Job Title: Production Director Company: Hunter Bell Inc. Job Location: 5433 Westheimer Rd., Ste. 200, Houston, TX 77056
Position Summary: The Production Director provides strategic leadership for all aspects of product sourcing, costing, production, logistics, and supplier management to ensure the successful execution of Hunter Bell's collections. This role is responsible for developing and executing production strategies that achieve margin objectives, maintain the highest quality standards, and support the company's growth initiatives.
Working cross-functionally with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, Planning, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Wholesale, and external manufacturing partners, the Production Director drives operational excellence through strategic supplier partnerships, scalable processes, systems optimization, and continuous improvement. This position leads the Production team while overseeing all production-related costs, timelines, approvals, logistics, and vendor performance.
Responsibilities: Production Strategy & Execution • Oversee all bulk production from purchase order placement through final delivery, ensuring quality, cost, and on-time execution. • Develop and manage seasonal production calendars, including projections, final orders, material commitments, approvals, shipping schedules, and warehouse delivery dates. • Establish production priorities and proactively identify and resolve risks that could impact delivery, quality, or profitability. • Lead bulk reorder negotiations, placement, and execution. • Oversee production shipping and logistics while identifying the most efficient and cost-effective transportation methods. • Partner with third-party logistics providers to resolve receiving discrepancies and operational issues.
Costing, Margin & Financial Performance • Partner with Finance to establish initial markup (IMU) goals by assortment category and provide strategic costing direction to Product Development throughout the development process to achieve margin objectives. • Provide strategic oversight of supplier costing and support complex cost negotiations as needed, advising Product Development on cost optimization opportunities while balancing quality, margin, and delivery objectives. • Partner with Design and Product Development throughout the development process to review material costs, manufacturing efficiencies, and costing strategies to support financial objectives. • Develop and maintain the seasonal assortment plan, ensuring product information, costing, and assortment details are accurately maintained. Oversee pricing analysis and provide strategic guidance to ensure initial markup (IMU) goals and financial objectives are achieved throughout product development. • Provide oversight of production invoice reconciliation processes, ensuring accuracy, timely resolution of discrepancies, and alignment with financial controls. Supplier & Sourcing Leadership • Develop and execute the company's sourcing strategy to build a diversified, high-performing global supplier base. • Source, evaluate, onboard, and manage factory partners while establishing long-term strategic relationships. • Oversee supplier relationships by providing strategic direction on pricing, payment terms, production capacity, and service expectations while supporting the team in key negotiations and supplier performance management. • Monitor supplier performance, drive accountability, and implement continuous improvement initiatives. • Source and oversee manufacturing of branded merchandise, promotional products, and company event materials. Cross-Functional Partnership • Provide production leadership during product development to ensure designs are commercially viable and manufacturable. • Manage bulk production projections and production lead times to support business planning. • Review fabrication and SKU allocation analyses prepared by the Product Development team, providing strategic direction and final recommendations to guide sourcing decisions and inform assortment, buying, merchandising, planning, and wholesale strategies. • Provide strategic direction and final approval on product, print, and color naming standards to ensure consistency across business systems and support cross-functional alignment. • Partner with Ecommerce and Wholesale to support customer-specific testing, packaging, labeling, and compliance requirements. • Coordinate gifting and early shipment programs with Marketing to support seasonal campaigns and public relations initiatives.
Quality & Operational Excellence • Develop and implement bulk quality control processes in partnership with Technical Design and Production teams. • Drive root cause analysis and corrective action plans with suppliers to continuously improve product quality. • Create, document, and improve production processes and standard operating procedures to support operational efficiency and scalability. • Coordinate disposition or sale of excess raw materials and fabric inventory. Logistics, Trade & Compliance • Develop logistics strategies that optimize freight costs while meeting delivery commitments. • Lead tariff strategy, supplier negotiations, including tariff refund programs and importer-of-record processes. • Ensure production activities comply with company standards, customer requirements, and applicable import/export regulations. Systems & Business Process Leadership • Partner with cross-functional leaders on the implementation and optimization of production-related systems, including PLM, ERP, assortment planning, and reporting tools, ensuring production requirements and workflows are effectively represented. • Collaborate with internal stakeholders to support system integrations and process enhancements that improve data accuracy, operational efficiency, and scalability across the product lifecycle. • Provide production expertise and operational guidance for technology initiatives, ensuring new systems and processes align with business objectives and support future growth. Leadership & Communication • Lead, mentor, and develop the Production team by establishing priorities, coaching team members, and supporting professional development. • Foster strong cross-functional collaboration across Design, Product Development, Merchandising, Planning, Finance, Marketing, Wholesale, and Operations. • Communicate production status, risks, and key business updates to leadership and internal stakeholders. • Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement throughout the production organization.