Sourced Product Development Manager

Meyer•Vallejo, CA

11h•$110,000 - $130,000

About The Position

The primary purpose of this position is to manage and coordinate all aspects of creating new products from sourced factories in several categories that support the Meyer cookware brands and private label cookware.

Requirements

3~5 years product development, sourcing or buying experience in consumer products.
Basic understanding of U.S. home/ kitchenware culture with ability to identify and understand U.S. lifestyle trends and looks.
Bachelors degree required
Must possess strong negotiating skills
Must possess strong math skills.
Must possess creative acumen
Must possess strong organizational skills
Strong sense of urgency and ability to meet deadlines
Occasional afterhours calls with the Hong Kong/ Shenzen team is required
Communicate effectively in English both in written and verbal formats
Proficient in Microsoft Suite, Gmail, Google extensions, and Slack
Must possess a valid driver’s license or other government ID and US passport

Nice To Haves

You enjoy cooking and baking.
You have 1~2 years of houseware or kitchenware industry experience.
You have experience in wood or metal manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Product Development: Develop and create new Kitchenware products, managing the process from initial concept through final tooling and production. Work with Product Management to identify market white space and use this information to create new product lines or additions to the current assortment.
Collaborate with the Hong Kong and Shenzhen offices to negotiate pricing and implement necessary product revisions to meet cost targets.
Work with the Senior Dr. of Regulatory and QA to ensure all new and existing products comply with the company's quality standards and all relevant regulatory requirements.
Collaborate with the Shenzhen QA team to proactively prevent quality issues and resolve any quality issues that may arise. Communicate concerns and corrective actions to the Hong Kong team and factories. Facilitate retailer product testing.
Enhance the quality, functionality, user experience, and market appeal of the existing product portfolio.
Product Innovation and Trend Research: Identify product opportunities by researching new ideas, consumer trends, competitor products, and technological advancements. Analyze internal product sales performance data and leverage third-party resources for trend information.
Lead innovation within assigned product categories by investigating new manufacturing methods and materials with factory partners. Develop a deep understanding of their benefits and limitations to inform future product design.
Proactively generate and evaluate creative concepts to address user pain points, improve efficiency, reduce manufacturing complexity, and lower costs without compromising quality.
Trade Shows & Sourcing New Factories: Attend relevant industry trade shows to find new ideas, keep up with industry trends, and understand the competitor landscape. Build post action reports with the Hong Kong team.
Collaborate with the Hong Kong team on US sourcing needs. Relay findings to appropriate teams to help drive new development.
Hold meetings directly with factories on product development and sourcing related discussions. Support the Hong Kong team in fostering a strong partnership with factories.
Product Knowledge Support: Hold product training twice a year for all levels of employees within the organization.
Present new concepts and explain product features and benefits to upper management and cross-functional teams.
Provide product expertise to support cross-functional teams with product launches, customer inquiries, and available product options.