Head of Design & Product

Head of Design & Product

💰 Salary: £60k - £70k + bonus
📍 Location: Potters Bar
🏙️ Office requirement: 4 day per week 
📝 Employment type: Permanent Full-Time with 3 month probationary period

The role

At Elizabeth Scarlett, we are scaling our presence in the UK and US with the ambitious goal of raising £2 Million for Wildlife Conservation by 2030. We are looking for passionate, driven individuals eager to make an extraordinary impact and help us achieve this goal.

As Head of Design & Product you will be responsible for driving the overall product vision, strategy, and execution across our bags & accessories portfolio. You will combine design excellence with commercial acumen, leading cross-functional teams to deliver high quality, innovative and profitable products that resonate with our customers and strengthen our brand position in the market.

Sounds great, what will I be doing? 🤔

Design Leadership & Vision

• Drive design and product strategy development, translating market insights into actionable, commercial product plans
• Lead critical path management across all design and product development initiatives, ensuring timely delivery and quality standards
• Lead COGS analysis and cost engineering initiatives to maximise profitability and achieve margin goals
• Build and validate business cases for new product investments and range extensions
• Oversee and manage the development of designs and new products from sketch to final prototype
• Act as a counterpart for Elizabeth in our design strategy and vision, making decisions when she is unavailable

Technical & Quality Leadership

• Lead the NPD team to deliver against ambitious timelines
• Bring strong technical skill and understanding of materials, construction, and manufacturing processes
• Collaborate with your Product Tech, suppliers and manufacturers to drive innovation in materials and techniques
• Guide manufacturing team on new product manufacturing & scale
• Lead dedicated work to ensure products meet our high quality standards
• Provide technical problem-solving and drive continuous improvement in product quality
• Passion and knowledge of sustainability practices and responsible sourcing

Trend & Market Intelligence

• Establish comprehensive trend and insight capabilities to anticipate market shifts
• Build and maintain deep understanding of customer needs, both articulated and unarticulated
• Lead consumer research initiatives and translate insights into product opportunities
• Monitor competitive landscape and identify white space opportunities
• Develop global market understanding across key territories

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Merchandising, Marketing, Sales, and Manufacturing teams
• Lead cross-functional product reviews and decision-making forums
• Ensure seamless handoffs between design, development, and manufacturing phases
• Drive alignment across all stakeholders on product priorities and resource allocation

What exactly is Elizabeth Scarlett? 👛

A lifestyle and accessories brand that helps fund wildlife conservation — £2 Million in direct contributions by 2030 is our goal.

We predominantly sell personalised and embroidered velvet accessories across the Pouches, Makeup, Travel, Sleep and Bags categories. People love gifting, receiving and treating themselves with our products because of the little moments of joy and continuous reminders of wildlife they bring.

Our mission is to create joy by making exceptionally high-quality products that are inspired by nature, beautifully functional and adorned with hand-painted designs by our founder, Lizzie.

In 2025 we will be:

• Growing our US business to 50% (or more!) of total revenue
• Redefining our brand into a standout memorable asset
• Developing our product categories for commercial scale

What do I need to bring with me? 🧳

Requirements

• 8+ years experience in product leadership roles within accessories, fashion, or luxury consumer goods
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing product teams
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing P&L and driving profitability
• Deep understanding of product development processes from concept to market
• Experience with critical path management and complex project coordination
• Technical knowledge of materials, construction techniques, and manufacturing processes
• Knowledge of sustainability practices and responsible sourcing

Leadership Qualities

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into executable plans
• Strong communication skills across all organisational levels
• Resilient and adaptable, able to thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a track record of driving innovation
• Collaborative leader who can build consensus while making difficult decisions
• Passionate about creating products that enhance customers' lives

What we can offer you 🤝

Salary with Performance-Based Bonus

• £60k - £70k + annual bonus

Flexibility

• 1 day work from home
• 24 days holiday, plus bank holidays

Personal Development

• Annual Learning & Development budget (3% of gross salary)
• Access to 1:1 coaching 

Team Perks

• £500 of Elizabeth Scarlett products per year + 60% team discount
• Personal code with a 25% discount for friends & family
• Annual Summer Retreat (e.g., 2 days at 42 Acres!)
• Regular team social events
• Birthday & anniversary budget!
• Enhanced family leave that goes beyond the standard statutory leave for Mat, Pat etc

Interview Steps 👟

1. Preliminary meeting with our People & Culture Manager 
2. First video interview with Amelia
3. Prepare & submit a task
4. Second video interview with Alex & Elizabeth

Interested? Apply Now!