PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER **REMOTE**

The Spice And Tea Exchange - St. Augustine, FL

Full-time - Mid Level

Remote - St. Augustine, FL

Food and Beverage Retailers

About the position

As a Product Development Manager at The Spice & Tea Exchange®, you will play a pivotal role in managing and coordinating the entire product development process from inception to launch. Your focus will be on ensuring technical feasibility, collaborating with suppliers, optimizing design, and assessing production capabilities. You will be responsible for generating product requirements, determining specifications and pricing, and working closely with the Marketing Manager and Vendor & Sourcing Manager to develop effective marketing strategies for new products. The role involves making product selections for quarterly campaign releases and managing the product development budget while aligning with the marketing and brand direction. Your efforts will ensure that our products remain innovative and competitive in the market, contributing to our mission of creating and sharing the experience of a more flavorful life. In this position, you will lead the ideation, development, and launch of new products across our franchise system. Collaboration with cross-functional teams, including R&D, operations, brand creative, and marketing, will be essential to bring innovative and market-leading products to our customers. You will define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness of product development strategies and drive continuous improvement. Additionally, you will work alongside company leadership and franchise store owners to drive profitable sales growth, develop pricing strategies, and analyze market trends to optimize revenue. As a leader, you will manage and mentor the product development team, outlining professional development opportunities and fostering a culture of growth. You will maintain awareness of the competitive landscape to drive product differentiation and create compelling value propositions. Your responsibilities will also include managing the product testing and research & development process, overseeing recipe development, and collaborating with the Franchise Operations Director to understand franchise needs and build strong partnerships. You will be expected to develop and disseminate dashboards, KPIs, and quarterly reports to your direct reports, while also working closely with the CEO & President to align product development efforts with the company's long-term strategic plans and vision.

Responsibilities

• Manage the product development process lifecycle end-to-end, providing strategic direction and oversight to achieve objectives.
• Lead the ideation, development, and launch of new products across the franchise system.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including R&D, operations, brand creative, and marketing, to bring innovative products to market.
• Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness of Product Development & Innovation strategies.
• Collaborate with company leadership and franchise store owners to drive profitable sales growth.
• Work alongside Supply Chain Analyst and BI Analyst to develop pricing strategies and guidelines.
• Analyze pricing dynamics and monitor market trends to drive revenue optimization.
• Manage and mentor the product development team, outlining professional development opportunities.
• Maintain awareness of the competitive landscape to drive product differentiation.
• Manage the product testing and research & development process.
• Oversee recipe development and copyright efforts.
• Collaborate with Franchise Operations Director to understand franchise needs and build partnerships.
• Develop and disseminate dashboarding, KPIs, quarterly reports, and reviews to direct reports.
• Work alongside the CEO & President to build a roadmap for the company's long-term strategic plans.

Requirements

• BA in Food Science, Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Five+ years of experience in research and product development within a retail consumer goods industry.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks effectively.
• Proven strengths in project management, product lifecycle, and product innovation.
• Strong leadership and management skills.
• Possess and foster the highest degree of integrity, tact, and professionalism.
• Ability to problem solve and overcome challenges.
• Intentional communication and masterful organizational aptitude.
• Goal-oriented, 'biased for action' individual with a passion for winning in the marketplace.
• Proficiency with computers and software systems.
• Experience with franchise systems and multi-unit operations, highly preferred.
• Experience in product development within the Spice and/or Tea industry, preferred.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in product development within the Spice and/or Tea industry.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision and other ancillary benefits.
• 401k plan + company match.
• Flexible spending account (FSA) for medical and/or dependent care.
• 100% Company paid Basic Life and AD&D insurance.
• Paid time off (PTO) during first year, following 90 days of employment.
• 7 Paid Holidays.
• Employee product discounts.
• Quarterly 'Create & Share,' free product gifts.
• Annual 'Holiday Bucks' with access to select personalized gifts for yourself or loved ones over the Holidays.
• Paid weekly.