Director of Product Development

Overview Join us in telling the stories of Santa’s North Pole! The Lumistella Company is a global intellectual property company dedicated to bringing Santa’s North Pole to life for children around the world through consumer products, original entertainment and brand experiences. We are home to the most iconic and beloved Christmas brands of this generation including The Elf on the Shelf, Elf Pets, and Elf Mates. The Director of Product Development will lead the cross-category execution of Lumistella’s physical product portfolio, ensuring that every product and packaging design is translated into a technically feasible, vendor-ready solution that meets cost, quality, safety, and customer expectations. This role manages 2–3 category-specific product development managers and the product engineer to deliver high-fidelity execution for core and licensed products across plush, toys, books, and hybrid formats. This leader is the bridge between creative vision and manufacturing execution, finalizing tech packs, managing vendor sampling, and coordinating with project management, sourcing, costing, compliance, brand integrity, and design teams to bring Lumistella’s storytelling to life through physical goods. Projects include, but are not limited to elf dolls, elf clothes and props, plush characters, reading and activity books, plus a variety of toys with varying play patterns for multiple age groups. Each season can have upwards of 50 unique and innovative items for new development, in addition to 100+ products sold globally year after year requiring product and/or packaging updates from previous seasons. Responsibilities Leads end-to-end product execution from concept through pre-production across all product categories. Translates design concepts into detailed, production-ready engineering and technical documentation. Oversees sampling, feasibility, iteration, and vendor alignment to meet quality, cost, and performance targets. Manages and mentors a team of Product Development Managers and Product Engineers. Balances workloads, timelines, and supports professional growth and risk mitigation. Drives cross-functional alignment with Creative, Packaging, Costing, Sourcing, Legal/Compliance, Marketing, and Program Management. Ensures products meet safety, regulatory, durability, and usability standards. Owns final tech pack quality, completeness, versioning, and vendor handoff documentation. The ideal candidate will bring 8–10 years in product development, engineering, or related roles in consumer products, toys, or licensing-based organizations. Deep understanding of product development lifecycles including feasibility, sampling, documentation, and factory communication. Extensive experience with development of products in global manufacturing environments (specifically Asia, including China and Vietnam). Proven track record leading cross-category development and managing a high volume of concurrent SKUs and timelines. Familiarity with busy season in a highly seasonal business model. Experience with consumer play-pattern insights and global child safety standards (ASTM, CPSIA, EU regulations, etc.). Strong technical literacy in materials, packaging forms, CAD software, BOM structuring, and mechanical documentation. Excellent cross-functional communication and stakeholder management skills. Education requirements Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Product Development, Manufacturing, or related field preferred. The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of essential functions, responsibilities or requirements. A full and complete copy of the Job Description is available upon request. Want to know more? To learn more about our company, check our website at: The Lumistella Company is an equal employment opportunity employer. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Lumistella Company