Vice President of Product Development

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