Product Development & Sourcing Manager

Location: 4 days on site West of Boston, MA, 1 day remote

Industry: Consumer Products / CPG

Experience : 3-5 years

Travel: Occasional domestic and international travel

Position Overview

Our CPG client is looking for a hands-on Product Development & Sourcing Manager to help develop new products, improve existing products, and bring ideas from concept through production.

This role is ideal for someone who is naturally curious about how products work, understands materials and manufacturing, and can identify opportunities to improve performance, quality, and cost.

This is not primarily a project management or coordination role. The successful candidate will take ownership of products, work directly with factories and development partners, solve problems, and move projects forward independently.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Technical Ownership (60%)

• Lead product development from concept through production readiness.
• Evaluate existing and competitive products to identify improvement opportunities.
• Work directly with factories to develop prototypes, assess samples, troubleshoot issues, and refine designs.
• Improve product performance, durability, quality, and manufacturability.
• Develop and maintain product specifications and production requirements.
• Independently resolve development challenges and recommend solutions.

Sourcing & Supplier Development (20%)

• Identify appropriate materials, components, and manufacturing methods.
• Evaluate supplier capabilities, pricing, lead times, and production constraints.
• Identify alternative suppliers or manufacturing solutions when needed.
• Partner with supply chain teams to ensure product requirements and timelines are met.

Cost Optimization & Value Engineering (10%)

• Analyze product construction and manufacturing processes to identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Recommend changes that improve cost without compromising quality or performance.
• Assess trade-offs between functionality, quality, cost, and manufacturability.
• Support implementation of approved improvements with suppliers.

Commercial & Cross-Functional Support (10%)

• Research competitive products, customer needs, and market opportunities.
• Collaborate with sales, operations, and quality teams on product initiatives.
• Evaluate new product opportunities based on customer value, cost, and manufacturing feasibility.
• Communicate project progress, risks, and recommendations to leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• 3-5 years of experience in product development, product engineering, sourcing, or a related consumer products role.
• Hands-on experience with products, materials, components, and manufacturing processes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and take ownership from start to finish.
• Experience working directly with suppliers and manufacturing partners.
• Advanced Excel skills and strong communication abilities.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred

• Experience with cleaning tools, household products, or related consumer goods.
• Knowledge of plastics, metals, textiles, fibers, molded components, or mechanical assemblies.
• Experience with private-label product development and overseas manufacturing.
• Product testing, re-engineering, and value engineering experience.
• Mandarin language skills are a plus.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate can quickly assess product opportunities and challenges, determine next steps, work effectively with factories and suppliers, and balance performance, cost, quality, and timelines. They take ownership, bring solutions, and drive projects to completion