Director of Product Development, Wine Refrigeration

Director of Product Development, Wine Refrigeration

Wine Enthusiast is seeking a Director of Product Development, Wine Refrigeration to lead the innovation, development, sourcing, and commercialization of our wine refrigerator and wine cellar portfolio.

This role will own the product development roadmap from concept through launch, partnering closely with internal industrial design, merchandising, quality, and manufacturing partners to create industry-leading wine storage solutions. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in hard goods product development, preferably within appliances, refrigeration, consumer electronics, or other technically complex consumer products.

We are looking for a customer-focused innovator who is passionate about developing products that solve real consumer needs while pushing the boundaries of design, functionality, technology, and performance. This individual must be comfortable working directly with international manufacturing partners, factory engineering teams, and external development resources to bring innovative products to market while maintaining high standards of quality, compliance, and execution.

The person in this role will be expected to travel to China and overseas 1-2 times a year for a week to two at a time.

Product Development & Innovation

• Own the product development strategy and roadmap for Wine Enthusiast's wine refrigerator and wine cellar portfolio.
• Lead the end-to-end product development process from concept, design, engineering, testing, and commercialization.
• Identify customer needs, market opportunities, emerging technologies, and industry trends to develop innovative and differentiated products.
• Collaborate with industrial design, factory engineering teams, and development partners to translate concepts into commercially viable products.
• Drive innovation across product features, usability, aesthetics, controls, connectivity, energy efficiency, and overall customer experience.
• Conduct competitive benchmarking and product evaluations to identify opportunities for innovation and differentiation.
• Develop product specifications, feature sets, performance requirements, and quality standards that align with customer expectations and business objectives.
• Champion a customer-first approach to product development while balancing quality, cost, timing, and innovation.

Product Development & Technical Leadership

• Lead product development initiatives from concept through commercialization, coordinating efforts across industrial design, factory engineering teams, and external technical resources.
• Oversee product testing, validation, and quality assurance activities throughout the development process.
• Evaluate new technologies, materials, manufacturing processes, and components to improve product performance and customer satisfaction.
• Support the development of connected and smart product capabilities, including user interfaces, digital controls, and future technology integration.
• Ensure products meet performance, reliability, and quality expectations before launch.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance product quality, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency.

Factory & Supplier Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with domestic and international manufacturing partners.
• Collaborate closely with factories to improve product quality, cost efficiency, manufacturability, and innovation capabilities.
• Manage development timelines, tooling investments, sample approvals, and production readiness.
• Lead supplier negotiations related to product development, tooling, and product cost targets.
• Conduct factory visits and product reviews as needed to support development and quality objectives.
• Identify and evaluate new supplier and manufacturing opportunities that support category growth and innovation.

Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

• Maintain expertise in DOE requirements, energy efficiency regulations, safety standards, and product certification requirements related to refrigeration products.
• Ensure all products meet applicable regulatory and compliance requirements for target markets.
• Partner with factories, testing agencies, and quality teams to maintain compliance throughout the product lifecycle.
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively address evolving requirements.

Cross Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Merchandising, Marketing, Creative, Inventory Planning, Operations, and Customer Experience teams to successfully launch new products.
• Support product positioning, feature prioritization, and go-to-market planning.
• Present development updates, innovation roadmaps, business cases, and project milestones to executive leadership.
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert for wine storage products, technologies, and industry trends.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Product Development, Engineering, Industrial Design, Business, Supply Chain, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in…