Associate Product Development Manager- Home Products

Earthbound Brands•Bentonville, AR

6d•$55,000 - $65,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Earthbound is a leading brand licensing and product design company seeking an Associate Product Development Manager to join their Product Development team. This role offers an opportunity to advance a career in retail product development, focusing on prominent home brands in mass retail. The position involves managing the entire product lifecycle for assigned subcategories, from initial planning and design to supplier management, sample reviews, and packaging coordination. The Associate Product Development Manager will also support broader team initiatives and build relationships with key stakeholders including Walmart merchants, suppliers, and internal teams.

Requirements

2–3 years of relevant experience in retail, product development, buying, merchandising, design, or sourcing
Genuine interest in home products and an eye for what's on-trend and commercially relevant
Strong organizational skills; ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and details simultaneously
Clear communicator (written and verbal), comfortable working with both internal teams and external retail and supplier partners
Collaborative nature; understanding that great product is the result of strong relationships and clear communication across teams
Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift and problem-solving is part of the job
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed
Bachelor's degree preferred

Nice To Haves

Experience with Airtable or similar tools
Familiarity with retail link, PLM, or Adobe Illustrator

Responsibilities

Partner with PD and Design leadership to support seasonal planning by compiling competitive and market data, trend insights, and category analysis to inform strategic direction.
Contribute to the development and management of the Design Brief, including SKU counts, supplier matrix, price points, fabrications, and assortment structure.
Own and maintain the Item Development Matrix (IDM) in Airtable for assigned categories throughout the product lifecycle.
Lead day-to-day supplier relationships for assigned categories, initiating and running supplier meetings, reviewing product details, discussing business needs, and ensuring timelines are met.
Communicate product updates, changes, and follow-ups to suppliers and cross-functional teams in a timely and organized manner.
Manage sample needs across the seasonal calendar for assigned categories, tracking, requesting, and organizing samples for key reviews and presentations.
Create meeting recaps that capture imagery, item details, strategy, and next steps.
Assist in the preparation and organization of sample reviews, including set-up, collateral, and documentation.
Support escalation of design intent issues, color discrepancies, or quality concerns to the appropriate PDM or Director.
Communicate new product and packaging needs to the Packaging Project Manager and collaborate throughout the packaging development process.
Support coordination of photography and marketing sample requests for both Walmart and brand teams.
Assist in the preparation of assortment updates for the packaging and photography handoff meeting.
Build and maintain working relationships with Walmart merchants, Walmart cross-functional teams, suppliers, and Earthbound's internal design, marketing, and creative teams.
Collaborate with Walmart merchants, PD, and brand teams to evaluate sales performance, focus assortments, and drive brand clarity.
Partner with the design team to ensure product briefs are clear and actionable and that trend and category direction is well understood across the team.
Support analysis of end-of-season sales performance and contribute to the post-season review process.