Head of Product Development & Engineering (m/w/d)

Responsibilities

We are representing a fast-growing footwear brand based in Hamburg that develops comfort products at scale. You will own the complete technical development cycle from brief through tech pack, prototyping rounds, sales samples, sealed samples, and production ramp-up including tooling trials, pre-production samples, and top-of-production sign-off. Every technical gate sits with you, including final approval to release models into serial production.

You will build and lead your own development organization across footwear development, last and fit engineering, tooling, commercialization, and materials—scaling the team in the sequence that growth demands. A core focus is establishing last and fit as an internal competency: building a proprietary last library, fit standards, and grading systems. For comfort footwear, the last is the product.

You will develop proprietary comfort technologies for footbeds and outsoles in partnership with specialized material and compound suppliers. You will embed wear-testing, quality assurance, and compliance frameworks (SATRA/ISO, REACH, EU product safety) into the development process. You work in a tight trio with product management and design, making concepts buildable without compromising their intent, and coordinate closely with sourcing on feasibility, tooling economics, and production launch.

What We're Looking For

• Extensive footwear product development experience, typically 10+ years, including several years factory-side in Asia working hands-on in sample rooms
• Ideally background in comfort footwear or EVA construction (injection molding, molded components); alternatively deep athletic footwear experience with genuine tooling expertise
• Leadership experience managing development teams and maintaining T&A calendars across multiple concurrent models
• Strong technical foundation in FOB costing, tooling economics, and materials science
• Fluent English and willingness to travel internationally

How We Work With You

Candidates apply through Get A Job.ai. Our talent team conducts initial screenings to understand your technical background and leadership experience. We then submit qualified profiles to our client for consideration. Please do not contact the client organization directly—all communication flows through our recruiting process to ensure a structured and confidential evaluation.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed during the screening process based on experience level and scope of responsibility.

Get A Job.ai is an equal opportunity recruiter. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.