Director of Product Development, Decor

Position Summary:

The Director of Product Development, Decor is responsible for driving sales growth and profitability through the leadership of new product development across the Core and Seasonal Decor categories. This role partners closely with Design to create compelling, commercially viable assortments that uphold the brand's standards while advancing the business through innovation, relevance, and scale.

This is a high-impact leadership role with end-to-end ownership of the product lifecycle, balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution to ensure product strategies translate into strong commercial outcomes.

The role requires strong cross-functional leadership, working effectively across Design, Planning, Marketing, Sales, and Operations to execute against strategic goals delivering them on time and within budget. This leader will also focus on developing the team, strengthening capabilities, and driving greater accountability and speed across the product development process.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Strategy & Category Leadership

• Define and execute the long-term product strategy for the Core and Seasonal Decor categories, aligned with design direction, business objectives and brand ethos.
• Own category performance across sales, margin, and inventory productivity, including KPIs such as gross margin, sell-through, turn, and markdown optimization.
• Lead category planning, including assortment architecture and 3-year growth strategy.
• Identify whitespace opportunities and drive innovation across categories, materials, and product concepts.
• Establish product narratives and seasonal storytelling that support brand and customer engagement.
• Define pricing strategy to balance customer value perception, competitiveness, and margin.
• Anticipate market trends and shifts, customer behavior, and competitive dynamics, adjusting product direction proactively.

Product Development & Assortment Execution

• Lead the end-to-end product lifecycle from concept through commercialization and launch.
• Own and execute the product roadmap, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery to quality standards.
• Partner closely with Design to translate creative vision into commercially viable product assortments.
• Drive SKU productivity and assortment optimization within the defined category strategy.
• Improve speed-to-market and implement scalable development processes and tools.
• Work with vendors to ensure product execution meets quality, cost, and timeline expectations while maintaining design integrity.
• Define and maintain a consistent cadence of product newness to support ongoing growth objectives.

Vendor & Sourcing Leadership

• Build and manage a strong global vendor network to support quality, production capacity, and innovation needs.
• Lead vendor negotiations, cost management, and margin optimization efforts.
• Identify and onboard new manufacturing partners to expand capabilities and reduce risk.
• Ensure adherence to compliance, quality, and production standards.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Design, Creative, Marketing and Sales to bring product stories to life across campaigns and key product moments.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Operations to ensure seamless execution from development through delivery.
• Serve as a key contributor in strategic planning, including long-range planning and major product initiatives and brand collaborations.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a Product Development team, strengthening capabilities and performance.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Establish clear goals, processes, and performance expectations across the team.

Education and Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in Product Development and Merchandising
• Bachelor's degree in a related field

Location: Aurora, NY Ability to travel domestically and internationally (approximately 20-30%)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience within multi-category and/or multi-channel home businesses; DTC or omnichannel brand experience preferred
• Proven track record of leading end-to-end product development from concept through launch
• Strong vendor management experience across domestic and international partners
• Strategic and analytical mindset with the ability to balance long-term vision and detailed execution
• Excellent communication and presentation skills; comfortable engaging with senior leadership and large cross-functional teams
• Experience collaborating across functions including Design, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, and Planning
• Deep passion for Home Decor with strong creative instincts and a willingness to take thoughtful, customer-driven risks
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop high-performing teams in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Strong project management and organizational skills with attention to detail

Equipment Used:

• Computer, mobile devices, printer, telephone, photocopier, fax machine, scanner, calculator
• Computer Software: Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Internet Browsers

Physical and Mental Requirements:

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, talk, hear, perform repetitive hand motions, use hands to finger, grasp, handle, or feel; push and/or pull with arms and reach with arms and/or hands; crouch, kneel, crawl or bend
• Lift up to 50lbs
• Close mental and visual attention required to perform work dealing primarily with preparing and interpreting data and figures, using a computer terminal, and/or extensive reading

Environmental Conditions:

Work is performed in a typical office setting.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401K Retirement Savings + Company Match
• Paid Vacation, PTO and Holidays
• Company sponsored life insurance and LTD
• Health Savings Account + Company Match
• Generous Employee Discount
• Verizon Discount
• Referral Bonus Program
• Opportunities for professional development and career advancement

MacKenzie-Childs is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates.