Product Development Manager – Homeware London, United Kingdom

We are an international luxury lifestyle company offering high-end experiences and products for our valued members. We collaborate with luxury brands and companies to create unforgettable experiences and products. We create beautiful long-lasting artful objects, which not only tell a story but also enhance your way of living.

The Role

We are looking for an agile and proactive full-time Lead Product Development Manager with a positive attitude and entrepreneurial spirit who can help us nurture an exciting new Homeware collection. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, the Product Development Manager is responsible for supporting the creation and curation of a new product collection. From creative conception, commercial insight and manufacturing, you will utilize your exceptional taste and development knowledge to work closely with our suppliers and design to curate and set up collections that delight and excite our clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Working in collaboration with the Managing Director to lead the conception and delivery of new collections. Drawing on exceptional taste and understanding of the luxury companies’ ethos and brand, to inspire, design and curate, alongside our suppliers, product offerings for our members and future retail markets.
• To have a strong awareness of competitor activity and react accordingly and quickly to ensure that our brand maintains a competitive commercial edge and leads the luxury market.
• Look for new product opportunities to ensure business growth.
• Ensuring product hierarchy and that collections are designed with full “rooms/ranges” in mind.
• Working closely with the suppliers to create and curate our collection and new/seasonal offers with creative and decorative elements.
• Owning and championing the sustainability focus within our product development life cycle.
• Continuously looking for opportunities to optimize our product offering to lengthen product lifetime, minimize our impact on the planet and positively impact the communities that we interact with throughout the development and manufacturing.
• Leading the selection of materials, considering sustainability as well as the use of patterned fabrics and materials, as well as weight-bearing considerations, exposed supports, and the use of certain fabric, woods, metals, materials and plastics in the fabrication process.
• Research both assigned product development categories and the general market. Internet, publications, trade shows, manufacturers’ catalogs, shop visits, etc. Interpret results for company brand.
• Formulate and propose a competitive strategy.
• Work in partnership with the team to define pricing architecture, and price targets and evaluate collection structure and categories balances.
• Collaborate closely with Product Design and the Managing Director to lead all operational products.
• Development requirements include creating and sending out spec packs for new developments, initiating samples, tracking, and receiving packages for timely review of incoming products.
• In Collaboration with the Director, lead the presentation of all new collections and products.
• Create features for key internal stakeholders.
• Work hand in hand with Marketing, Events and PR on seasonal catalogs and product displays, assist Marketing with products for Press, contribute to the creative presentation of the collection and to the flavour of the photography.
• Ensures key calendar milestones and dates for product development are met.
• Conducts and/or participates in weekly team meetings to ensure teams are aligned and address issues of product development.
• Understand product materials, construction, fit, function, and end-use requirements.
• Grow and maintain relationships with new & current suppliers, focusing on the continued improvement of our partnerships including our sustainability effectors.
• Track all incoming costs at every change level of the product.
• Help update all costing databases and systems incl. product set-up.
• Commercial preparation and set up for product launch.
• Assist with import/ export product distributions.
• Assist with legal compliance for product set-up.
• Day to day management responsibility for the product development.

Professional Requirements

• Knowledge of the luxury market and a solid understanding of the UHNW sector is a must.
• Extensive Interiors and Homeware design experience, sophisticated interior design appreciation with experience in pricing and collection structure.
• Previous experience in collection development and structure with external suppliers.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organisational skills, with the ability to analyse, question and problem-solve.
• Naturally collaborative and like working with a team.
• Previous experience in collection development and structure with external suppliers.
• Ability to work in a changing environment and to respond to market trends and changing demand as things move quickly here.
• Well organised, able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring all deadlines are met without compromising on quality and opportunities and leading PD timelines.
• Proven knowledge of supplier negotiation and defining clear targets and lead times.
• A problem-solving spirit – naturally confidence to challenge current practices to instigate positive change with a curious mind about luxury interiors.
• Knowledge of and experience with the European market is essential.
• Travel to suppliers and collaboration partners and events might be required.

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