Director, Product Development – Private Brand

Director, Product Development – Private Brand

With over 59 stores and the largest avocational cooking program in the US, Sur La Table offers an unsurpassed selection of exclusive and premium-quality goods for the kitchen and table – and the culinary expertise and inspiration to go along with it. Whether the job entails interacting with our customers, driving digital growth, or providing vital behind-the-scenes support, we're all here for the same reason – to roll up our sleeves and create happiness through cooking and sharing good food.

The Director, Product Development – Private Brand is a key leader responsible for elevating, growing, and expanding Sur La Table's Private Brand product. This leader will operate as SLT's Private Label Brand Manager to ensure SLT's owned brand becomes the preferred brand of chefs across the country through a unique and ownable product design, innovative product features/technology, and consistent delivery of a premium value proposition. This role leads end-to-end product creation for private brand across categories—from concept and design direction through sourcing, costing, and commercialization—while strengthening processes, tools, and ways of working across the organization.

This leader brings together strong taste and creative vision with operational discipline, sourcing experience, and change management to build a modern, customer-obsessed private brand engine for Sur La Table.

This position will report into the SVP, Merchandising.

What You Get To Do - Leadership, Strategy & Transformation:

• Define and drive the product development vision, strategy, and operating model for private brand, including clear roles, processes, and tools from merchant brief through product launch.
• Partner with Merchandising, Planning, and other functional teams to build seasonal and long-range line plans that balance innovation, differentiation, and profitability.
• Continuously evaluate and improve product development workflows, calendars, and tools to increase speed, reliability, and cross-functional alignment.
• Champion the smart use of AI, automation, and digital tools to accelerate trend discovery, concepting, analysis, and development workflows—and to free the team up to focus on higher-value creative and strategic work.
• Apply strong change-management skills to introduce new processes and ways of working, build cross-functional buy-in, and ensure durable adoption.
• Provide clear goals, coaching, and feedback to the Product Development team; build capabilities and bench strength that support future growth.

What You Get To Do - Product Creation & Brand Design Direction:

• Own the creative direction for Sur La Table private brand product across categories, in partnership with Merchandising, Creative and Brand Marketing: 1) Define consistent design language, naming conventions, packaging approaches, materials, color stories, finishes, and details that express the Sur La Table brand; 2) Lead seasonal concepting and "big idea" development grounded in customer insight, trend, and competitive analysis.
• Translate merchant briefs (product needs, target retails, margin goals, MOQs, channel strategy) into clear product development roadmaps.
• Oversee artwork and pattern development with design partners and creative resources; ensure all work is cohesive, on-brand, and ownable.
• Guide how artwork, color, and design stories are applied across collections and categories to create impactful, cohesive assortments.
• Partner with Merchandising on line architecture, SKU productivity, and lifecycle management to ensure the right balance of hero items, supporting items, and newness.

What You Get To Do - Sourcing, Vendor Management & Costing:

• Build and manage a robust network of manufacturing and sourcing partners across categories and regions.
• Lead vendor selection and negotiation for new and existing products, including costing, MOQs, payment terms, and development fees.
• Work closely with partners and factories from initial brief through sampling, revisions, and final approvals, ensuring quality, cost, and timelines are met.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and external experts on lead times, capacity planning, and risk mitigation.
• Ensure all private brand products meet Sur La Table's expectations for quality, safety, and regulatory compliance in partnership with appropriate internal and external resources.

What You Get To Do - Team Leadership & Organizational Build:

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Product Development team; set clear expectations and development plans that build both creative and operational capability.
• Balance strategic leadership with a willingness to be hands-on—especially as processes, tools, and structures continue to evolve.
• Help shape the future-state Product Development organization (e.g., divisional product development leaders, designers, coordinators) and contribute to a phased hiring and capability plan as the business grows.
• Foster a culture that balances creativity with accountability—where ideas are ambitious, and execution is disciplined.

What You Get To Do - Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner closely with:
• Merchandising to align briefs, assortment strategies, and product positioning.
• Creative and Marketing to influence product name, on product branding, packaging, photography, copy, and storytelling for private brand launches.
• Planning & Finance to ensure development supports financial goals, margin targets, and inventory strategies.
• Stores, Culinary, and E-commerce to gather feedback from customers and store teams and use that insight to inform future development.
• Represent Product Development in cross-functional projects related to private brand growth, omni-channel strategy, and brand building.

What You Bring:

• 10+ years of product development experience in consumer hard goods (home, kitchen, tabletop, small electrics, or similar), including at least 5 years leading product development teams and processes.
• Deep experience in private brand / own-brand development for a multi-category, multi-channel retailer or consumer brand.
• Proven success building and/or improving a Product Development function (process design, tools, organizational structures, or operating models).
• Strong taste level and design sensibility; able to quickly assess whether a product is on-brand, commercially right, and differentiated. A portfolio or work samples will be requested.
• End-to-end product creation expertise, including:
• Trend research and concept development
• Line planning and product road mapping
• Sourcing and factory/partner management
• Cost engineering and negotiation
• Sampling, testing, and quality
• Timeline and calendar management
• Strong analytical and financial acumen; comfortable working with cost models, margins, and business cases to support decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional partners at all levels, including senior leadership.
• Curiosity and hands-on experience using modern AI tools to accelerate research, streamline workflows (e.g., communication, documentation, and tracking), and reimagine how product development work gets done—without needing to be a technologist.
• High comfort level working with partners and vendors across time zones and cultures; ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment with ambiguity and phased change.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

What's In It For You?

• Executive Access: Work directly with brand CEOs and senior leadership, solving real business problems and earning mentorship from top operators.
• AI-First Skill Building: Get hands-on with the most advanced AI tools in the market. From automation to prompt engineering, you'll build a modern tech stack that sets you apart in any industry.
• Accelerated Career Path: High performers are quickly entrusted with greater responsibility, new challenges, and leadership opportunities across our portfolio of brands.
• Competitive benefits: Paid time off policies, 401(k)/RRSP match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts at our portfolio companies.

Our Interview Process:

• Step 1: If you align with our vision and meet the qualifications, we'll reach out to schedule a conversation and introduce CSC.
• Step 2: You'll complete a short AI or product-building challenge so we can understand how you approach problems and execution.
• Step 3: Participate in deep-dive interviews