Product Development Specialist - Hybrid

Pet Supplies Plus•Livonia, MI

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Product Development Specialist is a member of the Merchandising Team and will play an important role in bringing private brand pet products to market for Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N Wash stores. This position supports consumable categories including dog and cat food, treats, cat litter, and other everyday private brand essentials. It is a hybrid role that works in-office three days per week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and is eligible to work remotely on Thursdays and Fridays. Pet Supplies Plus is focused on making it easier to get better products for your pet. With over 730 locations in 44 states, the stores have a streamlined design making it easy to navigate a wide assortment of natural foods, hard goods and pet services. Friendly, knowledgeable staff get to know each pet and their owner by name and provide playful store experiences to remind them just how fun it is to own a pet. Pet Supplies Plus stores are large enough to house an incredible variety of food and equipment, yet small enough to still feel neighborly. Pet Supplies Plus is ranked No. 21 overall in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2024 Franchise 500® list and is the Top Full-Service Pet Supplies Franchise for its exceptional performance in areas including financial strength and stability, growth rate and system size.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
Minimum 2+ years in product development, consumer product manufacturing, pet retail or related field.
Strong project management skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines
The ability to work well with cross functional teams as well as independently.
A high degree of detail‑orientation, strong organization skills, and be a proactive problem solver
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong computer skills including advanced knowledge of MS Excel.

Responsibilities

Own management of assigned inline and seasonal private brand projects, from ideation through launch and post‑launch follow‑up
Work directly with pet partners (co‑manufacturers) to develop new and improved private brand products
Manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining organization, accuracy, and deadlines
Collaborate with the marketing and design teams on new packaging designs, in-store signage, website content and store support documentation.
Collaborate with stores on new product ideas, process improvements, etc.
Work with the supply chain team on new item forecasting.
Create new item forms for new programs.
Complete eCommerce submission forms and product photoshoot requests.
Audit the website monthly to ensure images and information are correct.
Perform quality assurance (QA) checks on products to make sure our Pet Partners meet and maintain our quality standards.
Organize and track quality documentation.
Put our neighbors (customers) first by monitoring, tracking and analyzing product reviews, internal store returns, refunds and replacement data.