Sr. Manager, Collaboration Design and Product Development

Job Title: Sr. Manager, Collaboration Design and Product Development 

Reports to: Owner & Principal Designer 

Job Type: Full-Time, Exempt 

Salary Range: $135K – $165K

Job Location: This is a hybrid role, with a minimum expectation of 3 days per week in the office to facilitate collaboration and partnership across teams. Occasional travel as required for partner meetings or markets. 

About this role: The Senior Manager of Collaboration Design and Product Development serves as the creative owner of collaboration-based product development, translating approved partnerships into fully developed, market-ready collections.

While the Sr. Director of Partnerships & PR leads external relationship management and partnership negotiations, this role owns the creative direction, structured development pipeline, and execution readiness for all partnership-based and licensed product initiatives.

This position serves as the primary creative authority for collaboration products, ensuring every collection reflects the company’s design POV, category strategy, and long-term vision,  from concept development through sampling and production readiness.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Creative Leadership for Collaboration Product

• Lead the creative development of all partnership-based and licensed product initiatives.
• Serve as the primary creative owner for collaboration product direction.
• Translate approved collaborations into fully developed product concepts aligned with brand POV.
• Define and present opens for silhouettes, categories, materials, and overall design direction for each collection.
• Develop structured creative briefs that guide execution from concept through sampling and production.
• Ensure all collaboration products reflect the company’s aesthetic standards and long-term strategic vision.

Structured Creative Development System

• Build and maintain a scalable, repeatable creative pipeline for collaboration products.
• Manage progression from concept development through refinement, sampling, and production readiness.
• Establish clear timelines, milestones, and cross-functional checkpoints.
• Ensure concepts are fully defined and strategically developed before entering execution.
• Create visibility into active, upcoming, and exploratory collaboration initiatives.
• Create visibility around active and upcoming collaboration initiatives.

Collaboration Product Strategy

• Lead the creative strategy for all partnership-based hardline and softline collections.
• Translate approved collaborations into cohesive product concepts aligned with brand POV.
• Identify opportunities within partnerships to expand category presence or introduce new product expressions.
• Ensure continuity and cohesion across all collaboration collections.
• Contribute to alignment between interior design projects and potential collaboration opportunities.

Cross-Functional & Partnership Alignment

• Collaborate with the Sr. Director of Partnerships to receive approved collaboration opportunities.
• Ensure collaboration product development aligns with partnership agreements and strategic parameters.
• Coordinate with the Sr. Director of Brand Partnerships & PR to support alignment on messaging and amplification strategy.
• Partner with design, merchandising, and operations teams to ensure feasibility, timeline alignment, and production excellence.
• Support licensing initiatives from a product development perspective, in coordination with internal legal partners.
• Liaise with collaboration partners to communicate design approvals and revisions. 

What You Bring: 

• 8 years of experience in product development, brand collaborations, licensing, or strategic partnerships within interiors, design, furniture, or lifestyle industries.
• Strong understanding of how products are created, including: Silhouettes, Categories, Materials, Sampling processes, and Development timelines.
• Experience building structured creative systems or managing multi-stage product pipelines.
• Proven ability to translate creative vision into developed, executable concepts.
• Experience working directly with founders or executive leadership.
• Strong aesthetic sensibility and deep appreciation for design.
• Highly organized with ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills.