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Head of Product Development
Head of Product Development
Location: London Reports to: Production and Product Development Director
About Us
DeMellier is a London-based brand founded on the vision of disrupting tradition—designing handbags that empower women while being ethically and sustainably crafted. Our commitment to ethical practices drives everything we do. Every piece is:
- Handcrafted in Europe
- Made from the finest sustainably sourced materials
Beyond craftsmanship, we champion equality and give back through "A Bag, A Life", our charity initiative. In partnership with SOS Children’s Villages, we fund vaccines and medical treatments—2.5 million+ doses of vaccines delivered so far.
Join a luxury industry-redefining, purpose-driven brand that fosters creativity, collaboration, and meaningful impact.
The Role
The Head of Product Development is responsible for overseeing the entire product lifecycle, ensuring high-quality executive performance. You’ll:
- Lead Finished Goods and Raw Materials development strategy
- Collaborate with Design Director and Merchandising to protect design DNA, transforming elevated sketches into high-margin luxury products
- Ensure seamless flow from prototypes to industrialised production
Qualifications & Experience
- 10+ years in product development within a premium, design-led accessories/leather goods brand
- Visionary leadership within product development
- Elite technical expertise in:
- Luxury handbag engineering
- Leather splitting and skiving
- Pattern architecture
- Jewelry-grade hardware mold development
- Component yields & material structural performance
- Strong business and financial control when managing:
- Complex financial matrices
- Target margins & product profitability
- Proven experience with a European supplier network (tanneries, components, manufacturers)
- Right to work in the UK
- Fluency in English ( Italians/Spanish are advantageous)
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Office & Travel Requirements
- Hybrid schedule (3× in-office, 2× remote)
- Frequent international travel (multiple trips/month) to:
- European manufacturing hubs
- European tanneries (for development standards and relationship building)
Main Responsibilities
Product Development Strategy
- Partner with Design Director from concept to execution, safeguarding aesthetic integrity and design DNA while ensuring:
- Technical feasibility
- Commercial viability
- Scalability
- Collaborate with Merchandising & Product Director to:
- Enforce range plans
- Balance style/SKU complexity
- Align with collection launches and seasonal demands
- Define:
- Target costing and prototyping budgets
- Global vendor allocation strategies
- Financial guardrails to maximise gross margins
- Implement a stage-gate process for:
- Spanning sketch-release, prototyping, tech validation → final industrialisation
- Ensuring timely collection launches
- Oversee Bill of Materials (BOM), hardware & specs integrity.
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Industrialisation Handover
- Ensure flawless transition from product development → industrialisation with:
- Definitive risk protocols
- Mitigation of complexities in material behaviour and construction
Sourcing Architecture & Innovation
- Elevate European manufacturers/tanneries relationships
- Direct procurement of:
- Premium leather
- Bespoke hardware
- Sustainable textiles
- Maintain luxury tactile experience and supply chain continuity
- Oversee ethical traceability according to brand commitments.
Visionary Leadership
- Mentor & inspire a high-performance team
- Scale Product Development department’s talent and technical resources
- Build future-ready organisational structure with Product Director.
Benefits
- Hybrid-working policy (3 days on-site)
- Progressive annual leave package (increments tied to tenure)
- Enhanced maternity policy
- Employee discounts:
- 50% off DeMellier stock
- Up to 90% off seasonal sample sales
- Seasonal bag allowance
- Free lifetime DeMellier bag following successful probation
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