Associate Product Development Manager
What you'll do
Under the guidance of the Product Development manager, leads and executes the product development efforts from concept to production for all given categories and brands in their portfolio.
Through ongoing analysis of the business categories and consumer foresight, partner with the category business and brand management team to align on business priorities and product assortment architecture.
Develop, lead and conduct multi-pronged product user centric design research exercises to learn about all aspects of the product experience (consideration to usage to disposal) for the designated products in your category. Analyze and synthesize findings into insights that identify feature sets, functionalities and innovation approaches.
Engage with Merchandising and Brand stakeholders and present findings through presentations. Be a champion for the human centered design approach.
Work closely with Brand and direct art direction for packaging, marketing, etc. as needed ensure consistent presentation of the brand in all customer-facing vehicles.
Manage the creation of technical specification guides specific to the product opportunity that integrates the relevant CTQ (Critical to Quality) and CTE (Critical to Experience) components.
Review and evaluate samples and prototypes for accuracy.
Lead product tear down and product analysis of competitive products.
Work closely with the Global Sourcing, Quality, Brand and PRO teams to integrate the specifications into their work streams.
Contributes to product recommendations by completing competitive shops and presents findings to the PD Manager and relevant business partners.
Travel (Domestic and International) to various vendor partners to participate in onsite engineering and manufacturing builds, tooling and design reviews
Provides subject matter expertise to assist the merchandising team by providing guidance on new technology, product design, and manufacturing considerations.
Work closely with the cross-functional teams at key touch points to execute the design work and get alignment and detail level consensus to drive results.
Integrates with Global Sourcing, the PRO, and Line Review teams to ensure a tight integration of the Brand Development processes with the line review processes.
Develops project plans that can deliver business requirements on the established timelines.
Helps to provide art direction for packaging, marketing, etc. as needed, and works with cross-functional teams to ensure consistent presentation of the brand in all customer-facing vehicles.
What you bring
Undergraduate degree in Industrial Design or Mechanical Engineering and 5+ years of experience in product design and development.
Strong familiarity with manufacturing processes that is typically found in products within this category (Injection Molding, Machining, 3D Printing etc.)
Minimum 3 years of experience developing products in any of the following product industries -Home appliances, electronics, cookware, hand tools, kitchen tools, bakeware, power tools or toys.
Preferred understanding of the retail industry and product planning in retail communicated via experience working for a retailer or developing products keeping in mind the retail channel.
Skilled in 3D modeling tools such as Solidworks and design tools such as Adobe CS etc.
Experience in User Interface and User Experience would be an asset.
Experience managing external design agencies - including briefing, selection, and project management.
Ability to work well cross-functionally; demonstrated ability to collaborate, influence and negotiate with colleagues more senior.
Outstanding communicator able to clearly translate strategy into design specs or direction.
Ability to formulate and sell recommendations based upon robust research and assessment of risk/rewards.
Strong presentation skills with demonstrated ability to adjust style and format as required to suit the audience.
Experience in understanding consumer/market needs in the development of technical product requirements
Experience with usability testing, ethnographic research, and product development tools
Customer focused and action oriented
Highly organized and detail oriented, able to tackle multiple projects with varying scope and project teams.
A passion for cooking, baking and/or BBQing.
Hybrid
At Canadian Tire we work flexibility embracing 'Hybrid' whereby individuals utilize a combination of working at a CTC campus and or virtually in service of outcomes. Determined by managers, decisions around work location will be made based on business and team needs and grounded in a desire to support individual well-being and personal needs. Our goal is to empower teams and individuals to make the right decisions for them, and we expect that to look different for everyone
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About Us
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited ("CTC") is one of Canada's most admired and trusted companies. With more than 90 Owned Brands, 1,700 retail locations, financial services, exemplary e-commerce capabilities, and exciting market-leading merchandising strategies. We dream big and work as one to innovate with purpose for our customers at every level of our business, investing in new technologies and products, and doubling down on top talent to drive the company forward. We offer competitive salaries and wages to CTC employees, as well as store discounts, supported learning through our Triangle Learning Academy, Canadian Tire Profit Sharing, and retirement and savings programs for eligible employees. As part of our enhanced flex benefits program, we offer mental health benefits in the amount of $5,000 per year for benefits-eligible employees and their families, including total well-being, and mental health tools and resources for all employees. Join us in helping to make life in Canada better through living and working our Core Values: we are innovators and entrepreneurs at our core, outcomes drive us, inclusion is a must, we are stronger together and we take personal responsibility. It is an especially exciting time to join CTC and its family of companies where career opportunities are wide-ranging! Join us, where there's a place for you here.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
We are committed to fostering an environment where belonging thrives, and diversity, inclusion and equity are infused into everything we do. We believe in building an organizational culture where people are consistently treated with dignity while respecting individual religion, nationality, gender, race, age, perceived ability, spoken language, sexual orientation, and identification. We are united in our purpose of being here to help make life in Canada better.
Accommodations
We stand firm in our Core Value that inclusion is a must. We welcome and encourage candidates from equity-seeking groups such as people who identify as racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, women, people with disabilities, and beyond. Should you require any accommodation in applying for this role, or throughout the interview process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to help meet your needs.