Ecommerce Product Development Manager

at  Universal Music Group

Music is Universal
It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.
Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation.
We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email UniversalMusicCareers@umusic.com.
The A Side: A Day in The Life
UMUK value e-Commerce as a key foundational channel to connect artists and fans. This is a fast paced and challenging role that will be pivotal in develop a wider range of merchandise product for Universal’s frontline labels.
Using your production and creative experience you will develop merchandise for artists working with labels and central creative teams, delivering high quality and sustainable products in line with fashion & seasonal trends. You will oversee the product development of the merchandise range, working with creative team and suppliers and ensuring product is developed in line with the artist and labels product vision and all following production critical paths.

The B Side: Skills & Experience

• Source and develop product, ranging from printing on blank garments to custom cut & sew ranges.
• Create and manage a sampling and product development critical path.
• Be a lead in the development of merch and apparel designs from creative leads. Advise, develop and sample for approval a wide range of products showcasing capabalities of best in class product.
• Working with internal teams, share and review all product information – blanks, artwork, tech packs with printers.
• Sampling styles with vendors, inspecting and sending for final approval to label creative and artist management.
• Oversee product development from design approval through to sampling and through to the production team.
• Liaise weekly or daily with label’s ecommerce creative teams for scheduling production of samples of apparel and accessories for artists.
• Manage your own print production workflows to include estimating, arranging visuals for approval and pre-production sampling if required.
• Work with our production team on delivery of print files to printer and provide QC on stock post production runs.
• Use your skillset to develop products, understanding blanks and sampling techniques whilst offering a production solution or workaround for bespoke product.
• Oversee, research and supplier management of new print suppliers, particularly in the cut and sew area, with the objective of offering new and exciting product ranges.
• Manage core supplier KPIs and QC processes and fails.
• Attend adhoc mgmt /artist meetings to talk through product sampling, feedback & capabilities
• Attend quarterly Creative Studio comp shops
• Attend adhoc factory visits & supplier meetings

Person Specification

• Experience in music merchandise/fashion product development, specifically in apparel product development / merchandising ideally in music / entertainment / fashion ecommerce.
• A combined passion for music and fashion are preferred to compliment this role of developing new and exciting apparel.
• The ability to interpret a production brief and convert the information cohesively to source production costs from our database of suppliers.
• Demonstrable experience of working with merchandise production team to ensure approved samples are produced at scale and to exacting product specifications.
• Ability to create realistic and sometimes complex production timelines including pre-production sampling (including conventional print as well at bespoke cut and sew) from UK and overseas.
• Demonstrate (with actual examples) your track record of producing bespoke clothing / accessories.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment lead by critical delivery dates.
• Strong administration skills with good Excel knowledge required for preparing estimates.
• Experiences of negotiating best costs and lead times with suppliers.
• Use your commercial acumen to confidently advise the ecommerce team on MOQ’S and practical production methods maintaining viable production costs.
• Sound knowledge of D2G, dye sublimation, cut and sew & screen print processes.
• Experience on monitoring supplier KPIs and deliverying a rigourous QC process.
• Experienced in handling digital files with good understanding of composition required for digital, litho and screen print (CMYK, spot colour)
• Highly organised with ability to project manage job from approval of initial visual through to printed product to warehouse.
• Ability to liaise with third parties, initiate and fulfil initiatives in a proactive manner.
• Experience of working in cross-functional teams to drive projects to completion with an ability to react quickly and calmly to changing artist & label needs and deadlines
• PM tools – preferably Monday.com. PLM tools and DAM knowledge a bonus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills

Bonus Tracks: Your Benefits

• Group Personal Pension Scheme (between 3% and 9%)
• Private Medical Insurance
• 25 paid days of annual leave
• Interest Free Season Ticket Loan available
• Holiday Purchase scheme
• Dental and Travel Insurance options
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Salary Sacrifice Cars
• Subsidised Gym Membership
• Employee Discounts (Reward Gateway)

Just So You Know…
The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder’s specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.
Job Category

Please refer the Job description for details