Job Description
Luki Lab is a fast-growing and award-winning toy company. We create and market a number of successful brands of toys and games sold at retail and online across the United States. As part of Strottman International, Luki Lab is focused on creativity, design and innovation. We have an immediate need for a Director of Product Development Planning & Cost Control.
The Director, Product Development Planning & Cost Control is responsible for ensuring that all new toy products are developed on schedule, within budget, and at target margin, while supporting the creative and commercial goals of the brand. This role serves as the operational backbone of new product development, balancing creativity, manufacturing realities, and financial discipline.
This position owns development timelines and cost frameworks across the product portfolio and acts as the primary integrator between design, engineering, sourcing, quality, marketing, and manufacturing partners. The Ideal candidate has Toy Industry experience.
Key Responsibilities
Product Development & Schedule Ownership
- 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.
Cost Management & Financial Accountability
- 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.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- 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.
Manufacturing & Supply Chain Integration
- 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.
Risk Management & Decision Governance
- Anticipate and manage development risks related to schedule, cost, quality, and compliance.
- Recommend cancellation or delay of programs when required.
Compliance & Quality Oversight
- 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.
Data, Systems & Reporting
- 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.
Qualifications & Experience
- TOY INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE A MUST!
- Bachelors in Engineering, Finance or similar and 12+ years of experience in product development, operations, or program management.
- Proven executive-level ownership of complex development portfolios with strict deadlines.
- Strong financial acumen with hands-on experience managing development budgets and cost models.
- Deep understanding of manufacturing, engineering, tooling, and global supply chains.
- Familiarity with global toy safety and compliance requirements.
- Exceptional cross-functional leadership and executive communication skills.
- A “hands-on” leader/doer
Leadership Profile
- Decisive, structured, and calm under deadline pressure.
- Comfortable delivering difficult messages early and clearly.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, yet able to think strategically.
- Data-driven decision-maker with strong business judgment.
Success Measures
- On-time launch performance across all new product lines.
- Development cost adherence and margin protection.
- Reduction in late-stage design changes and tooling rework.
- Improved visibility and predictability of development timelines.
- Strong cross-functional alignment and execution confidence.