Product Development Manager

Posted by Oboz on 07/02/2019

Job Basics

Industry Sector: Lifestyle, Outdoor

Job Categories: Management - Product -Brand

Company Type: Accessories, Apparel/SoftGoods, HardGoods/Equipment

State: MT

City: Bozeman

Country: United States

Required Experience:

Job Type: Full Time

Salary:

Required to Relocate:

Required to Travel: Yes

Employee May Telecommute: No

Job Seeker Must Live Within:

Job Description & Requirements

Oboz Footwear is a wholesale brand founded in 2007. Bozeman, Montana is an outdoor adventurer’s paradise and it’s our home. It's what motivates us to lace up daily and explore the 18 million acres of Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that surround us. A vast and breathtaking landscape just waiting to be explored on two feet. Bozeman is where it all started and it’s what inspired our name. Outside + Bozeman = Oboz.

Our shoes are designed with one focus in mind, to get people out into the wilderness and onto the trail. True To The Trail® guides everything we do. From building great fitting footwear to how we give back to our community and the way we treat our planet. It's a mindset that grounds us in what's most important, doing things the right way. Because any other way just wouldn't be true to the trail. Sustainability is at the heart of being true to the trail.

We love the outdoors, and the way we figure, the more trees the more outdoors for us all to enjoy; so, we plant a tree for every pair of Oboz sold. Our HQ is powered by clean wind energy – 100% of our office power comes from wind farms in Central Idaho and Washington. We carbon-offset our shoe shipments, employee travel and the office utility bill. And, the shoes we don't sell make a difference, too – we donate our unsellable (but still trail-worthy) shoes, partnering with Project Sole and local non-profits to find feet in need.

Oboz has joined forces with the internationally recognized outdoor retailer, Kathmandu. Together Oboz and Kathmandu are working to bring Kathmandu North America to the wholesale market.

Position Overview

The Product Development Manager manages the Development Team and oversees the technical development of footwear from development to commercialization. Using critical thinking, customer feedback, understanding of industry trends and strong decision-making, provides options, recommendations and solutions

Accountabilities

Leadership

• Guides, directs, supports, evaluates and develops all members of the Product Development team
• . With each team member, co-creates and establishes goals for each position and tracks/measures performance against those metrics.
• Assures and is accountable for the day-to-day activities of the product development team, including work plans, timelines, deliverables, project completion and travel.
• In collaboration with the Director of Product, makes recommendations for needed staff resources including budgetary requirements.
• In conjunction with the product development team and other internal departments, design, develop and streamline procedures and workflows for the product development function.
• Oversee the recruitment, interviewing, hiring, on-boarding and training of new product development team members.
• Through communication and collaborative efforts, build team morale, provide challenges, demonstrate meaningful appreciation and offer constructive feedback, so retention is enhanced.

Project Management

Creates, manages and maintains the seasonal development calendar. Oversees the seasonal workflow of the development team and coordinates activities with members of the Product Team.

• Uses professional expertise to offer ideas on product design, construction, components, materials and compounds.
• Manages and collaborates with internal and external teams on the development of prototype and production tooling
• Orchestrates the planning and execution of a comprehensive fit and wear testing program. Reviews results and works with the team to successfully resolve all product concerns.

Interactions

• Builds effective and productive relationships with overseas manufacturing teams and assures that timelines are met. Travels overseas 2-4 times/year.
• Works with OBOZ Senior Management team to make team-based product decisions and inform leadership of product development progress.
• Coordinates, plans and leads relevant meetings such as prototype tear-down meetings, costing reviews and development stage-gates meetings.
• Helps team analyze cost breakdown summaries from contract manufacturers, seeks clarification and makes material / construction recommendations to meet goals of the product brief, including financial targets.
• Interfaces and negotiates with material vendors, suppliers and others to meet product development deadlines.
• Travels to, attends and actively participates in tradeshows, sales meetings, and product meetings at overseas contract manufacturers.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, fashion merchandising, industrial design or related field
• Minimum of five (5) years of work experience in footwear development, outdoor performance footwear preferred. = Manufacturing industry experience, especially in footwear strongly valued.
• At least three (3) years of supervisory/managerial experience in a work environment.
• Must have a comprehensive understanding of footwear construction methods, fit testing, physical testing and finished goods testing
• Outdoor industry experience strongly valued, especially in footwear.

Success Characteristics

Superb project management skills, proven leadership capabilities, adaptable to changing priorities/business needs, creative/innovative, strong problem solver, relationship builder, ability to get tasks done through others, able to fulfill deadlines and commitments, excellent written and verbal skills, including proven ability to deal with diverse language challenges; highly organized, willing to take risks, capable of negotiating, fact-based, logical decision maker; enthusiastic, deeply committed to footwear field.

Company Culture

Oboz has a small but growing family-feel team. We are collaborative and thrive on cross-functional relationships.

We care about our customers, the outdoors and each other. Our office is relaxed and non-conventional with a dog-friendly culture. We love the outdoors and are passionate about doing the right thing for a more sustainable world for us all to share. We are proud of our amazing brand and we aspire create the best and most comfortable footwear in the world so everyone can enjoy the outdoors with us.

We want to share our success with other likeminded, passionate people who enjoy working in a fast-paced industry and share our company values.

Compensation

As well as amazing footwear benefits and awesome folks to work with, Oboz offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including Medical, Dental, and vision, 401k retirement and paid time off.

Want to join us? Please send your resume and cover letter to careers@obozfootwear.com. Please enter ‘Product Development Manager’ in the subject line of your application email to identify the role for which you are applying. Review of resumes will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

About Oboz

Bozeman, Montana. It's where it all started. It's what inspired our name. And it's what motivates us to lace up daily and explore the 18 million acres of Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem that surround us. A vast and breath taking landscape of peaks, valleys and rivers just waiting to be explored on two feet.