Product Development Associate - Footwear, Accessories, Luggage (Fixed-term contract)

About the Role & Team

As a Product Development Associate, you’ll support licensees and Direct-to-Retail partners by providing technical design direction, creative input, and ensuring smooth execution of the product design, development, and approval process. Join us to bring inspiring Disney products to life with quality and attention to detail.

This role is a fixed-term contract role running until the end of September 2025, and will require you to be onsite 4 days a week.

What You Will Do

• Complete the approval process from initiation to production in a timely manner, ensuring all product submissions are routed through Disney’s Online Product Approval (OPA) system as per global product integrity guidelines

• Strong understanding of global trend, market segmentation, country specifics, franchise diversity, and product design trends, elevating product accordingly

• Diverse Product Knowledge Extensive expertise in any or all in the design and development of footwear, bags, and watches, with a strong understanding of the unique materials, construction techniques, and market trends specific to each category

• Provide product design and trend direction to licensees on both 2D application and 3D product submissions to drive product quality

• Participate in internal trend and design workshops throughout the year across providing product design support to the licensees and partners

• Participate in comp shops, design workshops, franchise brainstorm sessions across region, collaborating and exploring untapped categories

• Understanding within the licensee and partner base of what does and doesn’t work commercially in relation to style guide development, collecting hindsight and feedback to foster the style guide development process

• Train and develop all new and existing licensees on the Disney brand, property portfolio, creative assets and approval systems

• Responsible for ensuring licensees have the appropriate creative assets for product development

• Develop and maintain successful working relationships with licensees and other internal and external partners

• Build product pitches, new product design visuals, and dedicated core design mock ups under supervision of Senior Product Design and Development Manager/Product Design and Development Manager

• Develop a good knowledge of Disney’s characters, films, properties, heritage and creative assets in order to assist in their usage on consumer products

• Support the needs of the wider team at regional, local and global level as the need arises including involvement in design projects, as advised

• As the need arises, attend ‘inspiration’ trips to broaden understanding of the EMEA marketplace, seeking out ideas and new creative solutions to better understand the industry and drive innovation and creativity

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Knowledge of trends within the industry of relevant category and the broader world of design with proven understanding of common manufacturing techniques and their application in production

• Communicate a clear product design brief and basic design ideas using CAD drawing, computer techniques and/or third party design resources

• An ability to deliver against set deadlines and budgets as advised

• Strong design and conceptual skills

• Understanding of fabric, colour and product design, with an in depth knowledge of fabrics and stitching techniques, preferred

• Presentation skills with the ability to optimally present design ideas to internal/external partners at all levels

• Understanding of production techniques and graphic applications with a consideration for colour and shape, preferred

• Computer literate including Mac OSX, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and MS Office

• Cultural sensitivity and an understanding of local markets across EMEA

• Proven commercial product development experience in relevant categories or product design role at a licensee, retail head office or supplier, beneficial

• Proven experience crafting prototypes or models

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave

• Private medical insurance & dental care

• Free Park Entry: You will have the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free

• Disney Discounts: you are entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing

• Excellent parental and guardian leave

• Employee Resource Groups – WOMEN @ Disney, Disney DIVERSITY, Disney PRIDE, ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided the necessary accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive all benefits of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.