Product Development Manager

Packed Party is a female-founded and led lifestyle gifting brand that encourages people to make every day a party with our fun and experiential products.

Our items range from party packages to jewelry, drinkware, travel accessories, and more, all designed to bring smiles and start a party!

In May 2024, we joined the Bioworld Merchandising family, a leading design and distribution company of licensed and private label apparel, headwear, and accessories across all retail channels.

Packed Party operates as a standalone brand benefiting from Bioworld’s global capabilities to achieve its goals of brand-building, category expansion, and distribution.

We are seeking skilled candidates excited to join this amazing team!

We Believe in Great Brands : Our goal is to translate the brand story into product that is as innovative and distinctive as the brand itself.

Creative Culture : Our team offers a unique mix of creative product design and merchandising expertise, believing that innovation stems from diverse creative ideas.

We are the Market : Our team believes in full immersion to gain insight into retail markets, contemporary culture and consumer reaction.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

• Are you a perfectionist that excels in follow up and follow through?
• Are you a self-starting problem solver who is conceptual and big picture oriented in project management?
• Are you a fast-paced multi-tasker that thrives under a deadline and loves working on different projects?
• If the answer to all three questions is yes, we want you to join our team!

Must be able able to work in the office in Austin, TX.

OVERVIEW

Packed Party is looking for a Product Development Manager to jump in the middle of our rapidly growing team here in Austin, TX at the ground level.

The individual will be responsible for supporting all pre-production development tasks; including developing technical packages for manufacturers, tracking and reviewing samples, market & trend research, technical file preparation and maintenance, design ideation, and much more.

You’ll work closely with the Director of Operations and the Design Team.

ESSENTIAL ROLES AND DUTIES

• Extremely detailed and process oriented, helping to refine all pre-production processes
• Highly motivated with a high sense of urgency and initiative. Always taking responsibility with a proactive mentality
• Organization freak keeping timelines and schedules of production and processes
• Able to work effectively under pressure and always looking for the next challenge
• Strong attention to details and craftsmanship, ensuring that all product provided to third parties has been fully vetted
• Strong ability to manage multiple projects and timelines
• An over-communicator, as you will need to ensure our Design and Operations teams meet all deadlines. This individual must be comfortable communicating timing to the larger team
• Self-starter, you see an issue with a product or packaging and you immediately fix the error and alert the team about the issue
• Proven ability to analyze and research the market and trends for a full understanding of product categories and competitive offerings
• Comfortable bringing creative and innovative concepts to the team to help drive ideation process
• Excellent problem-solving skills and an ability to work independently with limited instruction
• Proficiency in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint is a must Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign & Photoshop) is preferred
• 3-5 Years of Product Development experience required
• Experience producing products in a global supply chain preferred

THIS ROLE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

• Assist with product development brainstorming and ideation
• Work directly with the design team assisting with all open product development projects, including the all tasks required to bring the product to market
• Assist with the development and organization of all basic technical file packages
• This role is the subject matter expert at keeping product specifications up to date and accurate for communication with our manufacturing base
• Oversee the technical specification documentation and handle internal communication on behalf of design team to cross-functional partners
• Establish standards for technical specification documents and technical packets

PRE-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT - OPERATIONAL

• Oversee the production work stream from start to finish Prepare weekly reports to keep the team well informed of the status of all upcoming programs
• Assist with the development and enforcement of approval processes using an excel based tracking system
• Closely monitor the development process and ensure schedule adherence to launch through all vendor and internal channels
• Ensure all supplier quotations and samples are completed on a timely basis for appropriate decision making to meet objectives

MARKET AND PRODUCT TREND ANALYSIS

• Assist with market and trend research, constantly monitoring the competitive landscape, finding new materials, manufacturing processes and design trends that may be of use to the design and operations teams
• Lead analysis determining if Packed Party’s prices are competitive on comparable products vs. competitors
• Develop products to achieve unmet consumer needs

SUPPLIER OVERSIGHT

• Manage order execution and resolve product and production issues on a timely and proactive manner
• Monitor supplier performance to ensure it meets or exceeds Company KPIs Assist in research to expand Packed Party’s manufacturing base
• Assist in identifying the process and partners for PP to partner with to manufacture directly for Walmart.

QUALITY CONTROL MANAGEMENT

• Visiting our distribution center and leading all quality control on incoming product
• Acting proactively to communicate with our internal team and manufacturers on any discrepancies of final product vs. final samples
16 days ago