VP Product Development

Job Description

<p><b>Consumer Goods Design-Led High-Growth </b></p><p><br></p><p>Glass Ratner's Private Equity Practice have partnered with a rapidly growing, design-forward Canadian owned consumer goods company to hire a<b> Vice President of Product Development</b>. This leader will shape the next era of innovation as the company expands across both e-commerce and major retail channels.</p><p><br></p><p>The business is known for bringing premium, modern, design-led products to market at scale. With a strong engineering foundation and increasing retailer demand, the organization is ready to elevate its upstream strategy, ideation discipline, and commercialization capability.</p><p><br></p><p>This role works closely with the CEO and functional leaders across Marketing, Engineering, Operations, and Finance to drive brand product and category expansion.</p><p><br></p><p><b>What You Will Do</b></p><p><br></p><p><b>Upstream Strategy & Market Fit - Essential </b></p><ul><li>Partner with the CEO and leadership team to determine the product strategy and priority initiatives ("What shots are we going to take?").</li><li>Lead ideation for new product categories, product extensions, and improvements to existing items (sizes, textures, colours, materials).</li><li>Build business cases including BOE assessments, size-of-prize analysis, and share targets.</li><li>Conduct market, trend, and consumer insight work to determine brand fit and channel fit across e-commerce and retail.</li><li>Bring strong design intuition and trend awareness.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><b>Product Development Oversight - Essential </b></p><ul><li>Build and manage the full product development pipeline.</li><li>Oversee design direction including form, function, and aesthetics.</li><li>Work closely with Engineering to define specifications, validate feasibility, and ensure manufacturability.</li><li>Collaborate with external partners to expand manufacturing capabilities.</li><li>Lead costing, value engineering, sourcing assessments, and tariff considerations.</li><li>Oversee QA, QC, and compliance.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><b>Go-to-Market (GTM) Execution - would be of added value but not essential</b></p><ul><li>Collaborate with all functional areas (Operations, Marketing/Creative, Finance, E-commerce) to execute product launches.</li><li>Lead forecasting and initial order planning.</li><li>Manage production planning and vendor alignment.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><b>What You Bring</b></p><p><br></p><p><b>Experience</b></p><ul><li>10-15+ years in product development, industrial design, consumer goods, home décor, or adjacent categories.</li><li>Experience developing products from concept through commercialization across multiple channels.</li><li>Exposure to plastics, molded materials, or manufacturing processes (injection molding, blow molding, roto molding) is an asset.</li><li>Strong project management capabilities.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><b>Leadership & Personal Attributes</b></p><ul><li>Strong design sensibility, taste, and trend awareness</li><li>Enjoy working with people and solving complex problems</li><li>Excellent communication and presentation skills.</li><li>Ability to influence internal teams and external buyers.</li><li>Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort in a fast-paced, founder-led environment.</li><li>Ability to balance creativity with technical feasibility and commercial discipline.</li><li>Strength in introducing structure while maintaining speed and flexibility.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><b>Who You Are</b></p><ul><li>A creative and strategic product thinker.</li><li>A connector who thrives at the intersection of design, engineering, and market needs.</li><li>A leader who can elevate the product function and coach cross-functional partners.</li><li>A hands-on collaborator who drives clarity, prioritization, and execution.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><b>Why This Role</b></p><ul><li>Lead the full product innovation engine at a high-growth consumer brand.</li><li>Work directly with the CEO to define long-term product strategy.</li><li>Shape products for both fast-paced e-commerce and large-scale retail channels.</li><li>Join a company with significant momentum and strong investor support.</li><li>Competitive compensation, performance bonus, and long-term incentive program.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>If this sounds interesting to you, or anyone in your network, please apply or reach out to Benish Khan () or Marty O'Doherty ().</p>