Senior Production & Product Development Manager FTC (Packaging, POS, and Branded Merchandise)

Senior Production & Product Development Manager (Packaging, POS, and Branded Merchandise)

Bring world-class creative ideas into the real world.

• Contract Type: FTC, 12-Month Maternity Cover
• Salary: £60,000 to £65,000 per annum
• Location: West London
• Working type: Hybrid (3 days in the office)

The Opportunity

Behind every memorable brand experience is someone who knows how to make great ideas happen.

Working as an integral part of the brand and activation function, and reporting directly to its Global Director, you'll partner closely with designers from the earliest stages of a project, helping transform creative concepts into beautifully crafted physical products and experiences.

From packaging and branded merchandise to retail displays, point of sale, and campaign activations, you'll own the full cycle of sourcing, product development, and production, delivering premium brand assets across global markets and ensuring every physical touchpoint reflects the quality, creative integrity, and attention to detail this brand is known for.

This is a rare opportunity to sit at the intersection of creativity, product development, and production, playing a pivotal role in how a globally recognised premium consumer brand comes to life.

The Role

• You'll work alongside the creative team from day one, helping shape ideas as they're developed rather than simply delivering them once they're finished.
• Your role is to challenge, refine, and guide concepts through development, balancing creative ambition with manufacturing expertise, commercial thinking, and exceptional execution.
• You'll lead branded product development across packaging, retail displays, POS, branded merchandise, and activation assets, owning the full cycle from sourcing and supplier relationships through sampling, production, quality, compliance, and global delivery.
• You'll lead and coordinate a cross-functional team spanning product development, production, quality, and compliance.
• You'll protect creative integrity at every stage, making sure what arrives in market is what the design team imagined, made to the right standard and to the right specification.
• You'll become the person who gives designers the confidence that their ideas can be realised without compromise.

Day to day, you'll be...

• Leading the end-to-end development of branded products, packaging, and in-store materials, from concept through to global launch.
• Translating creative concepts into commercially viable, high-quality products while protecting brand standards.
• Managing sourcing, sampling, prototyping, and product refinement to achieve exceptional quality and finish.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with global suppliers and manufacturing partners.
• Negotiating with suppliers to deliver value, quality, and long-term partnership success.
• Overseeing production planning, purchase orders, delivery schedules, and critical path management.
• Driving quality assurance, compliance, and safety standards across all products and materials.
• Leading and coordinating teams across product development, production, quality, and compliance.
• Collaborating closely with design, marketing, logistics, and finance teams to ensure seamless delivery.

What Success Looks Like

• You'll become a trusted partner to the creative team, involved from the earliest conversations through to final delivery.
• Designers will rely on your expertise to solve problems before they arise.
• Suppliers will trust your judgement and clarity.
• Stakeholders across the business will know that when a project is in your hands, it will be delivered beautifully, on time, compliantly, and to the highest possible standard.
• The physical assets you deliver will strengthen the consumer experience in every market and support the brand's wider growth ambitions.
• Ultimately, your success is measured by how seamlessly creative ideas become exceptional physical experiences.

About You

• You'll already have significant experience leading branded product development and production within premium consumer products, branded goods, retail, lifestyle, or brand-led environments.
• You understand sourcing, manufacturing, supply chains, and product lifecycle management, but just as importantly, you understand designers.
• You know how to protect an idea while making it manufacturable, compliant, commercially viable, and deliverable at scale.

You'll bring

• Significant experience across sourcing, branded product development, production, supply chain, and product lifecycle management
• Strong understanding of packaging, POS, retail displays, branded merchandise, and physical marketing assets
• Excellent understanding of manufacturing processes and of taking products from idea to market
• Experience managing global supplier networks and manufacturing partners, and delivering into multiple international markets
• Working knowledge of the quality, compliance, and safety standards that apply to consumer products sold globally
• Experience leading or coordinating cross-functional teams and stakeholders
• Excellent commercial judgement, negotiation, and project leadership
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to run multiple projects at once in a fast-paced environment
• A strong appreciation for materials, craftsmanship, and product quality
• A collaborative, proactive, and solutions-focused approach, with excellent communication skills
• The ability to build trusted relationships across creative, production, and operational teams

Why This Role Stands Out

Few roles sit this close to the creative process while owning such a significant part of bringing a brand to life.

You'll work alongside talented designers every day, helping shape ideas rather than simply execute them, while leading the sourcing, development, and production of the physical products and assets that customers experience around the world.

It's a role with genuine ownership, global reach, and the opportunity to influence how a globally recognised brand is experienced far beyond its core range.