Product Developer

We are looking for a creative but organised and technical mind to join the Design team at Howe, to take ideas from concept through to reality. This is a new position created to accelerate the growth of both our new Howe Home ‘stocked’ range of furniture and homewares and develop existing and new designs for our  well established ‘bespoke’ range. A fantastic understanding and appreciation of materials and traditional techniques or a strong ambition to learn is essential as you will be liaising directly with our existing UK makers as well as souring new craftspeople and workshops. The role will include everything from preparing technical drawings to researching and agreeing pricing, to managing the timeline of a project, all the time with quality and sustainability at the forefront.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a growing team, to work with the most incredible makers and immerse yourself in traditional design and craftsmanship with a progressive, conscious approach.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

–  Directly supporting the Orders Manager, sending workshop orders and dealing with design queries from workshops.
–  Quality checking finished products that arrive, and helping resolve issues that arise.
–  Working with our Orders Manager to make the most of our current workshops (moving designs around if necessary to reduce lead times / costs) and find new complimentary makers to allow us to create the best possible product.
–  Building, developing and maintaining excellent relationships with the factories/makers so information is communicated in a timely manner, including all fabrications, technical data, etc
–  Always looking for new innovations, developments and opportunities within our manufacturing setup.
–  Working closely and collaboratively with the in-house upholsterer, finisher and workshop team.
–  Working closely with our design lead, Christopher, to develop new pieces in the Bespoke range, making alterations to the current range of products, and adapting our existing range for bespoke client orders.
–  Liaising between Christopher, workshops (and if required clients) to make designs of the highest standard. You will be the center point of design in the team and must manage the process to ensure its success.
–  Ensuring the design is documented and the ‘standard’ order options are clearly outlined for clients.
–  Ensuring a design history is created so future orders can be made to historical spec if required.
–  Being responsible for initial production costings.
–  Understanding and interpreting all manufacturing standards, test certificates and product regulations relevant to the products.
–  Being responsible for both the compliance of materials and ensuring any relevant testing has been carried out, i.e. strength and stability testing, fire retardancy, etc
–  Providing design content to the marketing department.
–  Looking at sustainability within the vendor base, working with suppliers to ensure products are being made ethically and as eco-friendly as possible
–  Maintain / add products on our company IT system and help develop the system to be the most useful tool possible.
–  Covering for other team members with enquiries and managing orders during holidays/absences.

QUALITIES AND EXPERIENCE

–  Solid experience as a Furniture Product Developer / Technologist.
–  A practical individual with a logical mind.
–  A diligent and accurate person who has excellent organisational skills.
–  A proactive problem solver, with the ability to foresee issues before they happen.
–  A desire to learn teamed with a genuine love of furniture, antiques, and an appreciation of and passion for beautifully crafted products.
–  An eye for detail, especially regarding shapes, materials and finishes.
–  Experience dealing with clients and a calm head under pressure.
–  An excellent multi-tasker who can easily prioritise tasks.
–  An excellent communicator, with an ability to keep and develop relationships. The ability to communicate through drawing is a must. Our workshops do not use CAD so we do not.
–  A self-starter who can act on their own initiative.

Full time, based at our Battersea warehouse.

To apply for this role send your CV and cover letter to Diana, diana@howelondon.com
Please include a portfolio of relevant work if possible.