VP Product Development

Vice President of Product Development

Glass Ratner’s Private Equity Practice partnered with a rapidly growing, design‑forward Canadian owned consumer goods company to hire a Vice President of Product Development.

• Partner with the CEO and leadership team to determine the product strategy and priority initiatives ("What shots are we going to take?").
• Lead ideation for new product categories, extensions, and improvements to existing items (sizes, textures, colours, materials).
• Build business cases including BOE assessments, size‑of‑prize analysis, and share targets.
• Conduct market, trend, and consumer insight work to determine brand fit and channel fit across e‑commerce and retail.
• Bring strong design intuition and trend awareness.
• Build and manage the full product development pipeline.
• Oversee design direction including form, function, and aesthetics.
• Work closely with Engineering to define specifications, validate feasibility, and ensure manufacturability.
• Collaborate with external partners to expand manufacturing capabilities.
• Lead costing, value engineering, sourcing assessments, and tariff considerations.
• Oversee QA, QC, and compliance.

• Collaborate with all functional areas (Operations, Marketing/Creative, Finance, E‑commerce) to execute product launches.
• Lead forecasting and initial order planning.
• Manage production planning and vendor alignment.

• Experience developing products from concept through commercialization across multiple channels.
• Exposure to plastics, molded materials, or manufacturing processes (injection molding, blow molding, roto molding) is an asset.
• Strong project management capabilities.

• Strong design sensibility, taste, and trend awareness.
• Enjoy working with people and solving complex problems.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to influence internal teams and external buyers.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort in a fast‑paced, founder‑led environment.
• Ability to balance creativity with technical feasibility and commercial discipline.
• Strength in introducing structure while maintaining speed and flexibility.

• A creative and strategic product thinker.
• A connector who thrives at the intersection of design, engineering, and market needs.
• A leader who can elevate the product function and coach cross‑functional partners.
• A hands‑on collaborator who drives clarity, prioritization, and execution.

• Lead the full product innovation engine at a high‑growth consumer brand.
• Work directly with the CEO to define long‑term product strategy.
• Shape products for both fast‑paced e‑commerce and large‑scale retail channels.
• Join a company with significant momentum and strong investor support.
• Competitive compensation, performance bonus, and long‑term incentive program.

If this sounds interesting, please apply or reach out to Benish Khan () or Marty O'Doherty ().