HEAD OF PRODUCT, MERCHANDISING & QUALITY

HEAD OF PRODUCT, MERCHANDISING & QUALITY
Company: C&C Collective Private Limited (Cotton & Clay)
Location: Chandigarh, India
Employment: Full-time | On-site
Reporting to: Managing Director & CEO
Industry: Fashion, Apparel & Lifestyle Retail
ABOUT COTTON & CLAY
Cotton & Clay is building a digital-first fashion and lifestyle brand, combining premium-quality apparel, international sourcing, Indian manufacturing partnerships and technology-enabled operations.
With our initial commercial launch planned for January 2027, we're assembling an experienced leadership team capable of building a competitive and scalable fashion business.
THE OPPORTUNITY
We're looking for an experienced Head of Product, Merchandising & Quality to lead our apparel product strategy, collection development, merchandising and quality standards.
You'll take ownership of our product portfolio, working closely with suppliers in China, India and Canada, as well as our procurement, marketing, technology and finance teams.
Your responsibility is straightforward: develop commercially successful collections that customers genuinely want to wear, maintain exceptional product quality and protect our margins.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. PRODUCT STRATEGY & DEVELOPMENT
- Develop our apparel product strategy and seasonal collections.
- Define product categories, assortment architecture, size ranges and colour variations.
- Conduct competitor analysis, customer research and fashion trend assessments.
- Establish product specifications covering fabrics, construction, fit, finishing and durability.
- Manage product development, sampling, approvals and production readiness.
- Balance product innovation with commercial viability.
2. MERCHANDISING & COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE
- Develop seasonal buying plans and product assortment strategies.
- Establish product selection criteria, target costs and margin requirements.
- Analyse retail pricing, competitive positioning and product differentiation.
- Monitor product performance, sell-through, inventory turnover and markdown exposure.
- Work with marketing and e-commerce teams on product presentation and merchandising.
- Recommend assortment adjustments based on commercial performance.
3. PRODUCT QUALITY & COMPLIANCE
- Establish and maintain apparel quality standards.
- Define fabric testing, measurement, construction and finishing requirements.
- Review and approve samples before bulk manufacturing.
- Implement supplier quality inspection and product acceptance procedures.
- Investigate manufacturing defects, product returns and customer complaints.
- Ensure applicable product quality, labelling and compliance requirements are addressed.
4. SOURCING & SUPPLIER COLLABORATION
- Work with procurement teams and manufacturing partners across China, India and Canada.
- Evaluate supplier manufacturing capabilities and product quality.
- Support supplier selection, sampling and product development.
- Coordinate production specifications, timelines and quality expectations.
- Resolve manufacturing and product-related supplier issues.
- Maintain consistent product standards across suppliers.
5. INVENTORY & DEMAND PLANNING
- Develop initial buying recommendations and inventory allocation strategies.
- Establish appropriate size and colour distribution.
- Collaborate with procurement and finance on inventory investments.
- Monitor product demand, replenishment requirements and inventory performance.
- Minimise excess stock, stockouts and unnecessary working-capital exposure.
6. PRODUCT DATA & DIGITAL MERCHANDISING
- Establish accurate product specifications, size charts, descriptions and care instructions.
- Ensure reliable product data within our proprietary Business Operating System.
- Collaborate with technology and e-commerce teams on product information management.
- Work with creative and marketing teams on product photography and digital presentation.
- Support data-driven merchandising and customer experience improvements.
7. LEADERSHIP & EXECUTION
- Build and lead the product, merchandising and quality function.
- Establish product development calendars, approval processes and reporting standards.
- Coordinate with procurement, marketing, finance, technology and warehouse operations.
- Monitor development milestones, product costs and quality performance.
- Provide executive leadership with clear commercial and operational reporting.
MANDATORY CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
Industry Experience
- Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in fashion, apparel or lifestyle retail.
- At least 3 years in product development, buying, merchandising or category leadership.
- Proven experience developing or managing apparel collections for established fashion retailers, manufacturers or D2C brands.
- Strong understanding of fabrics, garment construction, fit, sizing and apparel manufacturing.
- Experience managing product development from sampling through bulk production.
- Demonstrated knowledge of product costing, retail margins, inventory management and seasonal merchandising.
- Experience working directly with apparel manufacturers and sourcing teams.
Technical & Commercial Capabilities
- Strong apparel product development and merchandising expertise.
- Experience preparing technical specifications and quality acceptance criteria.
- Knowledge of garment inspection, fabric testing and manufacturing quality standards.
- Ability to evaluate product costing, margins and commercial performance.
- Strong analytical skills and experience with merchandising and inventory management systems.
- Ability to coordinate domestic and international suppliers.
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE
- Experience with leading fashion retailers, established apparel brands or successful D2C fashion businesses.
- Previous exposure to international apparel sourcing, particularly China and India.
- Experience in premium or premium-accessible fashion categories.
- Experience launching new apparel collections or product categories.
- Familiarity with e-commerce merchandising and product analytics.
- Experience implementing product lifecycle management or integrated retail systems.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Someone with strong product judgement, genuine apparel industry knowledge and commercial discipline.
You should understand what makes a garment worth buying, what makes a collection profitable and why quality problems cannot be solved through clever marketing.
We're looking for someone comfortable working directly with manufacturers, challenging suppliers, managing deadlines and taking responsibility for results.
Startup experience is an advantage. A practical, hands-on approach is essential.
HOW WE'LL MEASURE SUCCESS
- Successful development and timely delivery of launch collections.
- Achievement of approved product costing and margin targets.
- Product quality acceptance rates and manufacturing consistency.
- Product sell-through and inventory performance.
- Reduction in product-related returns and customer complaints.
- Efficient product development and sample approval timelines.
- Reliable product data and cross-functional coordination.
WHY JOIN US?
You'll have the opportunity to shape our product portfolio from the beginning, establish quality and merchandising standards, develop international supplier relationships and build a product function designed for long-term growth.
This is a leadership opportunity with substantial ownership and direct accountability for commercial outcomes.
APPLY
If you've developed commercially successful apparel collections and understand the realities of fashion retail, we'd like to hear from you.
Email: careers@cottonandclay.co
Subject: Head of Product, Merchandising & Quality – Your Name
Please share your CV and a brief description of the apparel categories or collections you've personally managed, including their commercial scale and your specific contribution.
Location: Chandigarh, India
Employment: Full-time | On-site
#Hiring #FashionJobs #ApparelIndustry #Merchandising
#ProductDevelopment #FashionRetail #ChandigarhJobs

Work arrangement
No