Product Development Manager

JOB TITLE: Product Development Manager
SUPERVISOR: VP of Creative
JOB TYPE: Full-Time, In-Office (occasional warehouse attendance required for project milestones, collaboration, or design reviews).

DESCRIPTION: The Product Development Manager at Shoppe Amber Interiors leads product development from concept to market, ensuring our products reflect quality, design intent, and brand standards. While primarily focused on development and execution, this role will also assist with design as needed, collaborating closely with the creative team to ensure products meet aesthetic goals.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Management

• Lead end‑to‑end development of product development across both hardlines and textiles assortments each season.

• Lead the creation, review, and approval of all technical packages, ensuring that design intent, functional requirements, and quality benchmarks are met.

• Translate design concepts into precise technical drawings, detailed spec sheets, and 3D CAD models for furniture, lighting, decorative accessories, and other hardline categories.

• Create and refine comprehensive technical packages, including dimensions, construction notes, material details, finish specifications, and hardware requirements, to ensure designs are production-ready.

• Proactively identify technical gaps, risks, or ambiguities early in development and drive solutions before they impact timelines or cost.

• Manage freelance technical designers and engineers as needed.

• Build, manage, and maintain all design documentation, ensuring files, revisions, and technical details are accurate, up to date, and well organized.

• Partner with manufacturing and sourcing teams to support sampling, troubleshoot production issues, and uphold design intent through final production.

• Organize and maintain the product design archive, including prototypes and material swatches.

• Review strike-offs and initial submissions against the artwork and comment on the accuracy and execution of the surface design.

Cross‑Functional Partnership

• Serve as the technical counterpart to Design, Merchandising, and Production & Sourcing Teams.

• Coordinate development reviews and milestone meetings across teams.

• Communicate clearly with internal stakeholders and external partners to maintain alignment.

Schedule & Project Delivery

• Maintain product calendars and track development milestones to ensure on‑time launches.

• Prioritize and course‑correct when challenges arise, keeping teams on schedule.

• Provide regular status updates and visibility into development progress.

Costing & Vendor Collaboration

• Support cost management analytics in partnership with Merchandising & Production & Sourcing.

• Partner with vendors and factories to ensure capabilities, quality, pricing, and production timelines are met.

• Monitor vendor performance and escalate issues as appropriate.

• Manage the Product budget effectively.

Licensing

• Act as liaison with licensing partners (Visual Comfort, Loloi, Four Hands, etc), ensuring all design, technical, and quality requirements are met.

• Collaborate with the Fabric & Surface Designer to translate creative designs into final licensed products.

• Manage timelines, approvals, and technical specifications for licensed product collections.

• Ensure licensed products meet brand standards and contractual obligations.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion, Design, Merchandising, Business, or related field preferred.

• 5+ years of experience in product development or product management, preferably in home, décor, furniture, or soft goods.

• Proven ability in managing a product from concept through retail launch.

• Strong proficiency in PLM systems and product tracking tools.

• Deep understanding of materials, construction methods, quality standards, and product lifecycles.

• Advanced organizational skills with the ability to manage complex calendars and multiple lines of business.

• Excellent communicator with the ability to influence cross‑functional partners.

• Comfortable guiding meetings, resolving challenges, and earning trust without direct authority.

• Strong Excel skills (data tracking, calendars, cost analysis).

• Familiar with PLM, project/task management platforms.

• Adobe suite familiarity is a plus (especially for prints, graphics, & tech packs).