Asia, including direct factory communication
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage ambiguity in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience expanding a customer relationship into new product categories
- Familiarity with ERP and/or PLM systems for product and timeline management
- Background working with both private label and branded retail accounts
- Knowledge of import compliance and product safety standards for jewelry and accessories (e.g., CPSC, Prop 65, state-level requirements)
- Demonstrated interest in growing scope of responsibility over time, with the flexibility to take on additional accounts as the role evolves
What We Offer
- The opportunity to lead one of the company's most strategically important accounts with real influence over its growth direction
- A clear path to expand your scope — as the account grows and your ownership is demonstrated, this role is expected to take on additional accounts and broader PD responsibility
- A collaborative, fast-paced environment with direct exposure to senior leadership
- Annual salary range: $70,000–$80,000, plus a benefits package commensurate with experience
- Hybrid work model based out of our New York City office*
- Room for growth as the company scales and the account expands into new categories
*This role requires five days per week in the office for the first three months for onboarding
and relationship-building. After that period, we will evaluate progress and transition to
a hybrid schedule as appropriate.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit your résumé through LinkedIn. We encourage to also include a brief note or cover letter detailing your experience managing major retail accounts and any category expansion work, if the application form allows. We look forward to learning more about your background.
