The Director of Product Development - Asia Region leads and strengthens the regional product development function across Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and China, ensuring the successful execution of global product strategies through technical excellence, disciplined project management, and strong factory engagement. This role bridges design, engineering, sourcing, and manufacturing - owning the transition from concept to commercialization. The Director provides hands-on leadership in solving complex technical challenges, implementing best-in-class systems and processes, and ensuring that product intent is executed with precision, quality, and speed.
What You'll Do:
Strategic & Technical Leadership
- Define and deliver Company, Category, and Product-level strategies in alignment with global direction.
- Translate design and engineering intent into manufacturable, high-performance products by clearly communicating the why behind every decision.
- Act decisively to anticipate challenges, solve problems, and ensure on-time, on-target product execution.
- Drive consistency and alignment across teams, factories, and functions to maintain seamless project flow.
Product Development & Technical Execution
- Lead the full product development cycle from brief through to production approval for equipment, accessories, and performance gear.
- Provide hands-on technical expertise in materials (plastics, composites, foams, textiles, metals) and manufacturing methods (tooling, molding, forming, lamination, assembling).
- Apply deep knowledge of sports product design, including ergonomics, durability, safety, and performance requirements.
- Integrate athlete feedback, biomechanics, and lab performance data into material selection and design refinement.
- Validate prototypes with engineering teams and factory partners to ensure specifications meet design and functional goals.
Risk Management
- Lead structured design risk analysis (DFMEA) to identify potential failure modes early, prioritizing and eliminating risks through design improvements or process controls.
- Implement and enforce PD stagegate reviews to ensure readiness criteria, documentation, and validation requirements are fully met before advancing to each subsequent phase.
- Maintain rigorous control over design changes, verification results, and documentation required for launch approval.
- Ensure robust design verification and reliability testing (including lab and field validation) is completed to confirm performance, durability, and safety targets prior to commercialization.
- Partner with Quality and Engineering to define test standards, acceptance criteria, and reporting templates for regional factory teams.
Factory Collaboration & Technical Problem Solving
- Serve as the key technical liaison between global PD, Engineering, and regional factories.
- Partner with factories to identify root causes, drive corrective actions, and improve development efficiency.
- Troubleshoot production readiness, tooling, material, or testing issues through hands-on engagement and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
- Mentor factory-based teams in technical standards, testing protocols, and continuous improvement tools.
System & Process Implementation
- Lead the adoption and optimization of structured project management systems (e.g., Monday.com, PLM, or other digital tools) to increase visibility and control across all projects.
- Establish and standardize development milestones, documentation practices, and KPIs to enhance team accountability and delivery.
- Train regional PD teams and partners in systematic, data-driven ways of working to improve accuracy, predictability, and cross-team communication.
- Continuously seek opportunities to improve product development efficiency through smarter processes, automation, and digital integration.
Team Leadership & Collaboration
- Build, mentor, and empower a regional PD team capable of delivering technical excellence across multiple factory hubs.
- Create a culture of ownership, transparency, communication, and proactive problem-solving.
- Partner cross-functionally with global Design, Engineering, Sourcing, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to deliver seamless handoffs and aligned execution.
Performance, Quality & Delivery
- Define and manage KPIs for timeliness, cost targets, quality metrics, and technical readiness.
- Ensure all products meet global standards for performance, safety, and durability.
- Oversee testing, validation, and compliance review processes before mass production.
- Drive continuous improvement through post-launch evaluations and feedback loops.
What to Bring:
Required
- 12+ years of product development or technical management experience within sporting goods, equipment, or related performance categories.
- Proven track record leading teams across multiple regional PD and factory locations.
- Deep, hands-on expertise with materials (plastics, composites, foams, textiles, metals) and manufacturing processes.
- Strong technical problem-solving skills, with history of resolving complex factory-based challenges.
- Experience implementing or managing digital project management systems (e.g., Monday.com, PLM platforms).
- Skilled in interpreting engineering drawings, performance requirements, and quality standards.
Preferred
- Bachelor's or advanced degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, or related field.
- Background in developing technical solutions with manufacturing partners in Asia.
- Demonstrated success introducing process innovation, tool upgrades, or automation.
- Fluent in English; regional language skills are a plus.
Core Competencies
- Defines and delivers clear Company, Category, and Product strategies.
- Communicates product intent effectively, ensuring all stakeholders understand the purpose and why.
- Deep knowledge of materials, manufacturing, and product engineering.
- Strong factory-based technical problem-solving and execution focus.
- Skilled at implementing new processes, systems, and digital tools to improve efficiency.
- Anticipates problems and acts decisively, maintaining ownership through resolution.
- Drives accountability, structure, and clarity across teams and projects.
- Passionate about sport, product performance, and technical excellence.
