Director, Product Design & Development

About this role

<div class="content-intro"><div>Join one of the fastest growing, most dynamic companies in the furniture industry. For over 25 years, Four Hands has been a leading designer and wholesaler of furniture and décor, helping people create spaces that feel like home.&nbsp;</div> <p>Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies and named one of Austin’s Top Workplaces year after year. We invest in exceptional people — with a team of over 800 and growing — fostering our employees’ careers and celebrating them at every step of the way. Four Hands is where passion meets purpose and where your next chapter begins.</p></div><div> <p><span data-contrast="none">Four Hands is seeking a Director, Product Design &amp; Development to translate our long-term brand vision into seasonal product collections that are cohesive, commercially relevant, and unmistakably Four Hands. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":240}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">This highly visible role sits at the intersection of design strategy, product development, materials innovation, and team leadership. The Director will partner closely with Merchandising, Planning, Sourcing, Marketing, Sales, and other teams to create design-forward products that lead the market while meeting expectations for margin, manufacturability, quality, and launch timing.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":240}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":240}">In This Role</span></strong></p> <p><strong>Creative Leadership</strong></p> <ul> <li><span data-contrast="none">Partner with Senior VP of Design to lead trend research and creative brief development bringing a clear, informed point of view on where design is going and what Four Hands should do about it</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Build and evolve the seasonal material and finish library into a competitive advantage</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Develop the seasonal color story with Category Leaders, creating alignment on direction by launch</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Build out established design houses season over season, layering core and design-forward updates that keep the line fresh without losing coherence</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Partner with Marketing and Merchant Team on brand storytelling, editorial content, and design-led campaigns that build Four Hands' profile in the trade and consumer market</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Partner with Sales leadership to build training content and collection context that gives the sales team the language and confidence to sell design-forward products</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span data-contrast="none">Design Strategy &amp; Product Development&nbsp;</span></strong></p> <ul> <li><span data-contrast="none">Execute the translation of the annual creative brief into a complete seasonal design story: cross-category suites, capsules, item stories, and a material, finish and fabric library that is cohesive across every launch</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Translate design direction at the suite and category level, guiding the team on form language, material, finish, hardware, and sub-category coverage before development begins</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Drive the creative road map with enough specificity that Product Development, Merchandising, and Marketing can all build from the same foundation</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Identify white space in the assortment: new categories, emerging formats and materials or functionalities, and build a plan to address them</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Enforce the standard for what "brand-right" means across every category and hold the Product Development team to it through weekly design review</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Review and approve CAD and render files for final design intent ensuring specifications and comments are fully resolved and actionable across international manufacturing teams</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Partner with Sourcing, Merchandising, and PD Operations to own the yearly development calendar and protect the milestones that matter most</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Partner with Merchandising and Planning to align design decisions with commercial goals, assortment strategy, and seasonal line plans and communicate changes to the PD team with clear context and prioritization</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span data-contrast="none">Material Development</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":280,"335559739":120,"335572079":6,"335572080":0,"335572081":4415370,"469789806":"single"}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong><span data-contrast="none">Indoor Case Goods</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":160,"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></p> <ul> <li><span data-contrast="none">Create the strategic direction for the indoor case goods material library with Sr VP of Design— wood species, stone, ceramic, painted and specialty finishes, and hardware — ensuring it spans the right range of price points, aesthetics, and vendor capabilities</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":80}">&nbsp;</span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">Drive proprietary finish and material development that bui