Head of Product Development

Head of Product Development | Consumer Products | Greater Manchester | Competitive Salary + Benefits

A genuinely exciting opportunity to join a well-established, highly successful consumer products business at an important stage of growth.

This is a brand-new leadership position, created as part of an ambitious long-term growth strategy. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the Product Development function, influence the wider business and play a key role in its future direction.

The Role

You'll take ownership of the Product Development function, leading and developing a talented team responsible for creating innovative, commercially successful consumer product ranges across multiple categories.

Working closely with Design, Sales, Merchandising, QA and an established global supplier network, you'll oversee the product journey from initial concept through to production, ensuring ranges are commercially viable, customer-focused and delivered to a high standard.

The Detail

• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing Product Development team.

• Set the product development strategy and drive innovation across multiple consumer categories.

• Develop strong, long-term supplier relationships, improving quality, speed to market and product innovation.

• Work closely with factories on prototypes, samples, costing and final product execution.

• Partner with Design and wider commercial teams to develop ranges that balance creativity, quality and commerciality.

• Conduct competitor analysis, retail benchmarking and market research to identify new opportunities.

• Ensure product ranges are commercially balanced, with a strong understanding of costing, pricing and margin.

• Champion best practice across product development processes and identify opportunities to improve ways of working.

• Support the wider leadership team as the business continues to grow.

Who We're Looking For

• Proven experience leading Product Development within a consumer products business, ideally across categories such as homeware, toys, gifting, seasonal, accessories or similar.

• Experience working with major retailers/grocers would be advantageous.

• Strong commercial understanding, with experience across product costing, retail pricing, margins and range development.

• A confident, decisive leader who can challenge ideas, influence stakeholders and drive change.

• A strong people manager who enjoys coaching, developing and building high-performing teams.

• Passionate about product, innovation and bringing commercially successful newness to market.

• Naturally curious, with a strong understanding of competitors, trends and the wider consumer market.

• Highly organised and comfortable managing multiple projects in a fast-paced, commercially driven environment.

• A collaborative and approachable leadership style, with the confidence to raise standards and make an impact.

BH37248