BIRKENSTOCK is a global brand which embraces all consumers regardless of geography, gender, age and income. The company is deeply footed on a family tradition of shoemaking that can be traced back to 1774. With around 6200 employees worldwide, BIRKENSTOCK is the largest employer in the German footwear industry. To ensure our quality standards, we produce over 95% of our products in Germany and source more than 90% of our materials and components from Europe. The BIRKENSTOCK Group is headquartered in Linz am Rhein and maintains several locations in Germany, as well as sales offices in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia.

For our division Product Creation ,at our location in Köln we are looking for a

Director Product Development (m/f/d)

YOUR SHOES TO FILL:

• Lead and orchestrate a development team of technical developers, keen on finding product development solutions which are compliant with our core values: Functionality, Quality and Tradition. 
• Leading, managing and monitoring projects all the way through the prototyping, 3D Construction, Mold Making, preproduction and bulk ready process.
• You ensure the team generates effective tech packs of projects and ensure proper technical feasibility of inline products within our seasonal development timeline (as well as “beyond season”/ more complex and longer lasting projects.
• Especially in the seasonal product development process you make sure that timelines and technical executions are managed tightly and handed-over properly and on time to the product engineering (industrialization).
• Together with the Director of Product Line Management and Director Design you will manage the seasonal KPIs and processes creating product with the affinity to optimize them constantly and where needed.
• Additionally you will be deeply involved in the mold making process (prototyping phase) and steer internal and external tooling making partners and engineers and also constantly strive to improve the prototyping processes.
• You bring deep and proven knowledge of footwear development projects across various construction types and sole technologies (mold construction, ideally including PU direct injection and expanded EVA).
• Furthermore you hold an extend knowledge of established technical development possibilities, technologies and processes, which is rounded by base knowledge about biomechanics and footwear functionalities.

YOUR WALK OF LIFE:

• Many years of professional experience in various technical product related positions in footwear or sporting goods industry which included mold making, production technologies and material.
• Expertise in Project Management and Processes, Product Creation, Management of diverse teams at various locations.
• Excellent communicator with outstanding presentation and moderation skills and the ability to translate complex topics into effective communication decks.
• Strategic mind, hands-on pragmatist, confident in decision-making and execution.
• Fluent in English and/or German is a plus.

WE OFFER:

BIRKENSTOCK offers you all the advantages of a successful, fast growing, global company: dynamic work environment, considerable design freedom, authentic and open corporate culture and excellent development opportunities. Sounds exciting? It is. We are looking forward to receiving your online application, stating your salary expectations! If you have any further questions, please contact Ankita Arora.