Product Manager

About the Role

Reporting directly to the President for ANZ, Asia & Africa, this role is based at the ANZ Head Office in Surrey Hills, Victoria. The position involves leading the entire product development cycle for footwear, managing projects from initial concept through sampling and production, ensuring brand integrity, quality, and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee daily product development activities, including concept ideation, design, cost control, sampling, packaging, and testing.
• Translate overarching product strategies into detailed specifications for both development and manufacturing teams.
• Direct range positioning to ensure product relevance and competitiveness within Australian and Pacific markets.
• Perform regular competitor analysis to identify new market opportunities.
• Maintain strong collaboration with the US product team to leverage global product insights and opportunities.
• Lead style development across men's, women's, and accessories segments.
• Coordinate and allocate resources across product functions to meet cost, quality, and timeline goals.
• Engage with sales channels, marketing teams, and suppliers during the range development process.
• Optimize product timing and commercial appeal in coordination with planning teams.
• Ensure all product labeling complies with commercial and legal standards.
• Manage vendor manuals and guidelines, overseeing quality assurance systems and factory feedback.
• Collaborate with offshore supply QA teams to maintain agreed standards and ensure follow-up actions.
• Build and sustain robust relationships with manufacturing partners and continuously assess suitable factories.
• Set target FOB pricing and manage price negotiation and approval processes.
• Oversee product registration consistent with established protocols.
• Manage fit approval and pattern engineering to guarantee appropriate design, fit, and comfort.
• Ensure punctual sample supply to wholesale teams and showrooms.
• Guarantee availability of tooling and components to meet delivery schedules.
• Manage product activities according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and conduct regular audits and reviews.
• Implement and support environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives.
• Provide product knowledge training for online, retail, and wholesale staff.
• Coordinate production of seasonal catalogues, line sheets, and sell sheets for Australia and Asia markets.

Required Skills and Capabilities

• Expertise in footwear design, engineering, and technical aspects.
• Proven experience in product management, ideally within footwear.
• Demonstrated success managing cross-functional product development teams.
• Strong leadership skills to motivate teams and foster ownership and initiative.
• Excellent commercial acumen to oversee product lifecycle from concept through renewal.
• Effective project management skills, with relevant qualifications or experience.
• Strong numeracy and negotiation abilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, especially Excel.
• Self-motivation with a mindset focused on continuous improvement and resilience.
• Collaborative approach contributing to a positive and progressive team culture.
• Excellent communication skills for engaging with diverse stakeholders.

Other Information

The role demands adherence to all company values including putting people first, teamwork, integrity, and ownership. It requires an individual who is proactive, detail-oriented, and capable of managing complex product cycles while maintaining quality and commercial expectations.