Head of Product Development in England

At Monica Vinader, we believe luxury should be empowering, long-lasting and responsibly made. Guided by integrity, craftsmanship and innovation, our goal is to elevate people’s lives by opening access to a more beautiful world. We are proudly female-founded and inclusive, building meaningful relationships with the people who wear and love our jewellery.

The Head of Product Development role is an exciting opportunity to support the delivery of an ambitious product pipeline. You will bring ideas to life and work closely with the New Product Development (NPD) team to deliver beautiful, sustainable, high-quality products on time and at a competitive price. You will champion the customer at every point of the product journey with senior thinking, pace, passion and team spirit. Your responsibilities span across categories, materials and suppliers—from Vermeil to fine 14k solid gold jewellery, semi-precious gemstones, pearls and Lab Grown Diamonds, leather, packaging and small other categories. This role requires travel to Norfolk 2-3 days per week, with the option to work remotely part of the week; London office is available instead of remote where suitable.

Role Purpose

The Head of Product Development is the bridge between creative vision and commercial reality. You will lead a high-performing team to transform designs into market-ready products, ensuring every piece meets our standards for quality, cost, sustainability and compliance. In a fast-paced, agile environment, you will balance granular technical detail with high-level strategic thinking to drive a consistent, innovative product pipeline.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Team Management
  • Team Development: Lead and mentor a team of Product Developers (2 direct reports, plus 1 upcoming hire), while collaborating with the Head of Design to oversee the output of 5 cross-functional team members.
  • Operational Excellence: Manage departmental workflow, ensuring a balanced distribution of projects across the team and supply base to maximise expertise and professional growth.
  • Culture & Mindset: Foster agility, high standards and proactive problem-solving. Act as the primary escalation point for the team, and manage complex supplier negotiations when needed.
  • Process Innovation: Streamline development workflows and introduce standardised tools (e.g., 3D printing, sizing guides, testing protocols) to improve speed-to-market and efficiency.
  • Stakeholder Management: Communicate with clarity and influence across internal and external stakeholders (suppliers) to gain alignment and enable the team to deliver.
• Product Development & Execution
  • End-to-End Delivery: Oversee the full development lifecycle—from initial design brief to launch—across diverse categories including Jewelry and Lifestyle (Ceramic, Leather, Packaging) & others.
  • Technical Translation: Translate design aesthetics into technical specifications, providing guidance on construction methods, stone settings, and componentry.
  • Critical Path Management: Drive adherence to the critical path, collaborating with Brand, Merchandising and Operations to ensure on-time launches and explore parallel approaches for optimal design and commercial outcomes.
  • Strategic Sourcing: Lead sourcing for new materials, stones and components; conduct market research to identify suppliers and techniques aligned with sustainability and quality goals.
• Supplier & Commercial Management
  • Relationship Management: Build strong relationships with suppliers and act as a brand ambassador; lead international supplier trips to optimise development timelines and strengthen partnerships.
  • Commercial Optimisation: Use data-driven insights to inform priorities, lead tenders and resource projects to optimise costs and mitigate quality risks; align with the commercial team to develop products properly.
  • Reporting: Provide concise development updates to the Design Director and General Manager of Supply, identifying bottlenecks before they impact delivery.
• As a People Manager
  • Coach and develop direct reports; apply company policies fairly and consistently across territories and divisions.
  • Recognise and celebrate successes; manage performance, attendance and incidents.
  • Support wellbeing and work-life balance; lead by example and foster MV behaviours and values.
  • Empower your team to make decisions and learn from our test-and-learn approach.
  • Collaborate with People & Culture on complex or sensitive matters.

About You

• Connect & Empower: Communicates effectively with factory floor teams and senior stakeholders; translates complexity into clarity.
• Master & Apply: Applies knowledge with impact; aligns team efforts with commercial goals.
• Grow & Adapt: Embraces change, thrives in a fast-paced environment and pivots priorities without losing momentum.
• Challenges & Commits: Leads constructive challenge and commits with influence.

To be successful, you should be hands-on, solutions-focused and collaborative; value learning, resilience and open communication.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to document authorisation to work in the United Kingdom.
• Travel requirements: 2-3 days in the Norfolk office; hybrid option or London office available.
• Regular travel overseas (Italy, India, Thailand) 2-3 times per year.

Our Aims and Values

Our mission is to be the leading accessible luxury brand by delivering outstanding quality, design and customer service. We are Customer Obsessed, Caring, Fast Paced, Exceptional and Commercial. We are committed to an inclusive culture pledge: our jewellery is for everyone and our community. We will continue to implement sustainable changes to ensure career opportunities and progression are open to all, celebrating the diverse voices of our employees, partners and customers.

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties and may be altered to reflect business needs. All statements apply equally to Monica Vinader as a global business and to our inclusive culture pledge.