Product Development Lead, Sweaters

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren’s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company’s brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands.
At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.
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Position Purpose And Scope
The Product Development Lead is responsible for translating design vision into commercially viable, technically sound, and production-ready sweater and knit product for Purple Label. This role serves as the primary technical expert and strategic partner to Design, Product Management, Sourcing, Quality Assurance teams, ensuring products are executed to Ralph Lauren’s standards for fit, construction, quality, and craftsmanship.
Leveraging deep expertise in yarn technology, sweater construction, knitting techniques, and manufacturing processes, the Product Technician oversees technical development from concept through bulk production. This role partners directly with global factory and vendor teams to drive technical excellence, ensure consistency across manufacturing partners, resolve construction challenges, and deliver products that maintain brand integrity while meeting cost, quality, and calendar objectives.
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Key Responsibilities
Factory Partnership & Design Execution

• Partner directly with Design, Product Development, and global manufacturing teams to translate creative concepts into executable, production-ready garments.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison to factories, ensuring design intent is accurately interpreted and maintained throughout development and production.
• Collaborate with vendors and manufacturing partners to identify technical solutions that preserve aesthetic integrity while supporting manufacturing ability, scalability, and cost.
• Review and validate construction methods, stitch structures, knit techniques, trim applications, and finishing processes to ensure alignment with brand standards.
• Partner with factories to understand knitting machine capabilities, programming requirements, gauge specifications, and production constraints.
• Provide technical guidance to improve garment execution, construction quality, and production consistency across suppliers.
• Support troubleshooting and resolution of technical challenges throughout development and production cycles.
• Drive timeline of garment execution to maintain calendar milestones
  

• Lead technical oversight of yarn specifications, including yarn count, gauge, composition, spinning method, ply construction, and performance characteristics.
• Evaluate the impact of yarn properties on garment appearance, fit, dimensional stability, hand feel, and overall product performance.
• Partner with suppliers and factory technicians to establish appropriate machine settings, yarn handling procedures, stitch structures, and knitting parameters.
• Direct development, review, and approval of tension swatches and knitted prototypes to ensure expected fabric performance and garment outcomes.
• Analyze and validate construction standards to optimize fit, quality, consistency, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Provide subject matter expertise on sweater engineering, knit structures, yarn performance, and technical innovation opportunities.
• Ensure technical specifications are accurately documented and communicated across all development stages.
  

• Oversee the technical development process from concept through production approval.
• Review and approve technical packages, construction details, specifications, grading, and measurements to ensure readiness for manufacturing.
• Manage prototype, fit sample, and pre-production sample evaluations, identifying risks and driving corrective actions.
• Establish technical standards and best practices to ensure consistency across classifications and manufacturing partners.
• Partner cross-functionally to balance design intent, product quality, comm