Licensing careers · Creative and brand assurance
Head of Product Development
A head of product development sets the creative standards for everything a brand licenses. They own the style guides, the approval process and the design and brand assurance teams, and make sure licensed products feel true to the brand in every category and market.
The best ones also build the system around the work: the asset library, the approval workflow and the tools that let the team handle more partners without slowing down.
- Track
- Creative and brand assurance
- Level
- Head
- Typical experience
- 15+ years in design, product development or consumer products
- Also called
- Creative Director, Consumer Products; Head of Creative and Product Development; Creative Director, Licensing & Consumer Products
- Reports to
- Head of Licensing, VP of Consumer Products or the franchise or brand lead
- Next step
- VP of Creative, Head of Licensing, Franchise Creative Director
Key responsibilities
What does a head of product development do?
- Set the creative direction and standards for licensed products, collaborations and promotions
- Own style guides, packaging systems and product concepts
- Lead the design and brand assurance teams, and the agencies they use
- Design approval workflows for speed, consistency and quality
- Own the asset library and the tools licensees use
- Guide agents, licensees and agencies on the brand
- Work with the franchise, studio or brand teams on what comes next
- Agree go to market milestones with commercial and marketing
- Sign off a new seasonal style guide
- Review approval turnaround and the queue with brand assurance
- Give creative direction on a flagship collaboration
- Meet the franchise team on next year’s content and launches
- Decide on a new tool, agency or process change
Where the role sits
The head of product development owns it across the program.
They also shape program strategy with the head of licensing: which categories the brand can stretch into, and how.
The brand and franchise plan, and the licensing strategy.
Style guides, the approval process and the teams that run them.
THIS ROLEStyle guides, creative standards and the approval process.
Approval data that stops at the creative team. If turnaround, rework and quality never reach commercial and leadership, slow approvals look like late partners, and the real fix never gets funded.
How success is measured
Six KPIs for a head of product development.
Few job ads define success for this role. These are the measures Flowhaven recommends.
| KPI | How to calculate it |
|---|---|
| On time launch rate | Share of licensed products approved and launched on schedule |
| Approval turnaround time | Average days from submission to final approval, across the program |
| First time approval rate | Share of submissions approved with no revisions |
| Style guide coverage | Target categories and seasons with a current style guide |
| Partner satisfaction | Licensee feedback on guidelines, feedback and speed |
| Team capacity | Submissions handled per reviewer, especially at seasonal peaks |
Best practices
What great heads of product development do.
Make the guide do the work
Clear guides prevent revisions before they happen.
Build approvals for peak season
Not an average week.
Connect creative and commercial
So approvals match deal terms and launch dates.
Measure the process, not just the output
Turnaround, rework and partner feedback.
Keep one source of truth
For assets, versions and approval history.
Celebrate great launches
With partners, to build trust for the next one.
Skills and tools
What the role asks for.
- Creative direction and brand stewardship
- Style guide and packaging systems
- Leading designers, brand assurance teams and agencies
- Approval process and workflow design
- Adobe Creative Suite
Flowhaven and Salesforce experience is a strong plus.
Flowhaven is built on Salesforce, which IDC has ranked the number one CRM for 13 years in a row, with a 20% share of the CRM market in 2025. Licensing platform skills carry across the whole team.
Career path
Where people come from, and where they go.
- Design Manager
- Senior Manager Product Development
- Brand Assurance Manager
- VP of Creative
- Franchise Creative Director
- Head of Licensing
Hiring?
Head of Product Development job description template.
Copy it, fill in the brackets and post it.
Head of Product Development
We are looking for a Head of Product Development to lead the look, quality and approval of every licensed product for [brand / franchise].
What you will do
- Set creative direction and standards for licensed products and collaborations
- Own style guides, packaging systems and the asset library
- Lead our design and brand assurance teams and creative agencies
- Design approval workflows that scale with our partner base
- Work with franchise, commercial and marketing teams on launches
What you will bring
- [15+] years in design, product development or consumer products
- A portfolio of licensed or branded product work
- Experience leading creative and approval teams
- Experience with Flowhaven or Salesforce is a plus
How success is measured
On time launch rate, approval turnaround, first time approval rate and style guide coverage.
FAQ
Questions people ask about the head of product development role
They set the creative standards for licensed products and lead the teams that design style guides and approve products.
Often the same role. Some licensors split it: a creative director for design and a head of product development for approvals and operations.
Free playbook: faster, more consistent product approvals
Four approval stages, turnaround targets, review checklists and the six metrics that show your process is working.
Give your creative team its time back.
See how creative and brand assurance teams work in Flowhaven, in a personalized walkthrough.
