Senior Product Development – Brand Manager

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in New Jersey.

📋 Description

• Take charge of the product strategy and release schedule for designated brands, sports, or licensed properties.

• Identify brand target audiences, positioning, signature features, and portfolio placement.

• Create product concepts, inserts, parallels, autograph programs, and chase cards.

• Plan the progression of products across releases and suggest timing, formats, quantities, and channel configurations.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive checklists, configuration models, and product-development workbooks.

• Define set content, numbering, autograph elements, and the structure of packs, boxes, and cases.

• Determine quantities, autograph needs, insertion rates, and allocation requirements.

• Reconcile checklist quantities, serial-numbered content, production totals, and product guarantees.

• Collaborate with Athlete Partnerships and Autograph Operations regarding rights, inventory, and signing schedules.

• Identify shortages, conflicting allocations, and configuration challenges, providing recommendations for resolution.

• Create product budgets and assess the impact of print runs, content, materials, and configurations on profit margins and collector experience.

• Work alongside Sales on formats and quantities for hobby, retail, and direct-to-consumer channels.

• Analyze release performance, sell-through rates, collector feedback, and product-related issues.

• Draft product briefs detailing concepts, checklist structures, insert themes, photography, copy, and design specifications.

• Collaborate with Creative, Project Management, Operations, licensing stakeholders, Sales, Marketing, and company leadership.

• Review designs and supply product details, selling points, checklist information, and configuration summaries for launch materials.

• Develop reusable templates and standards, integrate product data and production requirements, and utilize Excel, automation, and AI tools to enhance efficiency.

• Oversee multiple releases, identify risks promptly, and ensure decisions are executed to completion.

⛳️ Requirements

• Typically 5+ years of relevant experience in product development or brand management, particularly with trading cards or closely related collectibles.

• Proven track record of guiding physical products from concept to detailed development and launch.

• In-depth knowledge of trading cards, collector behaviors, checklists, parallels, autographs, scarcity, and the differences between hobby and retail configurations.

• Advanced proficiency in Excel, including lookups, SUMIFS, pivot tables, data validation, and structured models with dependable error checks.

• Strong mathematical reasoning abilities and comfort in working with quantities, probabilities, allocation models, budgets, and gross margins.

• Capability to create unique product concepts and translate them into clear, actionable specifications.

• Exceptional attention to detail, organizational skills, and written communication proficiency.

• A history of managing competing deadlines, making informed decisions, and taking ownership of outcomes.

• Ability to work independently in a remote environment while consistently collaborating with a team primarily operating on Eastern Time.

• Direct experience in product development within a trading-card manufacturing setting.

• Experience with autograph-driven sports products or licensed entertainment collectibles.

• Background in developing products for both hobby distribution and major retail channels.

• Familiarity with licensor approvals, specialty printing, foil treatments, die cuts, premium packaging, and collation processes.

• Experience optimizing product development systems using Power Query, databases, workflow automation, or similar tools.

• Strong knowledge of baseball, basketball, football, or entertainment properties, with the ability to quickly learn new categories.

🏝️ Benefits

• Flexible remote work arrangement with a collaborative team primarily operating in Eastern Time.

• Direct engagement with the CEO and company leadership.

• Significant creative influence over the products we develop and the brands we nurture.

• Hands-on responsibility for assigned brands and product lines, from initial concept through to launch.

• Opportunity to shape a growing portfolio of sports, entertainment, and licensed collectibles.

• Chance to enhance the tools, systems, and processes behind a rapidly expanding trading-card manufacturer.