Technical Development Manager

The Technical Development Manager owns the technical design and development infrastructure for bags and accessories within the Soft Goods PM and Development function. This role defines how products are built, how design intent becomes manufacturable specification, and how technical standards are upheld throughout the development lifecycle, from first proto through final pre-production approval. This role partners closely with Product Managers, Designers, Supply Chain, Quality, and overseas manufacturing partners to ensure products are technically sound and executed to specification. At Trove Brands, Technical Development and Product Management work as close peers, together ensuring the right products are built to the right standard and reach consumers quickly and successfully.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the technical design and development infrastructure for bags and accessories from first proto through final pre-production approval
• Define and maintain construction specifications, tech packs, and technical standards that translate product briefs and design concepts into precise, factory-ready documentation
• Lead the Design to PD technical handoff, ensuring design intent is accurately translated into manufacturable specifications without losing aesthetic or functional integrity
• Build and maintain a master technical specification library covering approved construction standards, tolerance ranges, hardware specifications, and quality thresholds across all active and carry-forward styles
• Lead technical reviews at each development sample stage, evaluating construction execution, identifying specification deviations, and directing factory corrections with the authority to resolve complex construction issues independently
• Partner with Product Managers and the CMF Developer to ensure new materials and construction platforms are technically viable before brief commitment
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and overseas manufacturing partners on vendor technical assessment during factory qualification, contributing construction capability evaluation and sample quality assessment to the vendor approval process
• Oversee the Technical Product Developer, setting clear development targets, providing timely developmental feedback, and coaching technical evaluation and factory communication skills
• Manage overseas factory communication on complex construction matters, driving problem resolution with precision and clarity across global manufacturing partners
• Participate in seasonal development reviews and pre-production approval gates
• Incorporate learnings from sample evaluation and in-market performance into future construction standards and specification improvements
• Travel internationally several times a year to visit overseas manufacturing partners, conduct in-person factory assessments, evaluate development samples on the ground

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design, Technical Design, Textile Design, or a related field with equivalent professional experience.
• 7+ years of experience in soft goods technical design or product development with a specific background in bags, accessories, or structured soft goods.
• Demonstrated expertise in tech pack creation and construction specification for manufactured bags and accessories at commercial scale.
• Deep understanding of soft goods construction methods including seam architecture, hardware systems, fabric finishing, trim integration, and production quality standards.
• Experience managing the full development cycle from brief through bulk production with Asian manufacturing partners.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator for technical flat drawing and specification documentation.
• Experience managing or mentoring junior technical staff with a demonstrated ability to develop others.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for factory technical correspondence with global manufacturing partners.
• Passionate about soft goods construction, material innovation, and delivering products that meet the highest technical and commercial standards.

Desired Qualifications: 

• PLM system experience.
• Mandarin language capability is a meaningful advantage given our Asia-based manufacturing network.