Head of Product Development

Openkrill; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Openkrill is hiring a Head of Product Development to lead the end-to-end lifecycle from customer insight to a live, selling product. You will decide what to build, specify it, manage overseas manufacturing, price it, and own performance after launch.

As a newly created department-head role reporting to the CEO, you will guide product analysts and a sourcing/production coordinator, shaping research tools and strategy for multiple brands serving US households.

Qualifications

• Developed and launched at least three physical consumer products sold to US consumers.
• Five+ years in a consumer products company, brand, or retailer.
• Experience stopping or redesigning a product based on customer learnings.
• A real method for learning why people buy: interviews, surveys, tests, reviews, social listening.
• Understanding online shopping: images, reviews, ratings, price anchors, social proof.
• Led at least three people and improved their work quality.
• Experience using AI in research or product work with human oversight.
• Clear written English.

Responsibilities

• Define what to build next based on evidence.
• Specify products, materials, packaging, and price position.
• Oversee overseas manufacturing and launch performance.
• Lead the product analysts and sourcing/production coordinator.
• Track outcomes with a results loop and launch retrospectives.
• Set priorities and direct research tooling.

Job description

Head of Product Development

We're hiring a Head of Product Development for our client — a founder-led, multi-brand consumer goods company selling physical products to US households.

About the role

Newly created, department-head position reporting directly to the CEO. You'll own the full path from customer insight to a live, selling product — deciding what to build, specifying it, running it through overseas manufacturing, pricing it, and being accountable for how it performs after launch.

What you'll own

• Customer understanding. Who buys each product and why — segments, purchase occasions, price and quality perception, trust signals, and the reasons people complain or return. Built from reviews, search behavior, social content, surveys, interviews and tests, and kept current.
• New product development. Deciding what to build next — what moves forward, what waits, and what stops, with the evidence behind each call.
• Product and offer design. Materials, construction, specifications, packaging, size and color mix, and price position.
• The product lifecycle. Continuous improvement on every live product — tracing negative feedback to its root cause, quality standards, new sizes and colors, and relaunch or discontinue decisions.
• The results loop. What was predicted against what actually happened for every launch.
• The team. Set priorities for the product analysts and sourcing/production coordinator, review their work, and direct what the research and scoring tools should be doing.

What we're looking for

• You've developed and launched at least three physical consumer products sold to US consumers, owning the customer insight, the product and offer decisions, and the results. At least one sold mainly online (DTC, Amazon, or another marketplace).
• At least five years inside a consumer products company, brand, or retailer selling to US consumers.
• At least one product you stopped, redesigned, or argued against because of what you learned about the customer.
• A real method for learning why people buy — interviews, surveys, concept and price tests, review and social listening — and you understand what each method can and can't tell you.
• You know how American shoppers decide online: images, reviews, ratings, price anchors, comparison, and social proof.
• Product development craft: specifications, materials, samples, quality standards, and working with factories, including overseas.
• Commercial judgment: price, cost, and margin reasoned together.
• You've led at least three people and raised the quality of their work.
• You already use AI in your research or product work, with a person checking it.
• Clear written English — writing is a large part of this job.

This isn't a fit if

• Your background is software or digital product management.
• You've done marketing or brand work on products someone else developed.
• Your experience is sourcing or merchandising only, without owning the customer and offer decision.
• Your product development experience is for markets outside the United States only.

Location & logistics

Fully remote. Required overlap of 9 AM–1 PM Eastern; flexible otherwise.