Senior Product Development Manager - Toys
Comfrt · United States
About Comfrt:
Comfrt is a rapidly growing lifestyle brand redefining comfort through innovative, thoughtfully designed products that support physical and emotional well-being. Built on the belief that comfort can positively impact how people feel, Comfrt continues to expand beyond apparel into new lifestyle categories that bring comfort, function, and emotional connection into everyday life.
As we expand into the toy and plush category, we are seeking a highly experienced, commercially minded Senior Product Development Manager to help build and scale this exciting new business.
About the Role:
The Senior Product Development Manager – Toys will lead the end-to-end development and commercialization of Comfrt's expanding toy category, including sensory toys, squishy toys, weighted plush, novelty toys, and innovative comfort-focused products.
This role requires a unique combination of technical product development expertise, analytical capabilities, strategic thinking, and strong business acumen. The ideal candidate understands how to translate consumer insights, market research, competitive analysis, and sales performance into actionable product strategies that drive innovation, revenue growth, and profitability.
Beyond managing product development from concept through production, this individual will play a critical role in identifying new business opportunities, evaluating product performance, and helping shape the long-term direction of Comfrt's toy category.
We are looking for a hands-on, entrepreneurial leader who can think strategically, understand retail financials, and execute with urgency in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
Key Responsibilities:
Product Strategy, Business Analytics & Market Intelligence
- Partner with Product leadership and Merchandising to develop a strategic product roadmap aligned with consumer needs, emerging trends, and business growth objectives.
- Analyze product sales performance, including revenue, unit sales, sell-through, average unit retail (AUR), gross margin, inventory productivity, and product profitability.
- Translate sales data, consumer insights, and market research into actionable recommendations for product innovation, assortment optimization, and future development.
- Conduct competitive market analysis to identify emerging toy trends, white-space opportunities, product innovation, pricing strategies, and category growth potential.
- Understand retail math and key financial metrics, including sales forecasts, costing, initial markup (IMU), gross margin, markdown impact, and return on investment.
- Evaluate the commercial viability of new product concepts through market demand, target retail pricing, cost structure, margin potential, and projected sales opportunities.
- Identify opportunities to scale winning products, improve underperforming products, and strategically evolve the assortment.
- Present data-driven product recommendations and business opportunities to senior leadership, clearly articulating the consumer need, financial opportunity, competitive advantage, and execution strategy.
- Balance short-term business opportunities with long-term category growth, differentiation, and innovation.
Product Development & Commercialization
- Own end-to-end product development for the toy category, from initial concept and design handoff through production approval.
- Partner closely with the Senior Toy Designer to translate creative concepts into technically sound, commercially viable products.
- Experience working directly with overseas vendors, with a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, production lead times, and critical milestones to ensure on-time product delivery.
- Lead technical development with Sr Toy Designer across plush, weighted toys, sensory products, squishy toys, novelty toys, and emerging toy categories.
- Evaluate product feasibility, construction methods, functionality, materials, and manufacturing capabilities while preserving design integrity.
- Identify opportunities to improve product functionality, comfort, quality, durability, and consumer experience.
- Manage multiple development projects simultaneously while ensuring critical milestones are achieved.
- Proactively troubleshoot development challenges and present practical solutions.
Materials, Construction & Innovation
- Research and develop innovative materials, textures, constructions, and product functionalities that differentiate Comfrt in the toy market.
- Bring strong technical knowledge of toy materials, including plush fabrics, foam, fillings, TPR, silicone, PVC, and other sensory and novelty toy materials.
- Evaluate materials for comfort, tactile experience, performance, durability, manufacturability, and safety.
- Lead technical development of specialized products, including weighted plush, squeezable toys, scented products, and sensory-focused innovations.
- Partner with factories and suppliers to explore new technologies and manufacturing techniques.
- Identify innovation opportunities that create meaningful consumer value while supporting profitable growth.
Vendor Management & Global Sourcing
- Work directly with domestic and international factories to manage development from prototyping through production readiness.
- Partner with Sourcing to identify and evaluate manufacturing partners based on capabilities, costing, quality, capacity, and technical expertise.
- Lead technical discussions with vendors to resolve material, construction, tooling, and manufacturing challenges.
- Manage sample requests, development revisions, vendor communication, and timelines.
- Hold vendors accountable for product quality, sample accuracy, costing, and development milestones.
- Continuously identify opportunities to improve factory performance, sampling efficiency, and development speed.
Product Safety, Testing & Quality Assurance
- Partner with QA and accredited testing laboratories to ensure compliance with applicable toy safety standards and regulations, including ASTM F963, CPSIA, and CPSC requirements.
- Ensure products meet performance and safety expectations, including seam strength, filling containment, chemical compliance, mechanical integrity, and durability.
- Investigate testing failures and work with factories to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
- Review production-quality samples against approved specifications in partnership with QA.
- Ensure required testing, documentation, and approvals are completed before production and shipment.
- Maintain a zero-compromise approach to consumer safety and product quality.
Development Calendar & Execution
- Own the toy category development calendar, ensuring all milestones align with Comfrt's product launch roadmap.
- Manage prototyping, sampling, material approvals, cost confirmation, product testing, and production handoff timelines.
- Work backward from launch dates to establish clear milestones and accountability.
- Maintain accurate development trackers, product specifications, and project documentation.
- Proactively communicate risks, delays, and decisions required to protect launch timelines.
- Drive improvements in speed to market, vendor responsiveness, and development process efficiency.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, QA, Finance, Operations, and Marketing to deliver innovative, profitable products.
- Collaborate with the Senior Toy Designer to balance creative vision with technical feasibility and business objectives.
- Work with Merchandising to evaluate sales performance, assortment opportunities, pricing, and future category growth.
- Communicate product opportunities, financial implications, development risks, and project status to leadership.
- Facilitate productive cross-functional meetings, drive alignment, and ensure decisions translate into action.
- Bring a strategic, solutions-oriented perspective while remaining highly engaged in day-to-day execution.
Qualifications & Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Product Development, Product Engineering, Industrial Design, Business, Merchandising, or a related discipline.
- 7–10+ years of product development experience, with significant direct experience in toys, plush, sensory products, or related consumer goods.
- Proven track record of developing and commercializing innovative products from concept through mass production.
- Strong commercial acumen and ability to analyze sales performance, market trends, competitive data, and product profitability.
- Strong understanding of retail math, including AUR, COGS, IMU, gross margin, sell-through, sales forecasting, and inventory performance.
- Experience identifying consumer and market opportunities and translating insights into profitable product innovations.
- Deep technical knowledge of toy construction, materials, manufacturing processes, and product engineering.
- Strong understanding of toy safety standards, compliance requirements, and testing protocols.
- Experience working directly with overseas manufacturing partners, particularly in Asia.
- Demonstrated experience managing product costing, value engineering, and target-margin objectives.
- Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills, including the ability to interpret and analyze product performance and financial data.
- Strong strategic thinking, analytical problem-solving, project management, and communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and execute against aggressive development timelines.
Preferred Experience:
- Experience building or scaling a new product category within a fast-growing consumer brand.
- Experience developing weighted plush, sensory toys, stress-relief products, or innovative comfort-focused products.
- Strong understanding of consumer behavior, market trends, and retail or DTC business models.
- Experience preparing business cases, product performance analysis, and strategic recommendations for leadership.
- Knowledge of injection molding, silicone molding, foam manufacturing, plush construction, and filling technologies.
- Established relationships with toy manufacturers, material suppliers, and testing laboratories.
- Experience working successfully in a remote or hybrid environment.
- Ability to operate autonomously while collaborating effectively across functions and maintaining strong communication.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive, with a strong sense of urgency and accountability.
Why Join Comfrt?
- Be part of a purpose-driven company that’s shaping the future of comfort and mental wellness.
- Work in a supportive, creative environment where your ideas and growth are valued.
- Enjoy Comfrt benefits such as generous paid time off, company-covered health insurance, 5% 401k match, and discounts on all Comfrt products!
- Join a passionate team making an impact on exciting projects, all while enjoying the flexibility and collaborative support of a fully remote environment.
Comfort is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.