VP OF PRODUCT - CAKES BODY
REMOTE. FULL TIME.
The Role
CAKES Body is looking for a world-class product operator to own everything from consumer insight to shelf and help build a clean, high-performing assortment that drives value across the business. This is a seat at a small leadership table where your decisions move the business immediately.
Key KPIs You'll Own
- Gross margin and contribution margin by SKU
- Assortment sell-through rates by channel
- On-time launch rate vs. product calendar
- New product revenue as % of total
- Post-launch return rates and review scores
- Vendor cost performance vs. target
- Innovation pipeline coverage
What You'll Do
Roadmap & Strategy
- Own development of the 3-year product roadmap end-to-end
- Monitor consumer trends, competitive launches, white space opportunities, and customer feedback (reviews, returns, social) to continuously sharpen the roadmap
- Own the innovation pipeline; identify adjacent category opportunities (new formats, new categories) that extend the brand
- Lead SKU rationalization and lifecycle management - not just launches, but disciplined exits and assortment pruning with a P&L lens
Brand & Product Alignment
- Ensure new product decisions ladder up to brand positioning and reinforce what CAKES stands for, not just fill whitespace opportunistically
- Partner with creative and marketing to align product stories with campaign and channel strategy
- Own packaging architecture, copy, and claims in partnership with creative and legal; ensure claims are defensible for retail partners and acquisition diligence
Merchandising & Channel Assortment
- Lead seasonal merchandise planning: assortment architecture, launch calendar, and channel-specific assortment strategy (DTC, Amazon, Wholesale - big box + specialty)
- Own retail partner product strategy such as what goes to which partner, why, and what's built specifically for that channel vs. protected for DTC
- Define Amazon assortment strategy: exclusives, DTC protection, and cannibalization guardrails
- Own pricing strategy across all channels with margin accountability
- Partner with finance on product-level and full assortment P&L, costing targets, and contribution margin by SKU and Channel
Product Development & Execution
- Own the full development lifecycle including consumer brief through launch: concepting, sampling, costing, fit, specs, and on-time delivery
- Manage the product tech designer day-to-day (construction, fit, tech packs, PRDs)
- Write and maintain PRDs for all new launches and product updates
- Own vendor relationships: sourcing, performance management, compliance, and cost negotiation
Packaging & Compliance
- Own packaging architecture, copy, and claims in partnership with creative and legal
- Maintain material and ingredient standards documentation; ensure claims are defensible for retail partners and diligence
- Ensure all products maintain current testing certifications and compliance documentation (safety, performance, materials), proactively managing renewal timelines and retailer-specific requirements.
Go-to-Market & Launch Readiness
- Run the cross-functional launch gate process including owning go/no-go decisions and launch readiness across ops, finance, marketing, and creative
- Maintain the master launch calendar and hold teams accountable to milestone dates
Post-Launch & Performance
- Own post-launch performance reviews: sell-through, return rates, review scores, cannibalization, and margin actuals vs. plan
- Feed performance data back into future briefs and roadmap prioritization on a defined cadence
Sustainability & Sourcing Standards
- Develop and maintain a lightweight material and sourcing standards framework that supports wholesale partner requirements and positions the brand favorably for acquisition diligence
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What We're Looking For
- 8-12 years in product development or merchandising, ideally in intimates, apparel, or adjacent beauty/body categories
- You build the process, then run it and are comfortable owning ambiguity at a lean company
- Strong commercial instincts: you couple thinking in margin, sell-through, and value with aesthetics
- Experience managing overseas vendors and retail partner requirements
- Proven ability to own a product roadmap and make independent prioritization decisions
- Collaborative with finance and ops; you treat P&L accountability as a core part of the job
- Track record of running cross-functional launch processes with clear gate milestones
- Comfortable writing PRDs and managing a tech designer without heavy oversight
- Bonus: experience with Amazon product lifecycle and DTC launch dynamics
- Builder's mentality - you can set strategy and execute; startup or high-growth brand experience is a strong plus
Interested? Email your resume and cover letter to [email protected]