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About the Role

This role involves developing a broad product portfolio for NEXT's contemporary brand, The Set, and its growing Licensed Brands business, ensuring products meet high standards for quality, fit, comfort, safety, and performance while supporting innovation and commerciality throughout the product lifecycle. It's a varied role requiring adaptability in a fast-paced environment, working across multiple product categories and collaborating with various internal teams and global suppliers.

Responsibilities

Develop footwear and accessory product areas from concept through to production, driving technical excellence, quality, and product improvements across The Set and Licensed Brands.
Work collaboratively with Product teams to deliver commercially successful products that meet customer expectations for quality, fit, comfort, and value.
Approve and progress product through the critical path by providing clear technical direction, reviewing samples, assessing fit and comfort, monitoring construction, materials, and manufacturing methods, whilst ensuring all testing and legislative requirements are achieved.
Manage supplier performance, building strong relationships to improve technical capability, consistency, and product quality.
Review in-season performance, analyse customer feedback and returns, and use data to drive continuous product improvements and reduce returns.
Support innovation by identifying opportunities to improve product performance, manufacturing efficiencies, and customer value.

Requirements

Experience across footwear is essential.
Previous experience in children's footwear with a strong understanding of fit, comfort, construction, testing, and legislative requirements.
Adaptable, curious, and keen to broaden technical expertise.
Ability to build strong relationships.
Embrace new challenges.
Confidently apply technical knowledge across multiple product categories.
Collaborative, resilient, and solutions-focused.
Excellent communication skills.
Confidence to influence cross-functional teams and suppliers.

Skills

Footwear technical expertise
Product development
Quality assurance
Fit assessment
Comfort assessment
Safety standards
Performance standards
Innovation support
Commerciality
Supplier management
Data analysis
Customer feedback analysis
Accessory product knowledge (desirable)
Google Workspace suite (Docs, Drive, Meet)

Location

Alfred Place (London)
The Barn (Market Harborough)

Work Type

Typically 4 days in the office
Full-time

Experience Level

Professional experience required

Benefits

25 days holiday plus bank holidays
Profit-related bonus
Management share options
Company car or car allowance
Private medical insurance
Sharesave scheme
Pension
Life assurance
Group income protection
Wagestream
Salary finance
25% staff discount on most NEXT products
Direct to work - NEXT orders delivered free to the office
VIP sale
Access to NEXT staff shops
Octopus energy
Free parking (excluding London locations)
Travel2NEXT
On site dining facilities (excluding London locations)
National and local discounts on goods and services
Wellhub
Simply health
Aviva Digicare Workplace+ healthcare service
Onsite GP (Leicester Head Office)
Onsite Physio (Leicester Head Office)
A range of dedicated 3rd party wellbeing partners
Free eye testing

About the Company

NEXT is a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 44,000 people.
The UK's 2nd largest fashion retailer.
Market leader for Kidswear.
Operates over 450 stores globally.
Has a significant online presence in over 80 countries.
Utilizes Google-powered workspace for collaboration.

Equal Opportunity

We aim to support all candidates during the application process and are happy to provide workplace adjustments when necessary.
Should you need support with your application due to a disability or long-term condition, feel free to get in touch with us by email headoffice_careers@next.co.uk (please include 'Workplace Adjustments' in the subject line), or call us on 0116 284 2486 and leave a voicemail.