Product Development Manager

HiFyve•Hicksville, NY

5d•Onsite

About The Position

HiFyve is hiring a Product Development Manager in Hicksville, NY! This role owns the development process from initial concept through the first production run while partnering across R&D, Packaging, Purchasing, Production, Creative, Marketing, and Sales. We're looking for an experienced Product Development Manager to lead new product development, product costing, and category planning within a fast-paced consumer products manufacturing environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a related field
6+ years of product development experience within food, R&D, or manufacturing
Consumer product development expertise, with food industry experience ideal
Strong knowledge of product construction and manufacturing processes
Thorough understanding of financial costing and experience developing detailed product costing models
Experience taking new products from concept through commercialization and first production
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive projects through completion
Strong financial and analytical skills with the ability to evaluate costs, margins, yields, and pricing
Understanding of food trends, consumer preferences, and category management
Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, organization, and time-management skills
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
Strong communication and follow-up skills
Strong Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office skills
Ability to work on-site in Hicksville, NY

Responsibilities

Own the complete product development process from new item concept through the first production run
Develop new everyday and seasonal food products for private-label customers
Lead cross-functional collaboration across R&D, Packaging, Purchasing, Production, Creative, Marketing, and Sales to successfully launch products on schedule
Partner with Sales on new product requests from key customers, including samples, pricing, and development timelines
Lead the pricing process for new products and ensure manufacturing costs and assumptions are accurately captured
Develop and oversee product costing models incorporating manufacturing, labor, raw materials, packaging, and transportation costs
Analyze product formulas, yields, and losses to maintain accurate product costs
Work with Production and suppliers to validate labor, material, and manufacturing costs
Develop pricing recommendations that support company and customer margin targets while maintaining competitive consumer pricing
Partner with Marketing on product positioning, creative direction, sales materials, and e-commerce presentation
Analyze category performance, market trends, and business implications
Identify competitive white space, consumer trends, and new product opportunities
Develop strategic recommendations for product lines and category execution
Identify and implement process improvements throughout product development and costing
Continuously review costing models to maintain accurate costs and customer pricing
Manage timely responses to customer RFQs
Provide leadership and mentorship to junior team members and potentially manage direct reports