Product Development Manager, Hardlines (Brand / Consumer Product)

The Product Development Manager will act as a central resource for WildBrain CPLG across North America, supporting product development and creative activities. As a member of the Creative Services Department, you will work on a spectrum of brands, from Entertainment to Lifestyle, developing innovative hardlines products (toys, games, collectibles, gifting, housewares, stationery, sporting goods, electronics accessories, and home décor) for licensees, retailers, and target markets. This role is not an IT or Software position and involves hybrid work.

Must Have

• Manage and execute licensed hardlines product development and design.
• Develop and design product mock-ups, compile line sheets for line reviews, layout creative presentations and retail pitch decks.
• Support key hardlines retail initiatives, including category differentiation and channel-specific product direction.
• Manage workflow & Critical paths (on Monday.com) in line with KPI’s.
• Develop retail in-store mock-ups to demonstrate how a brand can be represented to consumers on the shop floor.
• Identify style guide gaps and Licensee needs in line with the wider Creative Services team, ensuring coverage across all relevant hardlines categories.
• Manage key relationships with Hardlines Licensor creative and product development personnel.
• Onboard new Licensees, DTR, halo partners globally and locally.
• Plan and run ideation sessions to drive interest and innovation in hardlines product categories.
• Maintain key communication with the WildBrain Brands team, receiving and feeding into style guide updates and management of asset storing.
• Deliver weekly updates to the local commercial team, including reports noting Licensee developments, status and asset updates.
• Collaborate with designers to drive up-front trends and overall creative direction and identify future areas of growth within hardlines franchises and sub-categories.
• Monitor competitors, product innovation and market dynamics within hardlines sectors.
• Develop internal and external style guides in conjunction with agency and freelance support, with a focus on hardlines product structure and material requirements.
• Responsible for managing the end-to-end approvals process and delivering innovative brand-appropriate hardlines products to market.
• Support the wider PD team on key partner submissions when necessary.
• Develop additional sales materials such as collaborations booklets, inspiration & benchmark presentations & look books, focused on hardlines assortment storytelling.

Perks & Benefits

• Private health insurance
• Income protection
• Gym subsidies
• Employee share programs
• Flexible working

Company Description

PLEASE NOTE: This is not an IT or Software position

Hybrid work: Employees work in a hybrid model balancing collaboration in our office and remote work.

Salary: $57,000 - $75,000 gross basic per annum

Find a job that lets your imagination run wild!

WildBrain CPLG is a world-leading entertainment, sport and brand licensing agency with 20 offices worldwide. Since 1972 we have been providing our partners with dedicated licensing and marketing professionals and fully integrated retail, creative & product development, legal and accounting services.

We are looking to add to our talented team of innovators that can help us manage some of the most profitable and enduring brands in the world! We believe that our partnerships are about clarity, openness, and trust, and we are widely known for our straightforward approach.

About the job/role

The Product Development Manager will act as a central resource for CPLG across North America, supporting product development and creative activities across the territories. As a member of the Creative Services Department, you will work on a spectrum of brands, from Entertainment to Lifestyle, developing innovative hardlines products (toys, games, collectibles, gifting, housewares, stationery, sporting goods, electronics accessories, and home décor) for licensees, retailers, and target markets.

Job Description

Creative Support

• Manage and execute licensed hardlines product development and design.
• Develop and design product mock-ups, compile line sheets for line reviews, layout creative presentations and retail pitch decks.
• Support key hardlines retail initiatives, including category differentiation and channel-specific product direction across the Territories.
• Manage workflow & Critical paths (on Monday.com) in line with KPI’s.
• Develop retail in-store mock-ups to demonstrate how a brand can be represented to consumers on the shop floor.
• Identify style guide gaps and Licensee needs in line with the wider Creative Services team, ensuring coverage across all relevant hardlines categories.

Brand and Licensor/ee management

• Manage key relationships with Hardlines Licensor creative and product development personnel e.g. Supercell, Penguin Random House, Van Gogh Museum.
• Onboard new Licensees, DTR, halo partners globally and locally.
• Plan and run ideation sessions to drive interest and innovation in hardlines product categories.
• Maintain key communication with the WildBrain Brands team, receiving and feeding into style guide updates and management of asset storing.
• Deliver weekly updates to the local commercial team, including reports noting Licensee developments, status and asset updates.

Asset Generation

• Collaborate with designers to drive up-front trends and overall creative direction and identify future areas of growth within hardlines franchises and sub-categories. This includes preparing custom design tools and retail pitches to differentiate by category.
• Monitor competitors, product innovation and market dynamics within hardlines sectors.
• Develop internal and external style guides in conjunction with agency and freelance support, with a focus on hardlines product structure and material requirements.

Product Development

• Responsible for managing the end-to-end approvals process and delivering innovative brand-appropriate hardlines products to market.
• Support the wider PD team on key partner submissions when necessary.
• Develop additional sales materials such as collaborations booklets, inspiration & benchmark presentations & look books, focused on hardlines assortment storytelling.

Qualifications

• Relevant design-related experience
• Computer software skills (e.g. MS Office, Photoshop, Illustrator, Blender (3D) / Clo 3D) - for 3D hardlines visualization
• Strong portfolio of work demonstrating layout and communication
• Sound knowledge of the product development and approval processes and experience in creatively driving range development
• Proficient with using on-line approval software, including running reports
• Good knowledge of Hardlines categories (toys, collectibles, housewares, gifting, stationery, sporting goods, consumer electronics accessories) and DTR retailers
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize multiple design projects running simultaneously with varying levels
• Self-starter and problem solver
• Experience in influencing key partners and stakeholders
• Able to filter through complex issues, find solutions, gain support and implement change
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong product, industrial, or hardlines design, graphical and visualization skills

Additional Information

What We Offer

Working at WildBrain is more than a job — it’s the opportunity to join forces with extraordinary, insightful and imaginative people who will recognize your talents and encourage your professional growth and development in a work environment that promotes creativity and individuality. Some of the perks we have are private health insurance, income protection, gym subsidies, employee share programs and flexible working.

Our Commitment

Diversity and Inclusion are in our DNA. As a global leader in kids and family entertainment, we strive to reflect and honour the diversity of our audiences around the world. We believe that creating diverse and inclusive content & brands begins with fostering a culture of belonging at WildBrain. To us, a culture of belonging is one where we celebrate and welcome the diversity of all employees, stakeholders, and external partners and strive to create an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and brings their authentic self to work.

We demonstrate our commitment to this by striving to provide a supportive work environment and a corporate culture that welcomes and encourages equal opportunities for all employees. We recognize that people bring experience and talent that goes beyond the technical skills and requirements of a job. If you possess similar experience that is close to what we’ve listed here, we encourage you to please still consider applying. We strongly believe that diverse experience, transferable skills, and passion are key! WildBrain accommodates people with disabilities throughout the recruitment and selection process. Applicants are encouraged to make their needs known in advance if accommodation is required.

About WildBrain

At WildBrain we inspire imaginations through the wonder of storytelling. A leader in 360° franchise management—spanning Content Creation, Audience Engagement and Global Licensing—our mission is to cultivate and grow love for our own and partner brands through exceptional entertainment experiences. Home to such franchises as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi, we produce such acclaimed series as The Snoopy Show, Snoopy in Space, Camp Snoopy, Teletubbies Let’s Go!, Yo Gabba GabbaLand!, Sonic Prime and Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City. With a library of approximately 14,000 half-hours, our shows reach kids and families everywhere, including on our YouTube network, which has generated more than 1.7 trillion minutes of watch time. Our consumer products licensing arm, WildBrain CPLG, represents our own and partner brands in every major territory worldwide.

Headquartered in Toronto, WildBrain trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com.

About WildBrain CPLG

WildBrain CPLG is a trusted licensing partner for leading brands worldwide, offering 50 years of expertise building consumer products and location-based entertainment programmes across the entertainment, sport, corporate and lifestyle sectors. With over 20 offices serving the UK, Europe, India, the Middle East, China, Asia Pacific and the US, WildBrain CPLG combines the strength of global reach with expertise in local markets to achieve the best results for partners. Our passionate teams consistently challenge themselves to explore new and innovative ideas and opportunities in partnerships, activations, creative and business processes to celebrate and build brands. At WildBrain CPLG, we believe that collaboration is about clarity, openness and trust, and we are widely known for our no-nonsense, straightforward approach. WildBrain CPLG is part of WildBrain Ltd., a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment. Please contact us or visit the WildBrain CPLG website for more information: www.cplg.com.