Product Developer, gifts – maternity contract

10-12 month maternity contract

An iconic British brand, known for some of the UKs best-loved products, seeks an experienced Product Developer from a gifts background to join their growing team on a maternity FTC.

You will have 3+ years of experience within product development, creating trend-driven, commercial gift products for the retail market. You will have been involved in the full PD cycle from idea generation to launch, will have a genuine passion for the product area and the creative mind to put forward ground-breaking new ideas for the sector.

If you are proactive – approaching each day with a positive attitude, love working as part of a team and tackle tasks with a can-do approach we would love to hear from you!

Main duties:

• Involvement within the idea generation of the category which includes evaluating the current range and recommending any range extensions and developments
• Ensuring that any new areas of development are appropriately researched and reported on
• Effective FE and EU sourcing, being mindful of any special audit requirements
• Briefing external designers, suppliers and any experts as appropriate, ensuring relationships are maintained and projects delivered on time
• Using your negotiation skills to ensure target margin is achieved whilst maintaining quality and company standards
• Being the driver of the critical path, to ensure all development remains on track and to budget
• Pre-production and pre-shipment management and approvals, considering any additional customer requirements/approvals
• Producing and maintaining financials for each product, including costs, sales price and associated margin
• Working with the Marketing team to arrange product photography and lifestyle photo shoots, when required
• Monitoring competitor products and trends in the market, keeping colleagues and Directors informed
• Attend meetings and trade shows as and when required
• Keeping Directors and team informed of developments and activity in relevant meetings

 Essential knowledge and experience for the PD role:

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience in product development
• 2+ years’ experience within the gift industry
• Experience of involvement full product development cycle from idea generation to launch
• Confident presenting ideas and concepts and chairing meetings
• Existing relationships with FE and EU gift manufacturers
• Experience of handling relationships with a variety of different suppliers and designers
• Thorough understanding and experience of overseeing a critical path
• Computer literate including Excel

Additional attributes for this PD role:

• Ability to work proactively and on own initiative, as well as part of a team
• Creativity and ideas generation
• Ability to negotiate rates and costs where appropriate
• Organisational and planning skills – the ability to juggle varying workload
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to adapt to varying demands of small company
• Flexibility re working hours when the occasion demands
• Driving license ideal as you will be expected to travel on occasions