Job Summary:
About The Role & Team
This role will collaborate with the Senior Product Design and Development Manager/Product Design and Development Director, Softlines to lead the product design and development of all products within relevant category for the region/market.
This role is a Fixed-Term Contract to cover Parental Leave for 12 months, and will require you to be onsite 4 days a week.
What You Will You Do
1. Working in collaboration with the senior PD manager and our Partner licensing team to ideate drive and form company wide product campaign creative and development.
2. Following through from ideation to final product approval, liaising with; multiple stake holders, internal and external including marketing, commercial, legal, and brand management with support from senior PD manager.
3. Identify new product opportunities, produce first class conceptual designs and pitch to prospective/existing partners
4. We develop and manage the creative output from licensees ensuring product innovation, brand consistency and compelling execution within a commercial context
5. Establish and maintain relationships with retailers, internal collaborators/partners and global and international creative teams
6. Lead and develop team, ensuring consistent and appropriate creative direction and feedback is given on all product submissions
7. Lead and implement as required, the approval process from initiation to production in a timely manner
8. Ensure all licensee product submissions are routed through Disney’s Online Product Approval system (OPA) as per global product integrity guidelines
9. Ensure licensees are provided appropriate creative assets for product development, developing new assets as required against the specific needs of the category and inputting into style guide needs
10. Lead all design projects (. product toolkits, product pitches, inspiration boards) within category, utilising internal and external resources as the need arises
11. We identify market product design trends, using them to drive creative strategy, identify new areas of business and establish design requirements
12. Develop and maintain an expert knowledge of Disney’s characters, films, properties, heritage and creative assets to assist in their usage on consumer products
13. As required, attend ‘inspiration’ trips to broaden understanding of the EMEA marketplace, seeking out ideas and new creative solutions to better understand the industry and drive innovation and creativity
14. Provide design and trend direction, ideation sessions, inspiration & feedback to licensees on both 2D application and 3D product submissions to drive product quality
15. Identify new product opportunities, produce first class conceptual designs and pitch to prospective/existing teams within Disney's Partnerships
16. Establish and maintain relationships with our Partnerships, internal stakeholders/partners and global and international creative teams
17. Manage and develop teams, ensuring consistent and appropriate creative direction and feedback is given on all product submissions
Required Qualifications & Skills
18. Ability to communicate a clear design brief that meet all criteria
19. Ability to communicate design ideas using CAD drawing, computer techniques and/or third party design resources
20. Excellent design and conceptual skills as demonstrated in portfolio
21. Understanding of fabric, colour and product design
22. Shown experience of crafting prototypes or models
23. Advanced knowledge of Mac OSX, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Office
24. Excellent organisational skills and ability to handle and build effective relationships with team members at all levels
25. Exhibits ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness
26. Cultural sensitivity and an understanding of local markets across EMEA
Preferred Qualifications
27. Degree educated in related field (product design, and/or equivalent experience in lifestyle product company
28. Proven commercial design experience related to relevant category, essential, with the ability to brief and manage external/internal designers and/or agencies
29. Previous experience managing and developing the performance of a product development team, essential
30. Experience within a similar role within a consumer products commercialisation environment
31. Proven experience of building effective relationships, leading and managing change and collaboration across departments
The Perks
32. 25 days annual leave
33. Private medical insurance & dental care
34. Free Park Entry: the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free
35. Disney Discounts: entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing
36. Excellent parental and guardian leave
37. 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.