Product Manager

Strive Supply Chain; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Free onsite parking

Hybrid working (3 days Office/ 2 days/

Bonus Schemes

Annual leave entitlement + bank hols

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Well

Exclusive employee discounts

Job summary

Strive Supply Chain in Stevenage is seeking an experienced NPD/Product Development Manager to own the end-to-end NPD pipeline for a fast-growing furniture brand. You will coordinate development with Chinese factories, manage critical paths and ensure launches are delivered on time.

The role is hybrid (3/2) with hybrid office/WFH and offers £45,000 plus benefits plus bonus schemes. You will work with a small team including founders, drive industry-leading product pipelines, and support

Qualifications

• Experience in product development, NPD, or related role.
• Experience with factories and suppliers in China.
• Strong understanding of product development from concept to launch.
• Excellent critical path and pipeline management.
• Strong supplier management with proactive risk handling.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end critical path from concept to launch.
• Maintain rolling pipeline with timelines and launch dates.
• Coordinate prototypes, samples, specs, testing, and approvals.
• Ensure on-time production, photography, and marketing assets.
• Lead regular development meetings with factories and internal teams.
• Provide updates to stakeholders on pipeline status and risks.
• Coordinate factory imagery and product information handover to Marketing.
• Identify risks and recovery plans to protect launch dates.
• Ensure products meet regulatory and quality requirements.

Skills

NPD

Sourcing

Product development

Supplier management

Project management

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Communication

Job description

£45,000 + Bens + Benefits

Stevenage - Hybrid role [3/2 split]

Client Summary:

Our client is a fast-growing, design-led furniture brand.

Working at the centre of a small, dynamic team including the founders, you will be joining them at the start of a period of expansion in the UK following huge success abroad.

Sitting within the Supply Chain team, the role will be responsible for managing the New Product Development (NPD) pipeline from approved concept through to successful launch.

You will ensure critical paths are managed effectively, development milestones are achieved and all product and launch requirements are delivered on time, and coordinate product development with manufacturing partners in China.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end critical path from approved concept through to launch, ensuring key milestones and deliverables remain on schedule.
• Maintain a clear and accurate rolling pipeline of all products in development, including timelines, actions, dependencies and launch dates.
• Coordinate prototypes, samples, revisions, specifications, testing and approvals throughout the development process.
• Work backwards from agreed launch dates to ensure production, samples, photography, product information and Marketing requirements are completed at the right time.
• Identify risks or delays early and coordinate recovery plans with factories and internal teams to protect launch dates.
• Coordinate with factories to ensure product photography, imagery, dimensions, specifications and product information are completed accurately and supplied on time.
• Manage the handover of factory imagery and product information to Marketing for website renders, CGI, retouching and other customer-facing assets.
• Ensure samples and product information required by Marketing, Operations and other teams are available in line with the launch critical path.
• Provide clear and regular updates to stakeholders on pipeline status, upcoming milestones, risks and launch readiness.
• Support post-launch reviews and incorporate relevant learnings into future product development and launches.

China Factory Supplier Management

• Manage day-to-day product development relationships with factories and suppliers in China.
• Lead regular development meetings to review the NPD pipeline, progress against critical paths, outstanding actions and upcoming deadlines.
• Provide factories with clear briefs, specifications, feedback and approval requirements.
• Coordinate factory deliverables including samples, revisions, costing, testing, product information, photography and production requirements.
• Work with factories to resolve issues relating to product development, quality, manufacturing, cost and lead times.
• Identify supplier or production risks that could impact launch dates and
• Use customer feedback, returns, product reviews and quality data to identify opportunities for product improvement.
• Ensure products meet relevant regulatory, compliance and internal quality requirements.

Experience Needed

• Previous experience in product development, NPD, sourcing or a related product role, ideally within furniture, homewares, interiors or physical consumer products.
• Experience working directly with factories and suppliers in China is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of physical product development from concept and sampling through to production and launch.
• Excellent critical path and pipeline management skills, with the ability to manage multiple products and launch dates simultaneously.
• Strong supplier management skills, with the confidence to follow up, challenge and elevate where required.
• Highly organised, with excellent attention to detail and follow-through.
• Proactive in identifying risks and resolving issues before they impact the critical path or launch date.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to coordinate effectively across internal teams and international suppliers.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Free onsite parking
• Hybrid working (3 days Office/ 2 days WFH)
• Bonus Schemes
• Annual leave entitlement + bank holidays, tailored to support work-life balance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Wellbeing support
• Exclusive employee discounts across a wide range of well-known retailers and brands

A fabulous opportunity awaits - we look forward to your application