Product Development Manager

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Employment Type: Full-time

Industry: E-commerce

About the Role

We are looking for a Product Development Manager (Head of Product Development & Creative) to join our client, an established company in the e-commerce industry. This role will lead the creative direction and the development of new physical products from concept to commercialization, ensuring products align with market trends, customer needs, brand direction, and business objectives. The role also leads the Product Development team and works closely with cross-functional departments and manufacturing partners to deliver products that are on-brand, high quality, on schedule, and scalable in international markets.

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Portfolio Planning

• Develop product strategies aligned with business and brand objectives.
• Set the creative and product development direction in line with Business Strategy, Brand Strategy, and target markets.
• Translate product strategies into quarterly Product Development Roadmaps across product lines.
• Lead New Product Development (NPD), including new series, bundles, collections, and product line extensions.
• Identify portfolio expansion opportunities based on market research, consumer trends, and business potential, commercial value, customer experience, and ability to differentiate.
• Prioritize product development initiatives based on commercial potential, execution capabilities, and available resources.
• Manage the product lifecycle from development through post-launch improvement.
• Define concept, aesthetics, visual storytelling, and creative direction for each product line, series, and collection.
• Define a consistent visual language and creative standards across the entire portfolio.

Market & Consumer Insights

• Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and consumer behavior and market gaps across the US and European markets.
• Track relevant e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, and TikTok Shop, particularly within Art & Craft, DIY, and Activity Kits categories.
• Research new materials, production methods, and product finishing techniques.
• Build and manage an innovation pipeline.
• Translate market and customer insights into new product opportunities and clear product directions.
• Leverage market insights to develop ideas, concepts, and category expansion opportunities.
• Define themes, illustration styles, colors, materials, forms of expression, and product experience that fit the target customer.

Product Concept Development

• Develop frameworks and processes for product concept development.
• Lead concept development from insight and ideation to Product Brief, Creative Brief, and detailed design direction.
• Evaluate and validate product concepts before moving into development, prioritizing concepts by differentiation, commercial potential, brand fit, and execution capability.
• Build evaluation criteria for concepts and creative output, ensuring differentiation, customer experience, aesthetic quality, and commercial viability.
• Ensure product concepts meet requirements for customer experience, functionality, quality, cost, timeline, and manufacturability, and have the potential to expand into a series or collection.

Creative Production & Art Direction

• Review and approve concepts, moodboards, artwork, visual direction, and other creative deliverables, ensuring quality and consistency with brand positioning.
• Provide art direction for product projects, launch campaigns, and commercial content.

Product Development Management

• Own the end-to-end product development process, including Research, Ideation, Concept, Brief, Design, Prototyping, Sampling, Validation, and Launch Readiness.
• Lead the Product Research, Idea Development, Designer, and Artist functions to turn concepts into finished products.
• Establish quality and testing criteria at each stage of development, including review and approval criteria from concept validation and artwork review to sample approval.
• Manage multiple product development projects simultaneously.
• Maintain product specifications and documentation, including design files and artwork assets.
• Develop and monitor project timelines, milestones, resource plans, and quality standards.
• Proactively identify risks, bottlenecks, and execution issues and drive appropriate solutions.

Cross-functional & Supplier Management

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Brand, Marketing, and other departments) to align on product objectives, quality, cost, and implementation plans.
• Work closely with Supply Chain and external suppliers throughout product development, including sample development, material selection, and packaging.
• Evaluate materials, packaging, manufacturing feasibility, supplier capabilities, and cost optimization opportunities.
• Ensure products meet relevant quality, safety, e-commerce platform, and intellectual property requirements in target markets.
• Work with Marketing, Brand, and Social Media to communicate product value, differentiators, and experience consistently.

Product Launch & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Marketing to develop Go-to-Market plans.
• Support the preparation of product information and materials for sales and marketing activities, including artwork and launch documentation.
• Monitor post-launch performance, including sales, conversion, customer reviews, return rates, and contribution margin.
• Gather customer feedback and identify opportunities for product improvements, bundles, and product line extensions.
• Analyze customer feedback and business data to assess concept effectiveness, quality, and product experience.
• Propose product improvements, new versions, and series or collection expansions based on actual results.

Team & Process Development

• Lead, manage, and develop the Product Development team (Product Research, Product Idea, Designer/Artist).
• Assign and monitor team responsibilities and project progress.
• Set development goals, output standards, and capability-building plans for team members.
• Provide coaching and training on product development processes and best practices.
• Develop and standardize SOPs, templates, and frameworks , evaluation criteria, and product approval processes to improve product development efficiency.
• Ensure product data is accurate, complete, and up to date ; standardize data systems, documentation, and creative assets to improve team performance, quality, and scalability.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Product Design, Industrial Design, Engineering, Supply Chain, Marketing, Architecture, Fashion Design, 2D Graphic Design, Art Direction, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in Creative, Art Direction, Product Development, Product Management, Category Management, or New Product Development (NPD).
• 3+ years of experience managing a Product Development team (or a related team).
• Proven experience developing physical products from concept to commercialization.
• Experience managing multiple product development projects simultaneously.
• Hands-on experience working with factories, suppliers, or manufacturing partners.
• Experience developing products for international markets and/or e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, or TikTok Shop.
• Experience in Art & Craft, DIY Products, Stationery, Lifestyle & Creative Hobbies, or Home Decor is a strong plus.
• Strong creativity and aesthetic sense.
• Strong understanding of product development processes, including product classification and the ability to set evaluation criteria at each stage of development, manufacturing, materials, and cost optimization.
• Ability to translate market and customer insights into compelling product value propositions (USPs).
• Solid knowledge of the market and target customers.
• Ability to apply manufacturing knowledge to material selection and cost optimization.
• Proficient in project management methods for schedule and budget control.
• Commercial mindset: understanding and applying portfolio management and cost structure (COGS).
• Strong understanding of e-commerce requirements, market regulations, and intellectual property considerations.
• Good English communication skills (IELTS 6.5+ or equivalent) for working with international partners and reviewing technical and market research materials.
• Certifications in Product Management or Project Management are a plus.

Tools

Experience with the following is preferred:

• Adobe Creative Suite, 3D tools, prototyping
• Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets
• Notion / Asana
• AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity for research and product development

Compensation & Benefits

• 13th-month salary and profit-based bonus based on business performance.
• Annual performance review and salary adjustment.
• Full insurance coverage upon signing the labor contract.
• PVI health insurance for employees and their family members.
• Comprehensive physical and mental health care policy.
• Annual health check-up.
• 16 days of annual leave plus additional seniority leave.
• 3 remote working days per month.
• Learning and development budget for personal growth.
• Opportunities for skill and professional development through internal and external training sessions.
• Team building twice a year to strengthen teamwork and company spirit.
• Various internal engagement activities: monthly Fridays, Year-End Party, Mid-Autumn Festival, Women's Day (Oct 20, Mar 8), Men's Day (Apr 6), and other celebrations.