Product Design & Development Manager

The Walt Disney Company (France); London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Product Designer to lead innovative product development in Softlines, Apparel, Footwear, and Home categories. This full-time position in London offers the chance to collaborate with talented teams, driving brand excellence and product innovation. You will manage creative outputs, build strong relationships with stakeholders, and inspire licensees with your design vision. With a vibrant work culture and a commitment to diversity, this role provides an exciting opportunity to contribute to a globally recognized brand while enjoying a range of attractive perks and benefits.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Private medical insurance & dental care

Free Park Entry

Disney Discounts

Excellent parental and guardian leave

Employee Resource Groups

Qualifications

• Degree in product design or equivalent experience in lifestyle products.
• Proven commercial design experience and team management skills.
• Strong presentation and communication skills for stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead product design and development across Softlines, Apparel, and Home categories.
• Manage relationships with retailers and stakeholders to drive product innovation.
• Provide creative direction and feedback on product submissions.

Skills

Commercial design experience

Team management

Relationship building

Packaging experience

Communication skills

Design conceptual skills

Interpersonal skills

Creativity and resourcefulness

Education

Degree in product design or related field

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Microsoft Office

CAD software

Job description

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.