VP of PD & Production

THE COMPANY: BIRDY GREY

THE OPPORTUNITY: Vice President, Product Development & Production

REPORTS TO: Chief Operating Officer

LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid – with travel to Asia)

Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA with an office in New York, NY, Birdy Grey supports hybrid work for eligible roles. This role will work out of our DTLA office 3-4 days per week. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. #LI-Hybrid

Birdy Grey is seeking a strategic, hands-on Vice President of Product Development & Production to lead and scale our U.S.-based product development and production operations across a dynamic range of categories—including bridesmaid dresses, newly launched groomsmen suits, and non-dress offerings such as pajamas, robes, and wedding accessories. This is a pivotal moment of growth and innovation for Birdy Grey: our new groomsmen line is scaling rapidly, we’ve just launched a new China-based team to deepen supplier collaboration and accelerate speed to market, and we’re sourcing from a more globally diversified supply base than ever before. We’re also building out our first-ever U.S. sample room to drive faster, design-led product development and bring our creative vision to life. This role offers a unique opportunity to help shape the next chapter of Birdy Grey by leading the U.S. PD & Production team and collaborating closely with our China counterparts to deliver beautifully made, trend-right products—on time and at scale. Both the U.S. and China teams report into the COO.

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Team & Process Leadership

• Lead and inspire a growing team (currently 5 team members with 4 open roles) across Product Development, Technical Design, and Production, with direct oversight of the U.S. team.
• Actively partner with the China team to align on execution, standards, timelines, and workflows—providing guidance, documentation, and support.
• Oversee the newly launched LA-based Sample Room (including Pattern Maker and Sewer) to accelerate design-led innovation and in-house prototyping.
• Build and implement scalable processes across PD & Production to ensure product quality, fit consistency, and timeline adherence across all categories and global suppliers.

Sample Room & Technical Design

• Ensure construction standards, fit specs, and technical processes are aligned between the LA and China sample rooms.
• Supervise the U.S.-based Technical Design team and partner closely with Design to translate creative vision into production-ready garments.
• Facilitate clear, organized handoffs of patterns, tech packs, BOMs, and samples between the U.S. and China teams, with proper documentation and version control.

Global Development & Production

• Oversee global development and production operations across China, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, ensuring timelines, quality, and margin targets are consistently met.
• In South Asia, directly manage relationships with manufacturing partners, including development approvals, production timelines, and vendor performance—serving as the key point of contact and decision-maker.
• In China and Southeast Asia, work in close partnership with Birdy Grey’s China-based supply chain team, who maintain direct factory oversight. Provide them with strategic input, development handoffs, cross-functional guidance, and information from U.S. teams (e.g., Planning, Design, Merchandising, CX) to ensure local execution supports business goals.
• Serve as a collaborative liaison between U.S.-based teams and Asia-based production, ensuring clarity, alignment, and proactive troubleshooting across borders.
• Maintain tight coordination with Merchandising and Planning to support margin goals, capacity planning, and delivery execution.
• Partner with Finance to reconcile vendor costing, track product margin performance, and lead initiatives to improve cost efficiency across BOMs, sourcing, and factory operations.

Fast MTO (Made-to-Order) Enablement

• Play a key leadership role in scaling Birdy Grey’s Fast MTO initiative, enabling rapid made-to-order production with minimal inventory risk.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define timelines, owners, and deliverables for Fast MTO activation.
• Provide ongoing guidance and coordination with the China team executing Fast MTO, ensuring alignment in fit, construction, and production standards across both Fast MTO and traditional bulk models.

Strategic Leadership

• Collaborate with Design, Merchandising, Planning, Ops, and the China team to deliver trend-right, well-constructed, and on-time product launches.
• Create and maintain SOPs across development and production to improve efficiency and consistency across global teams.
• Actively engage in team-building, hiring, mentoring, and succession planning to strengthen the U.S. Product Development & Production function.

THE RIGHT CANDIDATE: QUALIFICATIONS & PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s Degree Required 

EXPERIENCE / REQUIREMENTS:

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in Product Development and/or Production, ideally within apparel categories that require thoughtful construction, complex vendor coordination, and speed-to-market execution.
• Experience in DTC or high-growth fashion brands that require speed, innovation, and flexibility across categories.
• Demonstrated success leading both creative and operational teams across Product Development, Production, and cross-functional partners (Design, Merchandising, Planning, Operations, CX, China Supply Chain team).
• Experience managing a global supply chain and cross-border development workflows, including direct collaboration with overseas teams and factory partners in Asia.
• Proven ability to build scalable systems and processes that balance innovation, speed, and commercial viability across product categories.
• Strong communication and leadership skills—able to guide internal U.S. teams while also serving as a hands-on partner to Asia-based counterparts, ensuring consistency in fit, process, and quality.
• Comfortable working in mid-sized or high-growth companies, where agility, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, and strong judgment are required to scale effectively.
• Highly organized, strategic, and execution-oriented, capable of managing detailed calendars, cross-functional timelines, and deliverables.
• Strong financial acumen with ability to partner with Finance and Planning teams on product costing, margin targets, and vendor performance.
• Based in Los Angeles, with ability to work on-site 3–4 days per week for team management, sample review, and executive collaboration. Travel to China office / factories in Asia 2 - 4 times a year.

NICE TO HAVES:

• Mandarin Chinese fluency and/or experience working closely with Asia-based production, development, or technical teams.
• Direct experience launching or overseeing an internal sample room, including hiring and managing Patternmakers and Sewers, and setting up equipment and process flow.
• Background in bridal, occasionwear, or dresses—especially categories with long lead times, customization needs, or high construction complexity (e.g., polyester chiffon, satin).
• Familiarity with Fast MTO / Just-in-Time (JIT) production models and the ability to partner cross-functionally to enable a short lead-time, on-demand supply chain.