Product Design Manager in Banbury

Join our successful in-house New Product Development team as a Design Manager, leading a dedicated team of engineers within a wider team of design and engineering professionals, all based at our beautifully designed Malthouse office headquarters in Banbury.

A Little About Omlet

Founded in 2004 by four product designers, Omlet is a fast-growing global e-commerce, direct-to-consumer pet product business, selling to customers across the world.

With an expanding portfolio of innovative products and a growing international customer base, we have ambitious plans to become the world's number one premium pet brand.

Product Designers first, we ask so we can invent.

From why house cats can’t climb trees to why shouldn’t chickens listen to music whilst laying an egg?

Our curiosity creates understanding, helping us bring people and pets closer than ever before.

We are an ambitious, design-focused company.

Our unique pet product range spans structural housing, enclosures, enrichment products and accessories, including electromechanical smart products, reflecting our ambition to push the boundaries of what pet products can be.

Our teams, including Engineering, Design, Marketing, Customer Experience, Dev and Purchasing, are all based in our creative space in Banbury.

We offer a supportive, pragmatic and encouraging culture, where regular social events and a relaxed dress code create a fun, collaborative and vibrant place to work.

Find out

More about the role

Reporting to the Chief Design Officer, you will be one of three Design Managers, each responsible for a team of typically three to four Design Engineers.

We are an ambitious, design-focused company, and our unique products are made using a wide variety of manufacturing processes and materials, including plastic mouldings, metal fabrications, fabric and wood.

Our fully equipped on-site prototyping workshop with 3D printers, metal-working and woodworking tools gives your team everything they need to bring ideas to life quickly and effectively.

In this role, you will have real ownership and accountability, with your leadership making a tangible and measurable difference to the business.

This is a hands-on management role with variety at its core.

You will lead a team of Design Engineers while remaining actively involved across the full design and development cycle, from initial concept through to manufacture.

You will be both a people leader and a technically capable engineer, equally comfortable mentoring your team and rolling up your sleeves on complex design challenges.

Your responsibilities will include

• People Management
• Managing, coaching, and developing Design Engineers to reach their full potential
• Recognising and nurturing future talent within the team
• Recruitment and onboarding of new team members
• Managing holidays, attendance, and performance for designated team members
• Conducting regular performance reviews to identify efficiencies and opportunities
• Rewarding and disciplining employees in line with company policy.
• Project Management
• Direct Management and coordination of product development projects from brief to launch.
• Tracking and reporting on project progress, timelines and deliverables
• Delivering projects on time and within budget
• Spotting opportunities for improvement and knowing how to bring new ideas to life in a compelling way.
• Commercial & Supplier Management
• NPD cost management and negotiation
• Managing product development budgets and expenses
• Raising and placing first order and tooling purchase orders
• Identifying, evaluating and selecting suppliers throughout the development phase, working collaboratively to overcome challenges, define the best route to manufacture, and build strong, lasting partnerships set up for long-term success
• Managing NNN agreements with suppliers.
• Product Design & Engineering
• Driving critical design decisions throughout the full product lifecycle - from initial brief to customer delivery - spanning material and process selection, form and colour, user interactions, assembly design and serviceability
• Working across a diverse range of product types and manufacturing processes, including plastic injection moulding, blow moulding, extrusion, metal fabrication and casting, electromechanical, fabric, wood and structural packaging
• Concept derivation and detail design
• 2D and 3D CAD modelling and engineering drawings
• Prototyping, validation, user trials and testing
• Tooling and production support
• Quality control and responding to product faults
• Controlling component count and cost, with a focus on continuous improvement and cost reduction
• Engineering administration, change implementation and control
• Liaising with suppliers and manufacturers.

Successful candidate requirements

• At least a 2:1 bachelor's degree in Product Design, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Design
• 3 or more years of relevant industrial experience
• Proven experience managing and developing a team, with a track record of supporting individuals to grow and perform at their best
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple product development projects simultaneously, delivering on time and within budget
• Excellent coaching and people management skills
• Proficiency in 3D CAD modelling, assemblies and technical drafting - we use Onshape.
• Experience producing comprehensive technical drawings
• A broad knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials, in particular plastic mouldings and metal fabrications
• A working knowledge of tolerancing, quality control, DFM and DFA
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects of varying scale simultaneously
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, across both technical and non-technical audiences
• Great attention to detail
• Self-motivated with the initiative to innovate and drive change
• Working with overseas suppliers
• Competent with spreadsheet formulae and interpretation of data

• A passion for people and pets!