PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Full-Time • Austin, TX • On-Site
About El Famoso
El Famoso builds the commerce infrastructure behind culture. Based in Austin, we’re the behind-the-scenes partner for artists and brands, handling the full stack: e-commerce, tour operations, product development, fulfillment, and customer service, and we’re growing fast.
The Role
We’re hiring a Product Development Manager to own our product development pipeline across a diverse and growing portfolio of clients in music, entertainment, and apparel. You’ll lead the full product lifecycle, from concept and sampling through production and delivery, while managing relationships with factories, vendors, and internal teams.
You’ll own the production workflow end to end and make sure every product ships on time and on spec. A big part of this role is building a production operation that can move at the speed of culture. When a moment hits, we need product ready fast, and you’ll be the person making sure we can do that. You’ll also be the connective tissue between account management, fulfillment, and our clients, translating creative vision into production reality.
If you’re the kind of person who can keep 15 timelines straight while negotiating with a factory overseas, we want to talk.
What You’ll Do
Product Development & Lifecycle
- Own the end-to-end product development pipeline: concept, design coordination, tech packs, sampling, approvals, production, and delivery across all client accounts.
- Manage sample tracking and approval workflows including strike-offs, lab dips, and pre-production samples on tight turnarounds.
- Maintain and refine product development calendars, aligning internal milestones with client launch dates, tour schedules, and seasonal drops.
- Collaborate with account managers and clients on product assortment planning, translating creative direction into production-ready specs.
Vendor & Factory Management
- Source, evaluate, and manage domestic and international vendors for cut-and-sew, blanks, accessories, and specialty items.
- Negotiate pricing, lead times, and MOQs; maintain a vendor master list with current capabilities, pricing, and performance history.
- Conduct quality control on incoming samples and finished goods, holding vendors accountable to El Famoso’s standards.
- Manage international production logistics including freight forwarding, customs, and delivery timelines.
Team
- Manage, mentor, and develop production team members, including hiring, onboarding, and performance.
- Establish and maintain department SOPs for order tracking, vendor communication, and internal system updates.
- Run weekly production meetings to review pipeline status, flag risks, and coordinate cross-functionally.
Systems & Process
- Manage the product development workflow in our PLM system alongside Monday.com, keeping order status, timelines, art approvals, and vendor comms up to date across both platforms.
- Build and maintain documentation: vendor onboarding guides, product development playbooks, and department training materials.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through better vendor relationships, process automation, or smarter tooling. We’re an AI-forward shop and encourage creative use of tools.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with account managers to scope new product requests with realistic timelines and cost estimates.
- Coordinate with fulfillment and warehousing on inbound shipment scheduling, receiving expectations, and inventory handoffs.
- Support tour operations with merchandise production timelines, ensuring product is ready for on-the-road inventory needs.
What You Bring
Required
- 5+ years in product development, production management, or merchandise operations, ideally in apparel, music merch, or branded consumer goods.
- Proven track record managing vendor relationships across domestic and international factories.
- Experience managing or mentoring direct reports (production coordinators, assistants, or similar).
- Familiarity with the full apparel production cycle: tech packs, grading, sampling, bulk production, and quality assurance.
- Strong working knowledge of project management platforms (Monday.com preferred; Asana, Trello, or similar acceptable).
- Comfort with AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or similar for workflow optimization.
- Direct, clear communicator who’s comfortable pushing back on unrealistic timelines while maintaining strong relationships.
- Experience with PLM platforms (Centric, Backbone, or similar) for managing product lifecycle workflows.
Preferred
- Experience with Shopify, particularly coordinating product launches.
- Familiarity with Google Workspace, Slack, and modern SaaS tools.
- International sourcing experience with established factory relationships in Asia or Central America.
Why El Famoso
- Work with iconic brands in music, entertainment, and lifestyle. The kind of merch people line up for.
- Join a company in a real growth phase: expanding clients, services, and team. Your impact will be visible.
- A collaborative, low-ego team that values hustle, innovation, and doing right by clients.
- Real ownership of how production operates and grows. Your ideas and improvements have a direct impact.
- Opportunities for growth and professional development as the department scales.
- Direct access to leadership and a real seat at the table on how we grow.
Location: Austin, TX (On-Site)
