Product Development Manager, Hard Goods
About The Position
The Lumistella Company is a global intellectual property company dedicated to bringing Santa’s North Pole to life for children around the world through consumer products, original entertainment and brand experiences. They are home to iconic Christmas brands including The Elf on the Shelf, Elf Pets, and Elf Mates. The Product Development Manager, Hard Goods will own the development of toy SKUs across Lumistella’s core and inbound licensed hard good lines, serving as the technical expert responsible for ensuring plastic components and products are fully engineered and manufacturable. This role ensures the functional, visual, and safety integrity of every toy while aligning with cost, feasibility, and storytelling goals. The manager will work closely with Design and Sourcing to deliver accurate, vendor-ready documentation and to ensure storytelling and play-value are preserved through sampling and spec refinement. This role bridges creative intent and technical execution to deliver safe, engaging, and fully manufacturable toys. This person is essential to ensuring factories are successful in building tooling and executing projects on time by providing accurate & complete production-ready CAD, and by working closely with the factory and their toolmaker on tool design and development. Each season can have upwards of 25 unique and innovative toys, plastic characters, and elf-sized props/wearables for new development, in addition to products sold globally year after year requiring updates from previous seasons.
Requirements
- 6+ years in product engineering within consumer goods, toys, plastics/injection molding, or similar industries
- Expert knowledge in play feature development, injection molding, and mechanical function validation
- Proficiency in CAD software (SolidWorks, Rhino, ArtiosCAD, or equivalent)
- Deep understanding of product assembly, tolerance management, and DFM (Design for Manufacturing)
- Experience reviewing samples and resolving spec issues in partnership with vendors and sourcing
- Experience working with global suppliers and factories, particularly in Asia
- Proficiency in BOM creation, vendor coordination, and mold cost optimization
- Experience managing development cycles across seasonal and licensed product lines
- Experience working with licensed IP partners on product submissions and approvals
- Protects company assets through the proper management of asset files and adherence to company policy with regard to information security and management
- Bachelor’s degree Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Technology, or related field
Nice To Haves
- Digital tool experience preferred (PLM, Adobe Illustrator)
- Familiarity with global toy safety and compliance standards
Responsibilities
- Manage end-to-end development of plastic and hybrid toy products from design through pre-production
- Lead concept evaluations, sample reviews, and cross-functional alignment early in development
- Define engineering specs, CAD data, materials, tolerances, and tooling requirements
- Create and maintain technical documentation (drawings, BOMs, assembly guides, CAD visuals)
- Ensure designs are manufacturable and aligned with real-world production conditions
- Partner with costing, sourcing, production, and packaging teams for feasibility and execution
- Oversee sample iterations, provide factory feedback, and finalize product construction
- Support packaging validation and provide assets for graphics and photography
- Ensure compliance with safety standards (ASTM, EN71, CPSIA) and performance requirements
- Maintain version control and manage spec updates for ongoing production and new markets
- Collaborate with program management to meet timelines, mitigate risks, and protect ship dates
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
