Retail Logistics and Production Manager at Sparks Group

Job Summary/Company: Sparks Group has partnered with an active wear brand located in Charlottesville, Virginia that is seeking a Retail Logistics and Production Manager for a Direct Hire opportunity. Are you a hands on leader that jumps in to support your team when needed? Do you have 8 years of experience in Retail apparel production and logistics? This may be the perfect opportunity for you to get your foot in the door with a growing company! Please Apply today!


Responsibilities:

• Lead cross-functional teams: Ensure timely delivery of raw materials, production, and finished goods by managing team calendars and deadlines.
• Forge strong partnerships: Build and maintain positive relationships across departments (PD, Design, Merchandising) to guarantee product quality and cost-effectiveness.
• Oversee factory network: Manage domestic and international factory relationships through regular visits and communication to ensure compliance, quality, and on-time production.
• Collaborate with design & product development: Establish seasonal handoff dates with product development and design teams.
• Lead sourcing strategy: Analyze lead times and minimum order quantities (MOQs), share insights with merchandising to inform seasonal buying decisions.
• Develop production calendars: Create and manage season-specific production calendars for each vendor, including timelines and action items.
• Manage capacity & projections: Review seasonal projections with factories, address concerns with merchandising, and finalize production quantities.
• Streamline communication: Act as the primary contact with merchandising, ensuring accurate order placement according to deadlines.
• Optimize logistics: Oversee on-time material orders and choose the most cost-effective method (ocean vs. air) for freight transportation.
• Maintain quality standards: Act as the main liaison with factories to ensure adherence to compliance mandates and quality specifications.
• Manage costing & profitability: Partner with product development for negotiation of production costs and maintain master cost files for all core products.
• Expand vendor portfolio: Source and onboard new factories, leveraging expertise in trade agreements, logistics, and specialized production capabilities to diversify suppliers.
• Proactive problem-solving: Anticipate potential sourcing or costing challenges due to global events and strategically react.
• Financial accuracy & timeliness: Ensure the accuracy of pre-paid inventory balances, reconcile invoices, and manage timely payments with accounting.
• Delivery & prioritization: Manage on-time product delivery and prioritize orders to meet fluctuating company needs.
• Transparency & communication: Provide weekly status reports on all open orders with updated estimated time of arrival (ETA) to stakeholders.
• Quality control: Oversee material and finished goods quality control processes, track damage rates, and work with customer service & product development to address any production issues.
• 3PL partnership: Build a strong relationship with the third-party logistics (3PL) provider, promoting operational excellence within the supply chain.
• Performance analysis & improvement: Manage financial, operational, and business performance analysis of 3PL and transportation segments to achieve annual targets.
• Continuous improvement: Track and report on key operational metrics to continually optimize distribution and logistics networks.
• Cost reduction & innovation: Develop innovative solutions to lower costs and attain business goals, utilizing data analytics and industry expertise.
• Collaboration & problem-solving: Act as a liaison between internal teams and the 3PL regarding volume forecasts and capacity obstacles. Collaborate with the 3PL and internal teams to resolve operational issues.
• Minimize chargebacks: Partner with sales and customer service teams to reduce chargebacks caused by delivery problems.
• Compliance & audit: Conduct regular audits of 3PL and freight providers to ensure adherence to service level agreements (SLAs) and pricing agreements.
• Weekly production reports: Provide cross-functional partners with insightful and actionable weekly reports on ongoing production progress (WIP).
• Production hindsight reports: Deliver end-of-season production hindsight reports to cross-functional partners for continuous improvement.
• Team leadership: Lead and develop your team by setting clear goals and fostering a collaborative work environment.

Qualifications/Background Profile:

• Extensive experience (8+ years) in apparel production and logistics, with proven leadership skills (managed direct reports).
• Demonstrated expertise in both domestic and import production, with a strong preference for experience across both accessories and apparel.
• In-depth understanding of Incoterms and logistics processes.
• Experience managing multi-channel fulfillment, including direct-to-consumer (DTC) and wholesale operations.
• Hands-on experience in sourcing, vendor onboarding, customer/wear-testing/durability analysis, prototype sampling, and quality control.
• Strong grasp of retail math concepts: margins, cost optimization, inventory turnover, forecasting techniques, operational systems, and contract negotiation.
• Sharp analytical skills with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Exceptional communication (written and oral) ability to clearly convey strategies across all levels and departments.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and adept at prioritizing workloads to meet deadlines while remaining adaptable to shifting priorities.
• Proven leadership and people management skills, with excellent communication and ability to collaborate across functions.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel.
• Experience with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems preferred, especially Centric.
• Team player with a "no task is beneath me" attitude.

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This job is In-Person.

We offer several comprehensive benefits package including health and life insurance, paid and unpaid time off, and retirement and savings plans to qualifying employees.

Download the Sparks Group mobile app from Apple App Store or Google Play.

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Sparks Group is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, pregnancy, citizenship, family status, genetic information, disability, or protect veteran status.