Porta Romana is hiring a product development manager to join its team in Surrey, UK.

Porta Romana is an English company known within the interior design industry for its exceptional, handcrafted lighting and furniture designs. The design and making of our collection is undertaken both in-house at our HQ in Farnham, Surrey and through our strong partnerships with skilled artists and craftspeople in both the UK and overseas. With the collective efforts of our London Sales team, our network of global sales representatives and our dynamic marketing efforts Porta Romana designs reach the most prestigious hospitality and yacht interiors projects worldwide. Launching a minimum of 2 new collections a year as well as undertaking complex customisation and bespoke projects requires a skilled, creative and hardworking team, always working collaboratively to achieve our mission: a team of excellence crafting beautiful objects to be loved for a lifetime and more.

Porta Romana is seeking an energetic, team leader with strong technical skills who thrives on the diverse challenges of creating hand-crafted products. With a keen interest in the interior design industry and its trends, technical developments and a desire to push the boundaries in materials and to contribute authoritatively to product strategy. The role carries full responsibility for managing the product development process, from initial concept to market launch, including new designs, product enhancements, design collaborations, sustainability initiatives, all aligned with company strategic objectives. It also plays a key role in the development of our growing bespoke and customisation business.

The successful candidate will be adept at building strong relationships with a wide network of skilled makers and collaborating across all business departments.

Managing new product development process:

creating a project plan for each new collection, in line with a sales and marketing brief
translating ideas and concepts from the Creative Director into actionable plans
managing the prototyping, costing, regular review of iterations to the project timeline
consulting with wider teams (purchasing, assembly, operations, etc.) for supplier and technical input and the creation of all necessary drawings and bills of materials
managing supplier and maker communications, fostering strong relationships and addressing issues as they arise
ensuring that all new products are tested, fit for purpose and have the appropriate installation instructions and packaging
presenting collections to the Directors’ team for final approval
overseeing the preparation of quality control packs, design registrations, technical data sheets and a full handover to production teams
supplying information and the new products to the marketing team in line with launch timetable for photography shoots and showroom installations
delivering training to sales teams before launch

Change control, Continuous improvement and sustainability:

managing action points from the change and improvements process, identifying any cost implications, ensuring sign-off from design and technical specification
providing strategic input on existing products, identifying areas for improvement and compiling edit lists for director approval
providing leadership on product and materials sustainability reporting and initiatives to reduce carbon emissions associated with the production of our collection
expanding the supplier base by exploring new materials, techniques, skills, and identifying opportunities for better pricing or quality

Bespoke projects and design collaborations:

working closely with the custom and bespoke project managers provide support for custom, bespoke, and hospitality projects
advising on the costs and feasibility of custom requests, ensuring that response times align with sales requirements
managing product development workload distribution
overseeing sign off for design and technical specification for bespoke projects
managing design collaborations from concept to delivery, including scope definition, collaboration agreements, and contractual terms. Ensuring existing collaborator contracts are up-to-date with additional iterations as needed

Budget management and management team:

managing the origination and resourcing budget and provide regular review with directors
contributing to a collaborative and hardworking management team, supporting strong communication across departments and alignment to company objectives
involvement in Special Projects, providing technical design input for trade shows, marketing initiatives and internal projects

Team leadership and development:

managing the product team, including recruitment, training, and professional development
providing mentorship and guidance to team members to drive performance and innovation

Profile:

experience in developing designs from creative concept to manufacture with three to four years’ relevant work experience
an impressive knowledge of materials and materials properties
software skills – proficient in AutoCAD, Solidworks (ideally with Visualize) and the Adobe Package CHK
good understanding of 3D printing software
a proficient project manager
with strong commercial and negotiating skills
an excellent communicator and team leader

Porta Romana

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Product Development Manager