Product Development Manager (Dame Labs Lead)

dameproducts • New York, NY

3d • $85,000 - $95,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Dame Products is hiring a hands-on Product Development Manager to lead Dame Labs and drive product development from customer research and ideas through design, testing, doctor approval, and production. Dame is a founder-led sexual wellness brand whose products are sold through retailers including Target, CVS, Walmart, and Amazon. Dame Labs engages the company’s community in product design.

The manager will grow and run the product-testing community, conduct customer research, and develop evidence-backed recommendations about what Dame should make next. After decisions are made with leadership, the manager will coordinate execution, keep manufacturers and internal teams on schedule, and maintain a clear product roadmap and meeting rhythm. The role directly manages an engineer, industrial designer, and testing lead, and reports to the CEO and Founder.

This is an execution-focused role for someone who enjoys getting physical products made and working directly with customers. The company seeks a person who centers human needs and real-world testing, is comfortable discussing sex and pleasure, and regularly uses AI tools and agents to support research synthesis, feedback monitoring, and project management. The role is full-time and hybrid in New York, with a base salary of $85,000–$95,000 depending on experience. Dame describes the opportunity as offering direct founder access, ownership, and the chance to shape products seen on retail shelves.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of experience close to physical product development and the people products are made for; relevant backgrounds may include industrial design, engineering, product marketing, product development, or research.
• Demonstrated curiosity about customers, including experience speaking with customers, running a survey or test, and changing a decision based on findings; a formal UX title is not required.
• A track record of managing projects with many moving parts and keeping them on track.
• Comfort holding designers and engineers accountable to deadlines.
• Regular use of AI tools at work and informed opinions about AI agents.
• Comfort discussing sex, bodies, and pleasure openly with anyone.
• Motivation to take on a significant role early and prove oneself.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with physical products, especially in wellness, beauty, personal care, or consumer hardware.
• Formal user research training.
• Experience building or running a community, beta panel, or events program.
• Startup experience building things from scratch.

Responsibilities

• Lead Dame Labs and grow its product tester community.
• Set up and run product trials that encourage community participation.
• Conduct customer interviews, in-home studies, and tester panels to understand customer experiences and product needs.
• Design and field surveys to the community, then turn results into clear recommendations.
• Plan and host focus groups, co-design workshops, and community events, both in person and online.
• Present leadership with evidence-backed recommendations about what products Dame should make next.
• Project-manage product development from design and prototyping through testing, doctor approval, and production.
• Follow up on samples and keep manufacturers on schedule.
• Keep product timelines, owners, and decisions clear.
• Manage the engineer, industrial designer, and testing lead by setting priorities and deadlines and holding the team accountable.
• Maintain the product roadmap and run biweekly product meetings.
• Apply human-centered design, keeping customer needs and experiences central and testing early and often.
• Use AI tools and agents to synthesize interviews, monitor reviews and community feedback, and automate project-management tasks.

Benefits

• Direct work with the founder and real ownership.
• Opportunity to see products you helped develop on retail shelves, including at Target.
• Customer research that shapes the products Dame makes.
• Opportunity to work at a company that considers pleasure a core part of a healthy life.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed