Vice President of Product Development

Job Type


Full-time

Description

The VP of Product Development is responsible for leading the end-to-end development of innovative, high-quality consumer products for the outdoor industry. This role oversees Engineering and Project Management teams and works closely with overseas manufacturing partners to bring products from concept through commercialization-on time, on cost, and on brand.

• Own the full NPD development lifecycle from concept, design, prototyping, validation, and launch.
• Ensure products meet performance, quality, cost, sustainability, and compliance standards.
• Lead, mentor, and scale Engineering and Project Management teams.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Establish best practices for product development, documentation, testing, and change management
• Partner closely with overseas factories and suppliers to develop, engineer, and industrialize products
• Manage NPD timelines, tooling, sampling, and production readiness
• Identify and mitigate development, quality, and supply-chain risks
• Cross functional collaboration and work closely with Product Management, Sourcing, Quality, Operations, Sales, and Marketing
• Align development priorities with business objectives and seasonal calendars
• Improve development efficiency through standardized processes and tools
• Evaluate new materials, technologies, and manufacturing methods
• Support long-term product and platform strategy

Requirements

• Experience leading multiple development teams across various departments and being able to align their efforts for successful project delivery that align with the business goals.
• Proven experience with NPD life cycles, project planning, and launching products into market.
• Ability to manage complex development projects across multiple product categories and brands.
• Strong understanding of product design, engineering, materials, manufacturing processes, and quality systems.
• Innovative thinker who understands the practical application of technology and is able to plan for systems today that will carry the organization into the future.
• Extensive experience working with overseas factories (Asia preferred) and understanding foreign business practices and cultures.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Experience in the outdoor industry is ideal, with an understanding of the industry's drivers, direction and operations.
• 15+ years of product development experience in consumer products
• 5+ years of leadership experience at a VP or Director level managing engineering and project management teams
• 10+ years traveling to overseas factories
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, mathematics, or equivalent
• MBA or equivalent