Product Developer – Technical Footwear

As a Product Developer, you will develop compelling footwear products that will delight our consumers, working collaboratively with Design to take new projects from design concept stage, through prototype development to commercialisation and production.

You will Support on-time development of all footwear products using advanced product engineering techniques, ensuring consumer relevance, optimal cost, quality assurance, reliability and speed-to-market.

The role you’d play:

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  Working hand in hand with the Design teams throughout the product creation process, champion a right first-time approach to development, guiding the principles of ‘design to cost’ and ‘design for manufacture’.
• Proactively maintain an awareness of specific market intelligence and innovation, identifying opportunities to implement new materials and technologies into seasonal product briefs.
• In partnership with design, create comprehensive, detailed Tech Packs that fully communicate design intent and product build with clarity and precision.
• Ensure consumer insight and customer needs are at the center of all development and product engineering decisions.
• Review briefs, design tech packs, 3D models, and samples to identify opportunities to improve cost, construction, performance, materials, fit & comfort.
• Interface with Asia team counterparts through all prototyping stages to optimise development process and prototype approval, empowering ‘close to source’ responsibilities and ensuring all costs are on time and to target.
• Implement procedures to assure quality from the earliest stage of product development through to commercialisation.
• Facilitate timely review, delivery, and approval of all relevant technical information (lasts, blueprint files, 3D models, shell patterns, BOM’s, cost sheets, etc.)
• Collaborate with design and product merchandising teams to understand and accomplish seasonal product concepts.
• Ensure brand standards for performance, comfort and fit are achieved during product development.
• Integrate Quality Analysis and CI feedback loops – assessing potential risk to ensure early identification and input into product construction, testing, regulatory and safety compliance.
• Manage critical path to ensure OTIF delivery of all key development milestones and seasonal product creation tasks.
• Accountable for maintaining and updating product library of approved confirmation samples & archiving samples within agreed timeframes.
• Work with extended footwear team in Asia to ensure that common objectives are efficiently met.
• Seasonal development trips to Asia to ensure efficient engineering of product briefs.

What you'd bring:

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  Footwear Product Development experience within sport/performance/outdoor
• Experience developing cleated footwear advantageous
• Up-to-date knowledge of technical footwear innovation, product construction, materials, design applications, and moulding technologies gained within the footwear industry
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational and communication skills.
• Proven ability to project manage, multitask and problem-solve.
• Ability to identify, work with & influence key stakeholders.
• Demonstrates strong initiative, a can-do attitude and a flexible approach
• Good computer skills including Adobe suite, Word, Excel. Knowledge of both 3D CAD & PLM systems advantageous.
• Ability to work across multiple functions with experience of working in a matrix structure a benefit.
• Passionate about development, our products and company success.
• The ability to travel and spend time away from home.

What you’ll get in return

• Competitive remuneration package
• Hybrid / smart working
• Brand and retail perks
• Financial perks
• Travel perks
• Time out perks
• Wellbeing commitment

Pioneering Brands that Make Life Better

We are Pentland Brands, a global business touching the lives of millions through some of the world’s most-loved active and footwear brands. We own Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury of New Zealand, Endura, Mitre, Ellesse, SeaVees, KangaROOS and Red or Dead. We’re the UK licensee for Kickers and have a joint venture with Lacoste footwear.

We have a rich and remarkable history, of family, of ambition and of innovation, of leading from the front with a legacy of outstanding brands and equally outstanding people. Of pioneering brands that make life better. Brands that create an emotional connection with our consumers and help keep people on the move. Brands that do good, that form part of a positive business that takes action for people and planet.

We celebrate differences and give everyone the freedom to innovate and develop because we know this is an exceptional place to build brands and build your career. We want you to come to work every day excited about what we can achieve when we have a clear and single-minded focus on being consumer-centric and relentlessly focused on improving our performance.

Always guided by our principles, we not only do a great job, but we also do it in the right way; success is a team game; with clarity and courage; better as standard; in good conscience. We believe every individual has the power to shape the Pentland of the future, by making sure that every day we’re better than the day before. Join our team of passionate, exceptional individuals, and do the best work of your life.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability.

To find out more go to www.pentlandbrands.com or follow @pentlandbrands on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.

If this sounds like the perfect role, please apply and we’ll be in touch soon.