VP of Product Development – Manufacturing

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Oversee the complete development cycle of Freebird's hardware and personal care products, from initial concept to market launch.

• Convert consumer insights, market potential, and business goals into product specifications and development priorities.

• Define product frameworks, specifications, performance criteria, and development strategies.

• Assess whether to create, modify, source, tailor, or collaborate.

• Direct benchmarking, prototyping, testing, validation, and iterative enhancements.

• Manage industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and technical development.

• Set engineering specifications, conduct design reviews, establish technical milestones, and define validation standards.

• Select and oversee both internal and external partners in design, engineering, testing, manufacturing, and technology.

• Develop and maintain networks of factories, ODMs, component suppliers, engineering collaborators, and specialized manufacturers.

• Lead supplier identification, qualification, RFQs, negotiations, tooling preparation, production readiness, manufacturing scaling, and second-source strategies.

• Manage development from concept through engineering, prototype, EVT, DVT, PVT, tooling, pilot production, and mass production.

• Establish project milestones, development gates, critical paths, risk management strategies, and launch-readiness criteria across multiple concurrent programs.

• Implement engineering, reliability, consumer validation, lifecycle testing, factory quality, failure analysis, and corrective action processes.

• Foster continuous improvement using customer feedback, return rates, warranty data, and product performance metrics.

• Influence target COGS, BOM structure, DFM/DFA, tooling economics, manufacturing yields, supplier negotiations, and value engineering initiatives.

• Lead and enhance capabilities across engineering, sourcing, NPI, quality, program management, and manufacturing.

• Travel to China and other manufacturing sites as necessary.

⛳️ Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in consumer hardware product development, engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, NPI, or related fields.

• 5+ years of experience guiding multidisciplinary product, engineering, development, or manufacturing teams.

• Proven track record of bringing complex physical products from concept to mass production.

• Extensive experience with high-volume electromechanical consumer products.

• In-depth hands-on experience collaborating directly with factories and suppliers in China.

• Strong knowledge of mechanical and electrical product fundamentals.

• Familiarity with motors, batteries, electronics, charging systems, PCBs, tooling, molded components, waterproofing, and precision mechanical systems.

• Comprehensive understanding of EVT, DVT, PVT, DFM, tooling, validation, and production scaling.

• Experience in identifying, qualifying, negotiating with, and cultivating manufacturing and technology partnerships.

• Proven ability to manage multiple simultaneous development projects.

• Strong grasp of product quality, reliability, COGS, manufacturing economics, and supplier effectiveness.

• Excellent executive communication, decision-making, and cross-functional leadership abilities.

• Preferred: experience in shaving and grooming, trimmers, clippers, blades, foils, cutting systems, personal care devices, beauty devices, small appliances, or precision electromechanical consumer products.

• Experience in developing products for large-scale DTC, Amazon, and mass retail distribution is highly advantageous.

🏝️ Benefits

• Remote-first & flexible work environment. Operate from anywhere with autonomy and trust (regular travel to China and other manufacturing locations required).

• Competitive salary, reflecting the impact you bring.

• Comprehensive medical, dental & vision insurance. Health benefits for you and your family.

• 401(k) plan with company matching.

• Unlimited PTO. Take the time you need to recharge.

• Take ownership of the entire physical product platform, enjoying the authority and accountability that entails.

• Established consumer demand and brand recognition - you will be developing the next generation of products rather than starting from scratch.

• A product roadmap designed for advanced engineering: sophisticated electromechanical hardware with opportunities to innovate materials, performance, and manufacturability.

• A leadership team that prioritizes speed, decision-making, and autonomy for operators.

• An environment free from politics, focused on execution. We emphasize ownership, collaboration, and collective problem-solving.

• An opportunity to craft the product-development framework for a brand that has already demonstrated its ability to succeed.