Product Development Assistant

Company History

The origins of Prym date back to 1530, making it one of the oldest family-owned industrial companies in the world. Founded by Wilhelm Prym as a goldsmith in Aachen, the company has shown remarkable resilience and adaptability throughout its nearly five-century history. In the mid-17th century, Prym relocated to Stolberg and shifted its focus to brass production. As demand for brass products declined, the company pivoted to machine production of metal haberdashery, establishing itself as a leader in this field.

A significant milestone in Prym's history occurred in 1903 when Hans F. Prym developed the innovative s-spring press fastener, which revolutionized fastening solutions. This invention, produced in countless colors and shapes, has solidified Prym's reputation for quality and reliability, showcasing the company’s commitment to innovation.

Today, Prym thrives with over 3,500 employees across 30 locations in 18 countries and 9 production sites. Under the William Prym Holding, four independent divisions operate globally, each catering to distinct market needs. Prym Consumer is the first choice for textile handicraft, Prym Fashion serves the fashion industry with exceptional customer service and tailored solutions, Prym Intimates offers innovative accessory solutions for lingerie, swimwear, and athleisure, while Inovan Prym specializes in unique engineering for metal and hybrid processing. As a majority-owned family business, Prym remains dedicated to its founding values while embracing the dynamic needs of its customers, playing a vital role in shaping the future of crafting and textile innovation.

Summary/Objective

The Product Development Assistant specializes in buttons, fasteners, and functional fashion trims. This role is crucial to the success of our seasonal collections, bridging the gap between design concepts and final production. The Assistant will be responsible for creating sample cards, maintaining the sample area, tracking incoming samples, and managing data entry. The ideal candidate will work closely with our Hong Kong team to ensure accurate and timely execution of all development tasks.

Essential Functions

• Sample Card Making: Manually create physical button/fastener sample cards and presentation boards to showcase new designs for sales meetings and internal reviews.
• Digital Design/Template Creation: Design and create all sample card templates and product specification sheets digitally (e.g., using Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft Office).
• Sample Tracking & Receipt: Receive, log, and track all incoming prototypes, lab dips, and sample submissions from global vendors, ensuring they are approved in a timely manner.
• PDDB System/Data Entry: Enter new product data, style numbers, and revisions into the Product Development Database (PDDB) / PLM system, ensuring 100% accuracy.
• Sample Area Management: Organize and maintain the physical sample library/area, ensuring all items are properly labeled, filed, and easily accessible.
• Replenishment: Maintain inventory of sample drawers, replenishing button and fastener samples as needed for development and showroom use.
• Hong Kong Team Communication: Collaborate daily with the Hong Kong team via email and Microsoft Teams to follow up on pending issues, sample status, and factory requests.
• Special Projects: Support the PD Manager on special projects, including market research, competitive analysis, and seasonal product organization.
• Other duties as assigned

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion, Marketing, Business Administration, or other related degree
• 1-3 years of experience in product development, fashion accessories, or trim sourcing (buttons/fasteners experience is a plus)
• Must be proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint, SharePoint and Microsoft Teams) and basic Adobe Illustrator
• Excellent oral, written communication, and presentation skills.
• Strong organizational skills-able to focus, prioritize and follow through.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Experience in buttons and fasteners
• CAD Skills
• Experience working with an international team

Supervisory Responsibility

This position has no supervisory function.

Career Path Progression from this position

Product Development Specialist

Travel

This position does not require travel.

Work Environment or Working Conditions

This job operates in a combination of professional office and basement environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Physical Demands

• Ability to lift 5 – 20 lbs. periodically and 50 lbs. on occasion
• Ability to stand/walk for up to 8 hours
• Ability to sit for up to 8 hours

EEO Statement

EOE/Vet/Disabled