Director, Upholstery

The Role

The Director, Upholstery leads the strategic direction and execution of the Upholstery category, driving innovation, quality, and profitability across all product lines. This role oversees the full product development lifecycle, from concept and material creation to construction, costing, and market launch, ensuring alignment with Four Hands’ brand, aesthetic, and business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute upholstery and fabric strategies, overseeing design, material creation and selection, construction, and costing while incorporating industry trends, technology, sustainability, and cost targets
• Work closely with merchandising to develop and deliver assortment strategies that meet revenue and margin targets for the upholstery category
• Partner with Senior Vice President (SVP) of Design to identify emerging trends, define assortment and design strategies, product specification and testing, and lead new product category launches from concept through marketing and web development
• Lead the execution of seasonal line plans and creative roadmaps to ensure designs meet assortment and trend requirements, are manufacturable, and meet launch timelines within Product Development calendar
• Oversee fabric and leather development by ensuring fabrics and leathers are developed, tested, and aligned to launch timelines
• Partner with merchandising to identify, lead and develop multiple sub-category initiatives through launch
• Evaluate and refine product development workflows, improving speed to market, sample accuracy, and cross-functional alignment
• Collaborate with sourcing and merchandising teams to identify key mill and tannery partners, leading tailored growth strategies across various partners
• Partner with sourcing team to evaluate vendor capabilities to meet design and assortment needs
• Collaborate with marketing and creative services team to champion key initiatives, products launches and brand storytelling
• Oversee accuracy of product development data in PLM system to ensure product data and launch assets are complete at time of launch
• Monitor key metrics and implement improvement initiatives as needed
• Leverage industry trends, competitive insights, and consumer research to shape brand-right decision strategies and long-term upholstery concepts
• Attend domestic and international markets (30% travel annually) to identify emerging trends, source new products, and support the creation of Trend Briefs with SVP of Design

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in international product development with focus on upholstery
• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Merchandising, International Business or a related field required
• Demonstrated leadership experience and able to develop high-impact teams
• Experience in furniture construction, material and finish creation, fabric construction required
• Strong understanding of raw material sourcing and vendor capabilities across key global manufacturing regions
• Expertise in proactive costing and product engineering with the proven ability to deliver market-ready products
• Strong strategic planning and project management skills with the ability to balance cost and meet product deadlines
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to bridge language and cultural barriers with global partners