Product Design & Development Manager

About The Role & Team

Join our dynamic team in London, where you'll collaborate with the Senior Product Design and Development Manager/Product Design and Development Director to lead the design and development of exciting products within Softlines, Apparel, Footwear, and Home categories.

This full-time role, based in our vibrant Hammersmith office, offers the opportunity to work four out of the five-day working week, driving product excellence and brand consistency.

What You Will You Do

• Develop and manage the creative output from licensees, ensuring product innovation, brand consistency, and compelling execution.
• Identify new product opportunities, produce conceptual designs, and pitch to partners.
• Establish and maintain relationships with retailers, stakeholders, and creative teams.
• Manage and develop the team, providing creative direction and feedback on product submissions.
• Execute the approval process, ensuring submissions follow Disney’s Online Product Approval system (OPA) guidelines.
• Provide and develop creative assets for licensees, ensuring products adhere to Disney guidelines.
• Offer creative input and trend direction to inspire licensees/retailers, running ideation sessions to drive innovation.
• Lead design projects within Softlines, Apparel, Footwear, and Home categories, utilizing internal and external resources.
• Train and update licensees/retailers on the Disney brand, property portfolio, creative assets, and approval systems.
• Maintain market knowledge, using trends to drive strategy, identify new business areas, and establish design requirements.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of Disney’s characters, films, properties, and creative assets for consumer products.
• Attend inspiration trips to understand the EMEA marketplace and drive innovation.
• Provide design and trend direction, inspiration, and feedback to licensees on product submissions.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Degree in a related field (product design, etc.) or equivalent experience in a lifestyle product company.
• Proven commercial design experience in the relevant category, with the ability to manage designers and agencies.
• Experience managing and developing a product development team.
• Experience in a consumer products commercialization environment.
• Proven ability to build effective relationships, lead change, and collaborate across departments.
• Packaging experience and understanding of style guides for the Online Product Approval (OPA) system is desirable.
• Ability to communicate clear design briefs and ensure deliverables meet criteria.
• Advanced knowledge of industry trends and common manufacturing techniques.
• Ability to communicate design ideas using CAD and computer techniques.
• Excellent design and conceptual skills, demonstrated in a portfolio.
• Understanding of fabric, color, and product design.
• Proven experience creating prototypes or models.
• Ability to meet deadlines and budgets.
• Strong presentation skills for internal/external stakeholders.
• Advanced knowledge of Mac OSX, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Microsoft Office.
• Strong written and spoken English; proficiency in other European languages is beneficial.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for managing relationships at all levels.
• Strong influencing skills to achieve buy-in at all levels.
• Exhibits ingenuity, creativity, and resourcefulness.
• Resilient and adaptable in a changing landscape.
• Forward-thinking, translating industry trends into growth for TWDC.
• Cultural sensitivity and understanding of local markets across EMEA.

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave
• Private medical insurance & dental care
• Free Park Entry: the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free
• Disney Discounts: entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing
• Excellent parental and guardian leave
• Employee Resource Groups – WOMEN @ Disney, Disney DIVERSITY, Disney PRIDE, our new disability & neurodiversity focused group - ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.