Product Design & Development Manager

The Walt Disney Company; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic team in London as a Product Design & Development Manager, where you'll lead the design of innovative products across various categories. This full-time role offers the chance to collaborate with creative minds, manage a talented team, and drive product excellence. You'll be responsible for developing compelling designs, maintaining brand consistency, and executing the approval process while staying attuned to market trends. An exciting opportunity awaits in a vibrant office environment, where your creativity can flourish and make a significant impact in the world of consumer products.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Private medical insurance & dental care

Free Park Entry

Disney Discounts

Excellent parental and guardian leave

Employee Resource Groups

Qualifications

• 5+ years of commercial design experience in relevant categories.
• Proven ability to manage and develop product teams effectively.
• Excellent design and conceptual skills demonstrated in a portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Lead design projects across Softlines, Apparel, Footwear, and Home categories.
• Develop creative assets and manage relationships with licensees.
• Identify new product opportunities and pitch conceptual designs.

Skills

Product Design

Team Management

Commercial Design Experience

Relationship Building

Packaging Experience

Trend Analysis

Presentation Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Creativity

Cultural Sensitivity

Education

Degree in Product Design

Equivalent Experience in Lifestyle Product Company

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Microsoft Office

CAD Software

Mac OSX

Job description

Product Design & Development Manager

Apply Now Apply Later Job ID 10117802 Location London, United Kingdom Business Disney Experiences Date postedApr. 29, 2025

Job Summary:

About The Role & Team

Join our dynamic team in London, where you'll collaborate with the Senior Product Design and Development Manager/Product Design and Development Director to lead the design and development of exciting products within Softlines, Apparel, Footwear, and Home categories.

This full-time role, based in our vibrant Hammersmith office, offers the opportunity to work four out of the five-day working week, driving product excellence and brand consistency.

What You Will You Do

• Develop and manage the creative output from licensees, ensuring product innovation, brand consistency, and compelling execution.
• Identify new product opportunities, produce conceptual designs, and pitch to partners.
• Establish and maintain relationships with retailers, stakeholders, and creative teams.
• Manage and develop the team, providing creative direction and feedback on product submissions.
• Execute the approval process, ensuring submissions follow Disney’s Online Product Approval system (OPA) guidelines.
• Provide and develop creative assets for licensees, ensuring products adhere to Disney guidelines.
• Offer creative input and trend direction to inspire licensees/retailers, running ideation sessions to drive innovation.
• Lead design projects within Softlines, Apparel, Footwear, and Home categories, utilizing internal and external resources.
• Train and update licensees/retailers on the Disney brand, property portfolio, creative assets, and approval systems.
• Maintain market knowledge, using trends to drive strategy, identify new business areas, and establish design requirements.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of Disney’s characters, films, properties, and creative assets for consumer products.
• Attend inspiration trips to understand the EMEA marketplace and drive innovation.
• Provide design and trend direction, inspiration, and feedback to licensees on product submissions.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Degree in a related field (product design, etc.) or equivalent experience in a lifestyle product company.
• Proven commercial design experience in the relevant category, with the ability to manage designers and agencies.
• Experience managing and developing a product development team.
• Experience in a consumer products commercialization environment.
• Proven ability to build effective relationships, lead change, and collaborate across departments.
• Packaging experience and understanding of style guides for the Online Product Approval (OPA) system is desirable.
• Ability to communicate clear design briefs and ensure deliverables meet criteria.
• Advanced knowledge of industry trends and common manufacturing techniques.
• Ability to communicate design ideas using CAD and computer techniques.
• Excellent design and conceptual skills, demonstrated in a portfolio.
• Understanding of fabric, color, and product design.
• Proven experience creating prototypes or models.
• Ability to meet deadlines and budgets.
• Strong presentation skills for internal/external stakeholders.
• Advanced knowledge of Mac OSX, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Microsoft Office.
• Strong written and spoken English; proficiency in other European languages is beneficial.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for managing relationships at all levels.
• Strong influencing skills to achieve buy-in at all levels.
• Exhibits ingenuity, creativity, and resourcefulness.
• Resilient and adaptable in a changing landscape.
• Forward-thinking, translating industry trends into growth for TWDC.
• Cultural sensitivity and understanding of local markets across EMEA.

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave
• Private medical insurance & dental care
• Free Park Entry: the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free
• Disney Discounts: entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing
• Excellent parental and guardian leave
• Employee Resource Groups – WOMEN @ Disney, Disney DIVERSITY, Disney PRIDE, our new disability & neurodiversity focused group - ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

About Disney Experiences:

Disney Experiences brings the magic of Disney stories and franchises to life through theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, unique vacation experiences, products and more around the world. Disney shines in the travel industry with six resort destinations in the United States, Europe and Asia; a top-rated cruise line; a popular vacation ownership program; and an award-winning guided family adventure business. Plus, Disney's global consumer products operations include the world's leading licensing business; the world's largest children's publishing brands; one of the world's largest licensors of games across all platforms; and Disney store locations around the world and on the web.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with The Walt Disney Company Limited , which is part of a business we call Disney Experiences .

The Walt Disney Company Limited is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, colour, religion or belief, sex, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, disability or pregnancy or maternity. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.

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