Job Description

Seeking passionate candidate looking to further their career with a leading global children's toy, games, art & crafts and digital product company? RedwoodVenture is committed to open mindedness, integrity and innovation. We stay ahead by hiring the best and brightest minds—and that’s why we want you!

We’re looking for an experienced star player who is organized, detail oriented and excels at working with teams to get things accomplished. 

Location: USA applications only.  New York or Los Angeles metro preferred. Work remotely from home office.

The Product Development Manager will be responsible for driving the technical execution of global toys, plush, games and digital portfolios, from concept through production, and ensuring performance, cost, quality, and schedule adherence. This professional will provide expertise in proven techniques for successful product development and design for manufacturing/assembly. The PDM will work closely with cross-functional teams (Design, Marketing, Engineering, Quality, Packaging, etc.) to manage development throughout the entire product lifecycle. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, leading technical development of products, defining product specifications, identifying risks and opportunities to preempt development hurdles, providing escalation management, providing professional growth of the team, and working with stakeholders to balance business, design, and technical objectives. The person in this role will be expected to operate in a highly dynamic environment, and consistently drive towards solutions to obtain results.

MUST HAVE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE?

• 7-10+ years Product Engineering service/experience
• BS in Mechanical, Mechatronic, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering or Industrial design
• Toy or consumer goods experience an asset
• Experience with plastics, materials, manufacturing, plush and/or engineering costs for durable goods 
•  Experience working with overseas factories in China
• Good understanding in consumer product regulations and requirements, especially CPSC and ASTM standards
• Good understanding in consumer product testing process and be able to communicate with lab personnel
• Experience working with and/or managing creative professionals (designers and engineers) both within and outside the company.
• Experience with process mapping and/or process management a plus
• Understanding of and experience with managing product timelines and product creation
• Experience with product tracking tools and software
• Experience with costing, bill of materials (BOM) creation, spec sheet (tech pack) creation, design translation, product, and material experience
• Understanding and experience with the product creation lifecycle in consumer goods industry
• Strong attention to detail and organization to keep up with product changes through the development and production process
• Strong communication skills (both verbal and written) and ability to communicate within all levels of the organization (including C-Level) as well as with external partners, vendors and licensors
• Proficient in Microsoft Office product suite Adobe Creative Cloud, Illustrator, Photoshop, Dropbox, Keynote and PowerPoint (nice to have)
• Must have excellent track record of product ownership and keeping project timelines on schedule and/or communicating to correct teams when deadlines are in danger of being missed
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to solve problems quickly and accurately

CANDIDATE’S TRAITS AND DUTIES OVERVIEW

·        Generate new concepts 

·       Plan product pipeline 2 years out

·       Create product specifications for each new concepts with targeted market, targeted customers, targeted price and quantities

·        Assist in the selection of new products from inventors

·       Ability to provide strong leadership to drive innovative and cost-effective design solutions

·       Participate in new product concept generation

·       Manage road map of product pipeline 2 to 3 years ahead

·       Manage multiple targeted product/customer targeted markets

·       Experience working with and/or managing creative professionals (designers and engineers) both within and outside the company

·       Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills

·       Demonstrates a "hands-on" team approach to solving problems

·       Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and projects in a fast-paced environment

·       Ability to employ critical thinking and problem-solving techniques to approach any/all issues. If unable to resolve certain issues, can demonstrate a willingness to actively engage other support teams to drive towards resolution.

·       Strong attention to detail

·       Strong analytical skills

·       Proactive and enthusiastic in approaching challenges, with a solution-oriented mindset and uses mature discretion in approaching situations

·       Ability to travel in North America, Asia and other countries

·       Ability to lead technical team, develop talent, and model professionalism through mature decision-making

·       Operate with minimal supervision in technical and organizational capacities

·       Ability to take direction and flex execution style based on feedback from teams

·       Support strategic conversations encompassing holistic business planning

·       Interpret needs of direct manager, direct reports, cross-functional team/partners, executives, and others to quickly and efficiently address issues or devise action plan 

·       Effectively manage relationships and potential conflict resolution

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.