Product Development Manager - Fashion Footwear

Product Development Manager - Fashion Footwear
100% Remote-Home Based + Meetings London HQ + Travel to Asia
£30,000 - £40,000 (DOE) + Company Perks + Work from Home

Excellent career-development opportunity for a footwear product development specialist to join a celebrated fashion footwear brand.

We are a dynamic footwear brand that strives to create footwear with a purpose. We are a business focused on making a positive impact on our surroundings and a team that loves what we do, and has a can do culture. Selling in over sixty countries around the world through department stores, specialty stores, independent stores, and over thirty mono brand stores. With ambitious plans to grow further, every team member is tasked with making a difference.

We encourage a work hard, play hard culture, for every team member to thrive in. Every day we are demanding a better future for ourselves and our communities. We believe that diversity fosters creativity and accelerates innovation and that protecting our planet is a responsibility we all share.

We are currently hiring for a Product Development Manager. 

The role-holder will be responsible for: 

+ Managing the full product creation process - Last developments, Fit & Wear Testing & pre-Tech 3 commercialisation approval keeping to Critical Path dates
+ Working with Asia team and Suppliers to ensure on time development and that products are fit for purpose
+ Utilising product and process knowledge, ensure consumer relevance, optimal cost, quality, reliability, regulatory compliance, safety and speed-to-market

Key Responsibilities Include:

+ Ensure insight and customer needs are at the center of development decision making and Product engineering
+ Set technical standards for product, all materials, trims, & packaging ensuring appropriate testing is carried out and approved.
+ Lead and monitor the development critical path to ensure each stage is delivered OTIF. 
+ Approve each stage of the commercialisation process, and ensure quality is maintained in production.
+ Provide technical support to Designers during the design process.
+ Work closely with Designers & Suppliers, lead the development of new lasts & tooling that meet both aesthetic, fit and comfort needs. 
+ Ensure outsole unit & componentry blueprints are fit for purpose. 
+ Provide technical support to the Designers during the development of product specs.
+ Lead & manage the development of all protos to ensure they accurately reflect specs.
+ Ensure products achieve target FOBs and margins whilst maintaining product quality.
+ Work with Designers at each proto review stage instructing and communicating amendments to protos and specs.
+ Manage, track & approve all confirmation samples & keep the confirmation product library up to date.
+ Ensure high standards for comfort and quality are achieved during product development and commercialisation by organising and carrying out detailed footwear fitting sessions, wear trials and product reviews, and effectively reporting findings to Asia team and suppliers.
+ Advise any Lab testing that may be required, ensure test results are effectively interpreted and acted upon.
+ Monitor consumer and customer returns/complaints with an aim to suggesting fitting improvements.
+ Regular development trips to Asia to assist with sourcing, product development, production and quality control.

Product Development Manager Required Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: 

+ Footwear product development and industry relevant experience
+ Experience of working with Asian suppliers preferable
+ Excellent knowledge across competitor & supplier sector 
+ Technically knowledgeable on
- Foot measure and assessing skills
- Last making and measuring knowledge
- Understanding of terminology and various sizing systems used globally
- Understanding of pattern cutting, manufacturing processes and material properties
- Understanding of different footwear styles and related manufacturing
- Knowledge of footwear anatomy – variances between geographic regions
- Understanding of specifics & requirements for – Women’s, Men’s Kids etc 
+ Fitting specialist experience
+ PC skills: Excel, Word, Power point
+ Ability to think creatively with strong attention to detail. 
+ A strong communicator with excellent interpersonal skills
+ Strong team player with ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously, managing a range of stakeholders
+ Commercially aware and able to demonstrate strong commercial acumen
+ Committed and passionate about our products, development and company success
+ Proven ability to challenge the norm, think laterally and successfully persuade/influence others
+ Self-sufficient, pro-active and comfortable working with minimum supervision
+ Strong initiative, organisational skills and ability to prioritise and work to deadlines
+ Able to travel regularly to Asia

Measures of success:

+ Meeting deadlines on the Critical Path.
+ Delivery of FOB and Margin targets.
+ Products meet quality standards, and there are no rejections/returns.

Interested? Apply here for a fast-track path to the Hiring Manager

Application notice... We take your privacy seriously. When you apply, we shall process your details and pass your application to our client for review for this vacancy only. As you might expect we may contact you by email, text or telephone. Your data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests in fulfilling the recruitment process. Please refer to our Data Privacy Policy & Notice on our website for further details.

If you have any pre-application questions please contact us first quoting the job title & ref. Good luck, Team RR.