Senior Product Development Manager - Toys

Comfrt

2d•Remote

About The Position

Comfrt is seeking a commercially minded Senior Product Development Manager to build and scale its toy and plush category. The role leads end-to-end development and commercialization of sensory toys, squishy toys, weighted plush, novelty toys, and other comfort-focused products, from concept and design handoff through production approval. The manager translates consumer insights, market research, competitive analysis, and sales performance into product strategies that support innovation, revenue growth, and profitability. This hands-on, entrepreneurial role combines technical product development expertise, analytical capability, strategic thinking, and business acumen. It includes evaluating product and category opportunities, retail financial performance, product feasibility, materials, manufacturing, safety, and quality. The manager works with the Senior Toy Designer and cross-functional teams, oversees vendors and development timelines, and helps shape the long-term direction of Comfrt’s toy category. The position is fully remote.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Product Development, Product Engineering, Industrial Design, Business, Merchandising, or a related discipline.
7–10+ years of product development experience, with significant direct experience in toys, plush, sensory products, or related consumer goods.
Proven track record developing and commercializing innovative products from concept through mass production.
Strong commercial acumen and ability to analyze sales performance, market trends, competitive data, and product profitability.
Strong understanding of retail math, including AUR, COGS, IMU, gross margin, sell-through, sales forecasting, and inventory performance.
Experience identifying consumer and market opportunities and translating insights into profitable product innovations.
Deep technical knowledge of toy construction, materials, manufacturing processes, and product engineering.
Strong understanding of toy safety standards, compliance requirements, and testing protocols.
Experience working directly with overseas manufacturing partners, particularly in Asia.
Demonstrated experience managing product costing, value engineering, and target-margin objectives.
Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills, including interpreting and analyzing product performance and financial data.
Strong strategic thinking, analytical problem-solving, project management, and communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and execute against aggressive development timelines.

Nice To Haves

Experience building or scaling a new product category within a fast-growing consumer brand.
Experience developing weighted plush, sensory toys, stress-relief products, or innovative comfort-focused products.
Strong understanding of consumer behavior, market trends, and retail or DTC business models.
Experience preparing business cases, product performance analyses, and strategic recommendations for leadership.
Knowledge of injection molding, silicone molding, foam manufacturing, plush construction, and filling technologies.
Established relationships with toy manufacturers, material suppliers, and testing laboratories.
Experience working successfully in a remote or hybrid environment.
Ability to operate autonomously while collaborating effectively across functions and maintaining strong communication.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive, with a strong sense of urgency and accountability.

Responsibilities

Partner with Product leadership and Merchandising to develop a strategic product roadmap aligned with consumer needs, emerging trends, and business objectives.
Analyze sales performance, including revenue, units, sell-through, AUR, gross margin, inventory productivity, and profitability.
Translate sales data, consumer insights, and market research into recommendations for product innovation, assortment optimization, and future development.
Conduct competitive market analysis to identify trends, white-space opportunities, pricing strategies, and category growth potential.
Evaluate the commercial viability of new concepts using market demand, target pricing, costs, margin potential, and projected sales.
Identify opportunities to scale successful products, improve underperforming products, and evolve the assortment.
Present data-driven product recommendations and business opportunities to senior leadership.
Own end-to-end toy product development, from initial concept and design handoff through production approval.
Partner with the Senior Toy Designer to translate creative concepts into technically sound, commercially viable products.
Lead technical development across plush, weighted toys, sensory products, squishy toys, novelty toys, and emerging categories.
Evaluate product feasibility, construction, functionality, materials, and manufacturing capabilities while preserving design integrity.
Research and develop innovative materials, textures, constructions, and product functionalities.
Evaluate materials for comfort, tactile experience, performance, durability, manufacturability, and safety.
Work with factories and suppliers on new technologies and manufacturing techniques.
Manage development with domestic and international factories, including prototypes, revisions, vendor communication, and production readiness.
Partner with Sourcing to identify and evaluate manufacturing partners based on capabilities, cost, quality, capacity, and technical expertise.
Lead vendor discussions to resolve material, construction, tooling, and manufacturing challenges, and hold vendors accountable for quality, costing, accuracy, and milestones.
Partner with QA and accredited testing laboratories to ensure compliance with applicable toy safety standards and regulations, including ASTM F963, CPSIA, and CPSC requirements.
Investigate testing failures, identify root causes with factories, and implement corrective actions.
Review production-quality samples against approved specifications and ensure required testing, documentation, and approvals are completed before production and shipment.
Own the toy category development calendar and manage milestones for prototyping, sampling, material approvals, cost confirmation, testing, and production handoff.
Maintain development trackers, product specifications, and project documentation; communicate risks, delays, and required decisions.
Drive improvements in speed to market, vendor responsiveness, sampling efficiency, and development processes.
Partner with Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, QA, Finance, Operations, and Marketing to deliver innovative, profitable products.
Facilitate cross-functional meetings, drive alignment, communicate project status and risks, and ensure decisions translate into action.