Chief Product Officer (CPO) – Footwear (m/w/d)

About This Opportunity

Our talent team is representing a fast-scaling consumer footwear brand that has grown to over 1.3 million customers in just a few years. As they enter their next phase of growth—expanding categories, increasing volume, entering international markets, and building a globally scalable production network—they need a Chief Product Officer (CPO) to build and lead their entire product organization.

This is not a role for someone who knows product only from strategy meetings. We're seeking a builder and operator with deep footwear expertise who understands how to connect Product Development, Engineering, Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, Production, Quality, and Product Marketing into a high-performing organization.

You'll work directly with the founders to develop long-term product and category strategy while ensuring operational excellence. When development processes break, you roll up your sleeves. When quality, costing, or timelines are off, you investigate and solve problems alongside your team. When critical capabilities are missing, you build them.

A core element of this role is establishing the international product and sourcing structure in China and eventually other production markets like Vietnam. Your goal is clear: better products, faster development cycles, higher quality, stronger margins, clear ownership, and a product organization that can scale with the company.

Responsibilities

• Own and continuously develop the entire product organization, including structures, responsibilities, processes, and leadership
• Build high-performing functions across Product Development & Engineering, Sourcing & Production, Merchandising & Planning, Footwear Design, Product Management, Quality, and Product Marketing & Consumer Insights
• Recruit, lead, and develop strong leaders and specialists; create an organization that doesn't depend solely on the CPO
• Partner with founders on long-term product and category strategy, deciding which categories, silhouettes, and product worlds to develop
• Oversee the complete product development process from initial concept through design, construction, material selection, sampling, fit testing, to series production and market launch
• Optimize development processes to shorten timelines, reduce iterations, and accelerate time to production readiness
• Expand the international factory and supplier network; lead strategic negotiations on costing, capacity, quality, lead times, and production conditions
• Establish product, development, and sourcing presence in China and build a capable local team
• Implement clear QA and QC structures ensuring quality standards are consistently met in production, not just documented
• Drive commercial portfolio management including target cost, purchase prices, retail prices, margins, volumes, launch timing, and product profitability
• Establish clear product ownership so every relevant product has a responsible owner driving development, design, sourcing, quality, and launch across all functions
• Connect product development more closely with consumer insights and marketing to ensure new products address real customer needs with clear positioning and commercial scaling potential
• Work regularly with teams, factories, and production partners in Asia, diving deep into operational product and production issues when critical

What We're Looking For

• Multiple years of leadership experience at Director, VP, SVP, or C-level in product at a footwear brand or comparable international consumer company
• Proven experience building and scaling a multidisciplinary product organization
• Deep expertise in footwear development, engineering, construction, materials, fit, sampling, testing, and production
• Extensive direct experience with footwear factories and production partners in China, ideally with a strong network in Asian sourcing markets
• Strong knowledge of sourcing, costing, supplier management, production planning, and commercial negotiations
• Experience building and scaling product portfolios, categories, and international product lines
• Strong commercial understanding of margin, pricing, manufacturing costs, volume, assortment, and product profitability
• Ability to develop strategy at C-level while diving deep operationally to understand and drive complex product, development, or production challenges
• Builder mentality; comfortable in an organization where structures aren't fully predefined but created by you
• Lead with high standards, clear accountability, and strong execution
• Make decisions quickly, data-driven, and with strong entrepreneurial judgment
• Excellent English and high international travel willingness, especially to China and production partners
• Proximity to Hamburg or willingness to work regularly on-site with the team

How We Work With You

Candidates apply directly through Get A Job.ai. Our recruiting team will conduct an initial screening to understand your background and ensure alignment with the role requirements. Qualified candidates will then be submitted to our client for consideration. Please do not attempt to contact the hiring company directly—all communication should flow through Get A Job.ai to ensure a professional and organized process.

Pay

Compensation for this executive-level role will be commensurate with experience and impact, including performance-based components. Specific figures will be discussed during the screening process based on your background and the client's budget.

Equal Opportunity: Get A Job.ai is committed to inclusive recruiting practices. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.