Junior Product Manager

Junior Product Manager - Dunstable

Our client are a well-established designer working with some of the biggest brand names in the world. Due to continued growth and internal movements, they are keen to recruit a Junior Product Manager to join their close-knit team.

Our client is an established and thriving business based in Houghton Regis. They design and produce their own range or products alongside officially licensed merchandise. The Junior Product Manager supports the licensed products category, helping take products from initial concept through licensor approval, sampling and production to delivery. Working across multiple projects at once, you will support range development for their partners and retail customers, keeping projects organised, on time and compliant with licensing requirements. It is an ideal role for someone early in their career who wants to grow into a full Product Manager within consumer products.

Duties:

• Support the end-to-end development of licensed products, from brief and concept through sampling, approval and bulk production
• Manage several projects at once, tracking timelines, critical paths and deliverables
• Prepare product briefs, spec sheets and artwork requests for designers and suppliers
• Review samples against specification, quality standards and brand guidelines, and feed back clearly to suppliers
• Prepare and submit concept, pre-production and final sample approvals.
• Track approval status and follow up to keep projects moving
• Communicate day to day with overseas and UK suppliers on samples, timelines, packaging and quality
• Request and compare supplier quotes, and help build product costings (FOB, landed cost, royalty) and margin calculations
• Support the preparation of range presentations.
• Help respond to customer briefs and bespoke project requests
• Set up and maintain accurate product data, SKUs, barcodes and product imagery
• Carry out market and competitor research on fan trends, retail and licensed merchandise
• Attend trade shows, supplier and customer meetings as required

Candidate Requirements:

• Well organised individual who is able to work across multiple tasks at any given point.
• 1-2 years' experience in product development, buying, merchandising or a similar commercial role.
• Highly organised, able to juggle several projects and deadlines at once
• Strong attention to detail, especially with specifications, artwork and approvals
• Clear, confident communicator, written and verbal, with suppliers, licensors and customers
• Proactive, curious and keen to learn, with a can-do attitude
• Experience in licensed products, gifting or consumer goods
• Understanding of the licensing approval process and brand guidelines
• Basic knowledge of costing, importing and terms such as FOB, MOQ and landed cost

Looking for the next step in your career? Think Specialist Recruitment.

Think Specialist Recruitment is an independent support staff recruitment agency based in Hemel Hempstead and working across the Herts, Beds and Bucks area. We specialise in permanent, temporary and contract recruitment with areas of expertise including: administration, customer service/call centre, PA/secretarial, human resources, accountancy and finance, sales admin/sales support, marketing and IT Helpdesk/IT support.