Director of Product Development & Innovation
About The Position
Do you have Product Development experience in the toys and/or arts & crafts categories? Do you thrive on hustling to create and conceptualize new products? If so, we are looking for you! As a Director of Product Development & Innovation, you will be responsible for driving the product development and innovation strategy for your assigned categories including trend identification and translation, development product assortments and custom programs, rationalizing go-forward products and driving category growth in developing new, adjacent opportunities within the Kids Craft & Activity areas. To be successful in this role, you must have a drive and passion for product along with an entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in an incredibly fast paced environment.
Requirements
- At least 8 years of product development/merchandising/brand management experience, ideally within a very fast-paced, quick turnaround industry.
- Experience with custom product development is required.
- Must be a dynamic, passionate leader with ability to multi-task amidst shifting priorities.
- Must have strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively present in front of large audiences.
- Must have the ability to work in a hybrid capacity from our New Providence, NJ office at least twice per week.
Nice To Haves
- Toy, Tween or Craft experience is HIGHLY preferred.
Responsibilities
- Responsible for the vision of designated brands. This includes driving the development and execution of products that align with the assigned brands/programs and where necessary, working with licensing team through strategic partnerships, and pivoting and re-positioning products and brands based on changing market environments.
- Oversee the creative product development process, enforcing key milestones from product conceptualization to merchandising pass-off; working alongside senior cross-functional leadership in merchandising, design, sourcing, compliance and sales.
- Drive new product execution while maintaining existing portfolio of products; lead white space due diligence efforts with product development to identify growth avenues.
- Mentor creative development team on consistent connection between ideation and marketability and bottom-line sales generation & profitability.
- Work alongside merchandising teams to ensure all projects align with divisional strategic goals, whether in brand extensions, category expansion, direct sourcing initiatives and/or parallel category diversification.
- Strategize with sales and merchandising leads on quantifying and prioritizing new category growth opportunities; balancing with corporate initiatives and core competencies.
- Collaborate with design and engineering team members to generate and execute new product and packaging concepts.
- Communicate with overseas offices on all existing brands, new product development and global sourcing initiatives; Lead strategic sourcing/negotiations efforts as necessary in projects surrounding new product categories, partnering with merchandising, sourcing and Shanghai teams.
- Collaborate with sourcing teams to identify needs outside of existing vendor matrix in order to develop incremental subcategories for volume-driving innovation projects.
- Proactively work alongside product safety and compliance teams to ensure a consistently high level of quality for all kids product categories.
- Lead regular competitive landscape reports across major channels of distribution, identifying key market and product gaps and opportunities.
- Collaborate with internal teams to prepare for retail presentations and industry trade shows.
- Partner with merchandising leads on strategic costing negotiations in collaboration with global sourcing and overseas merchandising teams; ideate and innovate with an eye towards costing goals while maintaining the integrity of the product.
- Understand POS data and identify plans to capitalize on trending products and categories; as well as identify gaps in distribution and retail laddering.
- Collaborate across the organization to lead product vision alongside design execution, and provide product development leadership to all segments of the business.
- Professionally train, develop and mentor members of the product development & innovation team.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
