Footwear Product Developer II

The People Brand•Manhattan Beach, CA

About The Position

Our client, a confidential lifestyle footwear brand, is seeking a Product Developer II to support the end-to-end development and commercialization of footwear across multiple categories. This role will partner closely with Product, Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, Production, and factory teams to bring innovative products to market while ensuring timelines, quality standards, and business objectives are achieved. This is an excellent opportunity for a product developer who enjoys taking ownership, thrives in a collaborative environment, and wants exposure to the full product creation lifecycle. The role offers meaningful responsibility and visibility across development, fit, costing, commercialization, testing, and production readiness.

Requirements

5–7 years of footwear product development experience.
Strong understanding of footwear construction, materials, fit, and manufacturing.
Experience working directly with overseas factories and suppliers.
Excellent organizational and project management skills.
Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and product management systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience within casual footwear, comfort footwear, sandals, or related categories.
Familiarity with product testing and compliance processes.
Experience managing multiple categories and seasonal development calendars.
Highly organized and detail-oriented.
Passionate about product creation, fit, comfort, and consumer experience.
Proactive problem solver with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
Comfortable navigating multiple projects and changing priorities.
Collaborative team player who can also operate independently.
Adaptable, curious, and eager to learn.
Excited by the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a growing consumer brand.

Responsibilities

Manage assigned footwear categories from concept handoff through production readiness.
Drive development timelines, seasonal milestones, and commercialization deliverables.
Ensure product specifications, BOMs, costing information, and development documentation are accurate and complete.
Identify risks proactively and partner cross-functionally to keep projects moving forward.
Support multiple seasonal development calendars throughout the year.
Track sample progress, approvals, testing requirements, and key development milestones.
Coordinate with internal teams and factory partners to ensure deadlines are achieved.
Contribute to process improvements that support scalability and operational efficiency.
Serve as a primary point of contact for assigned factory partners and suppliers.
Communicate development priorities, approvals, timelines, and product feedback.
Monitor sample status, costing requests, testing requirements, and commercialization readiness.
Partner with factories to resolve fit, construction, quality, and manufacturing challenges.
Organize and facilitate product fit sessions.
Document fit feedback and communicate revisions to factory partners.
Collaborate with Product and Design teams to improve fit, comfort, and overall product performance.
Ensure products meet quality, construction, and performance expectations.
Support costing reviews and margin objectives.
Identify value engineering opportunities alongside sourcing and manufacturing partners.
Maintain accurate product data, classifications, and documentation.
Coordinate testing and compliance initiatives to ensure production readiness.