Manager, Product Development

Company Description
We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group, and have world-renowned theme parks and attractions through Universal Destinations & Experiences. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
Here you can be your authentic self. As a company uniquely positioned to educate, entertain and empower through our platforms, Comcast NBCUniversal stands for including everyone. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, coupled with our Corporate Social Responsibility work, is informed by our employees, audiences, park guests and the communities in which we live. We strive to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture where our employees feel supported, embraced and heard. Together, we'll continue to create and deliver content that reflects the current and ever-changing face of the world.
Universal Products & Experiences Overview:
Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives the expansion and elevation of NBCUniversal's iconic collection of brands, intellectual properties, characters, and stories based on the company's extensive portfolio of properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The division executes this through innovative physical and digital products, engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and 3rd party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E's three lines of business include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, as well as Theme Parks Products & Retail. UP&E is a division of Universal Destinations & Experiences, part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. https://www.universalproductsexperiences.com/
The UP&E Product Design Studio (PDS) is a global team of creatives and designers that work to create, innovate, and inspire product development alongside our partners and UP&E business teams around the world.
The PDS mission is to elevate product experiences that align with both business and brand strategies with a focus on the expression of art, design, and graphic implementation for a compelling segmented retail experience. We do this by elevating team dynamics, expanding global design efforts, enabling creativity and innovation, and embodying the One-Team mindset. Our goal for the PDS global team is to drive product excellence through design, development, manufacturing, and partnership relations.
Job Description
The PD Manager is a leadership role that inspires team collaboration while providing creative direction, product design vision, product concepting and management of the overall product development process in partnership with agents and licensees to ensure product excellence in design and quality. The primary categories to oversee include apparel, accessories, home, food and beauty.
Day-to-day responsibilities include:

• Develop seasonal design concepts and collections that reflect fashion trend inspiration and market demands.
• Manage and help identify opportunities for exclusive graphics and artwork for apparel, while maintaining a cohesive brand aesthetic across all products.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand product requirements, target audience insights, and marketing objectives.
• Work directly with partners on product development process and approvals to ensure brand excellence.

• Manage design process from initial visual line plan and concept development to final stages of product development, ensuring designs are completed on time and on brand.
• Conduct regular product reviews through our media box system and provide timely feedback to ensure continuous improvement and innovation.
• Manage quarterly line reviews with cross-functional team members to align and identify new or untapped opportunities.
• Manage weekly WPSR meetings with cross-functional team members to review the week's development and address concerns/issues.
• Ensure Product Design assets are shared timely with partners (internal and external) to ensure overall team success and alignment with departmental goals.
• Maintain milestones, processes, and communication between PDS, Partners, and UP&E teams to enable project transparency, collaboration and team efficiency.
• Stay updated on industry trends, competitor analysis, and emerging technologies in fashion and graphic design.
• Maintain collaboration with UP&E business and franchise teams to insure ongoing strategy and partner alignment.

Qualifications
Basic Requirements:

• 5+ years in Fashion/Lifestyle Product Design Development or Equivalent Industry with managerial and design leadership experience.
• Experience working in Consumer Products industry or Entertainment Licensing with licensee and design vendors.
• Highly skilled in graphics, patterns, and design across multi-category products.
• Strong understanding of garment construction, textile techniques and print production.
• Excellent knowledge of typography, color theory, and layout principles for lifestyle products.
• Comfortable developing concept presentations and communicating ideas across teams.
• Comfortable receiving and giving constructive feedback to insure brand & team alignment.
• Ability to shift and manage priorities based on departmental goals and strategic initiatives.

Desired Characteristics:
Write over this highlighted section a few sentences about how candidates can stand out from the crowd. Include 'nice-to-haves' - like expertise, skills or experience not directly needed day to day but that would set them up for even more success. Format as bulleted list in SmartRecruiters.

• Expert skill in Adobe CC: Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign
• Highly skilled in presentation software including Keynote and PowerPoint
• Experience using Media Box or equivalent Database and Media approval systems

• Experience using Microsoft One-Drive, Microsoft Teams, and calendar and email systems
• Bonus skills: Hand Illustration and Photography skills
• Must be bilingual and comfortable presenting in English.

Additional Information
As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision.
NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
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