Director, Global Product Development, Innovation & Commercialization - GWW - US

The Director, Product Development, Innovation & Commercialization leads Manchester Mills’ textile product strategy from market insight and concept development through sourcing alignment, testing, commercialization, launch, and lifecycle performance. This role serves as the bridge between technical textile expertise and commercial growth, translating customer needs, hospitality trends, product performance requirements, sourcing practicality, and cost/margin considerations into practical, competitive product solutions. The Director partners closely with Sales, Sourcing, Quality, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and external customers to support new business wins, customer retention, product innovation, and Manchester Mills’ long‑term growth strategy. 35% Product Strategy, Innovation & Commercialization Lead the end‑to‑end product development roadmap for Manchester Mills textile categories, including bedding, bath, filled goods, and related hospitality textile solutions. Translate hospitality market trends, customer requirements, guest demand, competitive insights, brand standards, and operational realities into practical product concepts and commercialization plans. Own the product development process from opportunity identification, business case, concept, sample/prototype, testing, costing input, customer approval, pre‑production, launch, and post‑launch review. Establish product requirements that balance quality, performance, guest experience, sustainability, price point, margin, manufacturability, and commercial laundry durability. Maintain a disciplined development calendar and stage‑gate process to prioritize projects, manage timelines, and ensure cross‑functional accountability. 25% Customer‑Facing Technical & Commercial Leadership Serve as Manchester Mills’ senior textile product expert in strategic customer meetings, New Business presentations, RFP/RFI support, brand reviews, trade shows, and customer‑sponsored events. Partner with Sales leaders as a strategic resource, translating technical product attributes into customer‑facing value propositions, including durability, operating efficiency, quality, sustainability, comfort, and total cost of ownership. Build trusted relationships with corporate accounts, brand stakeholders, management groups, and internal sales teams by providing credible product expertise and commercially practical recommendations. Support customer pilots, property testing, and product trials, ensuring learnings are documented and incorporated into product decisions. 20% Textile Technical Expertise, Quality Standards & Supplier Collaboration Define textile specifications and performance standards in partnership with Quality, Sourcing, Operations, and supplier/manufacturing partners. Evaluate materials, fiber content, construction, finishes, laundering performance, absorbency, durability, shrinkage, hand feel, colorfastness, and operational practicality for hospitality use. Partner with Sourcing on supplier capabilities, costing inputs, sample timelines, manufacturability, and production readiness. Ensure product claims, including sustainability or operational savings claims, are supported by appropriate testing, documentation, and cross‑functional review. Escalate quality, manufacturability, or feasibility risks that could affect customer commitments, launch timing, margin expectations, or brand standards. 10% Market Intelligence, Product Lifecycle & Portfolio Management Maintain current knowledge of hospitality brand standards, textile trends, competitive products, cost drivers, sustainability expectations, and emerging textile technologies. Oversee competitive benchmarking and product portfolio reviews to identify white space, category extension, SKU rationalization opportunities, and lifecycle improvement actions. Provide recommendations to leadership on product priorities, innovation pipeline health, product performance, launch outcomes, and investment needs. 10% Team Leadership & Cross‑Functional Execution Lead, coach, and develop the Manchester Mills product development team, setting clear priorities, KPIs, development goals, and performance expectations. Build disciplined collaboration across Sales, Marketing, Sourcing, Quality, Finance, Forecasting/Purchasing, Operations, Customer Service, and international teams. Develop training, tools, and product storytelling resources that enable internal teams to confidently position Manchester Mills textile products with customers. Manage assigned budgets, project resources, vendor/freelance support where applicable, and departmental operating priorities. QUALIFICATIONS List the minimum required levels of Education, Experience, and Special Skills needed to perform the responsibilities of the position. Education Degrees/Certificates Bachelor’s degree in Textile Science, Textile Engineering, Materials Science, Product Development, Business, Merchandising, or a related field, or equivalent progressive experience. Preferred: Master’s degree or advanced coursework in textile science, materials science, product strategy, business, or a related field. Experience Years and type of experience • 10+ years of progressive experience in textile product development, product commercialization, product management, sourcing‑adjacent product work, or related textile leadership. Preferred: Experience in hospitality, healthcare, institutional, commercial laundry, B2B textile products, or related channels.

• Demonstrated experience bringing textile products from concept through customer approval, sourcing/manufacturing alignment, testing, launch, and lifecycle management. Preferred: Experience with global suppliers and geographically dispersed teams.
• Strong understanding of hospitality textile performance requirements, including durability, laundering, quality, absorbency, construction, guest comfort, brand standards, operating practicality, and total cost of ownership.
• Experience presenting technical or product information to external customers, senior leaders, and cross‑functional teams. Preferred: Experience with product lifecycle management, project management tools, Salesforce, BI/reporting tools, product data systems, or similar platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate cost, margin, quality, supply feasibility, customer value, and commercialization trade‑offs.
• Preferred: Knowledge of sustainability standards, textile certifications, claims substantiation, and lifecycle performance considerations.

Skills Textile technical expertise Working knowledge of fiber, fabric construction, finishes, laundering performance, testing, product specifications, quality standards, and manufacturability. Commercial and financial acumen Ability to assess price point, margin, cost drivers, sourcing practicality, customer value, and business case viability. Customer‑facing communication Ability to explain technical product attributes in clear, credible, commercially relevant language for customers and senior stakeholders. Market and trend translation Ability to interpret hospitality trends, consumer expectations, competitive activity, operational needs, and brand standards into product strategy. Cross‑functional leadership Ability to lead through influence across Sales, Sourcing, Quality, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and external supplier partners. Project and stage‑gate discipline Ability to manage multiple development priorities using clear milestones, decision gates, readiness criteria, and documented accountability. People leadership Ability to set direction, coach, develop, and hold a small, specialized team accountable for performance and execution. #J-18808-Ljbffr Sysco Northeast Rdc