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LUKi LAB · 1 day ago

Director Product Development & Planning

Orange County, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

$140K/yr - $160K/yr

12+ years exp

Luki Lab is a fast-growing and award-winning toy company focused on creativity, design, and innovation. They are seeking a Director of Product Development Planning & Cost Control to ensure new toy products are developed on schedule and within budget while supporting brand goals.

Consumer GoodsE-CommerceToys

Hiring Manager

Ben Carlson

Responsibilities

Own and manage the master development calendar for all new toy programs from concept through production and launch

Proactively addresses potential schedule issues

Ensure alignment with trade shows and retailer line reviews and launch commitments

Lead cross-functional reviews to assess progress, risks, and corrective actions

Own development budgets across R&D, tooling, testing, packaging, and compliance

Track forecast vs. actual costs and manage variance recovery plans

Partner with finance to margin targets

Drive cost-discipline decisions without compromising product integrity or brand standards

Serve as the central point of coordination across - Design & Engineering, Brand Marketing, Quality & Compliance and Sourcing & Operations

Resolve conflicts between creative ambition, technical feasibility, and cost/schedule realities

Establish clear escalation paths for missed milestones or budget risks

Communicate status, risks, and trade-offs clearly to senior leadership

Partner with sourcing and manufacturing teams to align design complexity with factory capability

Oversee tooling strategies, timelines, and iteration management

Manage inventory forecast and reorder lead time

Anticipate and manage development risks related to schedule, cost, quality, and compliance

Recommend cancellation or delay of programs when required

Ensure development timelines account for global toy safety and regulatory requirements

Integrate testing, certification, and quality checkpoints into the master schedule

Minimize costly rework, delays, or recalls through early risk identification

Partner with quality teams to maintain brand trust and consumer safety

Lead the use of project management and PLM systems to track progress and costs

Deliver concise, excel based executive-ready reporting and forecasts

Drive continuous improvement in development planning tools and processes

Qualification

Toy Industry ExperienceProduct Development ManagementFinancial AcumenManufacturing KnowledgeProject Management SystemsCross-Functional LeadershipExecutive CommunicationData-Driven Decision MakingDetail-Oriented