What are the responsibilities and job description for the Vice President of Creative and Product Development position at Garven Design Group?
At Garven, we pride ourselves on being an industry leader in the design, production and sales of celebrations products. Since our launch in 1988, we have been committed to delivering trend-forward designs and innovative solutions unique to our clients’ retail needs.
We believe in designing quality products that capture the personality of our clients and their customers. Together, with our creative experience and trust built with our manufacturers, we collaborate to provide innovative solutions that set us at the forefront of the celebrations industry.
Our vision is to create beautiful products that add value to all of life’s memorable moments.
Summary/Objective:
The Vice President of Creative and Product Development leads the vision, strategy, and execution of the company’s creative direction and end-to-end lifecycle of product creation from concept through commercialization. They ensure that all design delivers innovation, quality, profitability and alignment with corporate and customer strategies. This position reports to the CEO.
Key Responsibilities:
- Define and oversee the creative vision across all product categories, packaging, and marketing.
- Lead, mentor and develop design and product development teams (design, product development and production), fostering a collaborative and innovative culture while driving for results.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams (sales, sourcing, operations, and finance) to deliver trend-right, quality products that meet all safety and compliance requirements on time and within budget.
- Develop and refine product development processes, tools and standards to support efficiency, speed, quality, and consistency.
- Track competitive landscape, trend reports, and customer feedback to inform product decisions.
- Translate business goals and consumer insights into compelling design strategies.
- Ensure creative alignment with seasonal trends, category and retailer expectations, and market positioning.
- Manage creative budgets, timelines, and external agency and freelance relationships.
- Partner with parent company (Card Factory) and international markets to identify and develop design and product synergies.
- Present creative concepts, product lines and strategies to senior leadership and key retail partners as needed.
Successful Candidate:
- 10 years of creative leadership experience in celebrations, gifting or related consumer products.
- Proven success leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering large-scale programs to Mass retailers in a fast-paced, trend-driven environment.
- Deep knowledge of product design, illustration, quality, compliance and overseas manufacturing.
- Strong sensibility in trend, color, and design with ability to successfully translate to a broad range of consumer demographics and retail customers.
- Growth-oriented mindset with a drive for innovation.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with proven ability to build strong, long-lasting relationships with internal teams and external partners.