Product Development Lead - Tipton
People Solutions are currently recruiting for a Product Development Lead to join a growing and well-established organisation on a full-time permanent basis. This is a senior, hands-on role combining technical product development with leadership responsibility, ideal for someone who enjoys building products as much as guiding a team.
This opportunity offers long-term stability, the chance to shape the next generation of products, and a key voice within the business at a strategic level.
This position is ideal for applicants looking for a role as an Head of Product Development, Product Innovation Manager or Technical Product Manager.
Department: Product Development
Shifts: Monday to Friday, standard office hours
Salary: £50,000 - £65,000
Benefits include:
* Company pension scheme
* Long-term permanent opportunity
* Genuine influence over product strategy and development pipeline
* Opportunity to lead and grow a skilled technical team
* Exposure to patent strategy and senior-level external partnerships
Day-to-day duties:As a Product Development Lead, your duties will include (but not be limited to):
* Owning the full product development lifecycle from concept through to market launch
* Defining and managing product range strategy, including new developments, refreshes, and retirements
* Leading all active development projects and prioritising the development pipeline
* Driving continuous improvement initiatives across tolerances, components, and modular systems
* Providing hands-on technical input, including CAD review, materials selection, tolerance decisions, and prototype debugging
* Managing supplier engineering relationships and overseeing component cost control
* Leading and supporting engineer(s) and the Product Development Specialist through direct line management
* Overseeing patent strategy and processes in collaboration with external patent attorneys
* Representing the business externally in senior-level technical, OEM, and B2B discussions
* Ensuring products meet relevant certification and regulatory standards
* Promoting structured, data-driven decision-making within the development team
Essential skills:
To be successful as a Product Development Lead, you will need:
* A proven track record of launching complex mechanical or precision-engineered products end-to-end
* Strong hands-on technical expertise with the ability to review CAD and resolve engineering issues
* Experience working with precision mechanical assemblies or safety-critical hardware
* Previous experience managing small technical teams (2–5 people)
* Understanding of regulated or certified product development environments
* The ability to balance strategic thinking with practical execution
* Strong organisational, communication, and leadership skills
* A decisive, analytical, and structured approach to problem-solving
Desirable experience:
* Background in industries such as automotive, medical devices, hydraulics, fasteners, or similar
* Lock or security industry experience (advantageous but not essential)
* Experience working with or as a named inventor on patents
* Familiarity with standards bodies and compliance processes
Training:
* Ongoing professional development and support will be provided to ensure success and long-term progression within the role.
Contact: If you are ready to take the next step in your career as a Product Development Lead, apply today by clicking the link below or contact our recruitment team for more information.
People Solutions do not charge candidates any fees or request deposits at any stage of the recruitment process.