Product Development Lead, Home & Housewares

Home Expressions Inc.; Edison (NJ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Home Expressions Inc. in Edison, NJ is seeking a Product Development Coordinator / Manager to own end-to-end product development in Home & Housewares. This highly visible role combines project management, sourcing and cross-functional collaboration with the VP of Product Development and overseas teams.

Travel to the NYC showroom is required for buyer meetings and presentations. You will translate feedback into actionable development plans, manage calendars and drive projects toward on-time

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Product Development, Merchandising, Business, Supply Chain, Industrial Design or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 2-5+ years of product development, sourcing, merchandising or related consumer-product experience preferred; title will be based on experience.
• Experience in housewares, home decor, kitchen, bath, tabletop, storage, textiles, seasonal or related consumer products strongly preferred.
• Strong business acumen with an understanding of how product, cost, margin, retail pricing, consumer demand and customer strategy work together.
• A keen eye for trends and the ability to identify trends that can translate into commercially successful products.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with customers, senior leadership, internal teams and overseas partners.
• Exceptional ability to multitask, prioritize and manage multiple customers, projects and deadlines.
• Ability to work extremely well independently while also serving as a critical collaborative team member.
• Self-motivated, proactive and comfortable taking ownership without constant direction.
• Ability to work at a fast pace through difficult deadlines and high-volume development periods while maintaining accuracy.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Ability to identify inefficiencies and recommend practical improvements to workflow, communication and productivity.
• Excellent organization, follow-through, accountability and sense of urgency.
• Experience working with overseas factories, suppliers and sourcing offices, particularly in Asia, strongly preferred.
• Experience participating in retailer/buyer meetings and managing post-meeting development follow-up highly desirable.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently between Edison, NJ and our New York City showroom.
• Experience developing products for national, mass, off-price, specialty, e-commerce and/or private-label retailers desirable.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Familiarity with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop required.
• Experience with ERP, PLM, project-management or product-development systems is a plus.
• Ability to understand technical drawings, CADs, product specifications and packaging files preferred.
• International travel to factories, sourcing markets and trade shows may be required.

Responsibilities

• Frequently travel to NYC showroom for buyer meetings, product presentations, line reviews and development meetings.
• Attend customer meetings alongside the CEO, VP of Product Development, Sales and senior leadership.
• Develop a strong understanding of each retailer's customer, assortment, aesthetic, price points and product needs.
• Capture buyer feedback, product requests, assortment changes, pricing targets and deadlines.
• Own post-meeting follow-up and ensure every action item is communicated, assigned, tracked and completed.
• Translate customer feedback into development requests, sample revisions, costing, packaging changes and timelines.
• Ensure samples, costing, presentations and requested information are ready for upcoming meetings and deadlines.

Skills

Multitask

Communication

Problem-solving

Organization

Ownership

Proactiveness

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

ERP/PLM

Job description

Home Expressions Inc. in Edison, NJ is seeking a Product Development Coordinator / Manager to own end-to-end product development in Home & Housewares. This highly visible role combines project management, sourcing and cross-functional collaboration with the VP of Product Development and overseas teams.

Travel to the NYC showroom is required for buyer meetings and presentations. You will translate feedback into actionable development plans, manage calendars and drive projects toward on-time