Product Development & Sourcing Manager

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

From the phenomenally successful Warner Bros. Studio Tours in London, Hollywood, and Tokyo, to flagship retail stores in New York, Chicago and Tokyo, the next exciting addition to this collection is Warner Bros. Studio Tour Shanghai - The Making of Harry Potter, a completely new experience for Harry Potter fans in China.

Located in the heart of the city, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Shanghai - The Making of Harry Potter is an indoor attraction designed to transport visitors into the world of filmmaking, revealing production secrets through interactive experiences, showcasing stunning sets, and displaying beautifully crafted props.

This new attraction will deliver the Studio Tour values of exceptional customer service, experiences that exceed visitors’ expectations and the very best in Harry Potter retail.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Shanghai (WBSTS) will be operated in partnership with Jinjiang International (Holdings) Co., Ltd, a State-Owned Enterprise, ensuring a world-class experience for all who visit.

Duration of role - Full Time Employee

Role Reports To - Retail Director

Numbers of Subordinates - 2-3

Your New Role

We are looking for a Product Development & Sourcing Manager to lead the development of WBSTS-exclusive products for the Chinese guest. The role owns the end-to-end journey from market insight to shelf - concept, design, licensor approval, sourcing, compliance testing and launch - delivering against sales and margin targets.

Speed is central to this role. The Product Development & Sourcing Manager captures market and guest insight in real time and shortens the time from development to launch, so that WBSTS can act on fast-moving opportunities in the Chinese market. Working with the Global Team, vendors and licensees, and partnering closely with the Merchandising & Planning Manager, who leads the global range, the role ensures one coherent assortment that is exclusive, relevant and unmistakably Harry Potter.

Your Role Accountabilities

Local Product Development

• Lead the development of the dedicated WBSTS product range for the Chinese market, identifying opportunities from guest preferences, cultural trends and commercial potential.
• Co-develop the range with the Global Team, ensuring alignment with global brand direction and style guides.
• Build a product pipeline that combines core exclusives with fast-response products linked to local trends, festivals and campaigns.
• Present and manage ranges through the sign-off process with senior leadership and licensor approval teams.
• Work with licensees to propose assortments for sign-off, aligned with the WBSTS retail strategy and the Chinese guest profile.

Speed-to-Market

• Capture market and guest insight in real time - from store feedback, trading data, social trends and forward-looking guest data (e.g. ticketing and CRM) - and convert it quickly into product concepts.
• Shorten the development-to-launch lead time by streamlining the critical path, running workstreams in parallel and building a responsive local supply base.
• Manage the critical path from concept to shipping, ensuring launch dates are met and risks are managed early.

Sourcing & Supplier Management

• Build and manage a local supply base; source, evaluate and onboard new suppliers together with the QC & Compliance Manager.
• Lead cost negotiation and target costing to deliver landed cost and margin targets.
• Ensure all sourcing follows WBSTS procurement policies and integrity standards, including segregation of duties at key steps.

Quality, Compliance & Approval

• Secure licensor design approval at each required stage of development.
• Work with the QC & Compliance Manager to complete China standards testing and certification at sampling stage, before bulk production.
• Ensure products meet global and WBSTS quality, compliance and delivery standards.

Commercial Performance

• Be fully accountable for sales and margin of the locally developed range.
• Partner with the Merchandising & Planning Manager on depth of buy, pricing and allocation; review sell-through and feed learnings into future development.
• Partner with the Marketing Team on product storytelling and launch campaigns.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach and develop the Product Development & Sourcing team.
• Manage the team's objectives, performance and end-of-year review process.
• Foster a culture of speed, accountability and continuous improvement.

Key Performance Measures

• Sales and gross margin of the locally developed range
• Development-to-launch lead time
• On-time launch rate
• Sell-through of new launches
• Landed cost vs. target cost
• First-pass compliance testing rate

Key Working Relationships

• Global Team (Buying & Design) - range co-development, style guides and trend sharing
• Licensor approval teams - design and product approval
• Merchandising & Planning Manager - one-assortment partnership; depth, pricing and allocation
• QC & Compliance Manager - supplier onboarding, testing and certification
• Systems & Data Analysis Specialist - trading and forward-looking guest insight
• Marketing Team - trends, storytelling and launch campaigns
• Licensees, vendors and suppliers (global and local)

Qualifications & Experience

Experience

• 5+ years of product development, buying or sourcing experience in retail or consumer products, with at least 2 years managing a category or team.
• Proven track record of taking products from concept to launch and delivering sales and margin targets.
• Experience in licensed or IP-based product development (entertainment, character or cultural IP), including licensor approval processes.
• Strong local supplier network; knowledge of China product compliance standards (e.g. GB standards, CCC) is a plus.
• Deep familiarity with Chinese consumers and trends; experience in fast-to-market or trend-led categories is a plus.

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong product eye - able to identify commercial winners and edit ranges with discipline.
• Excellent negotiation, target costing and supplier relationship management skills.
• Commercial numeracy - pricing, margin, landed cost and sell-through.
• Experience in critical path management; PLM tools a plus.
• Ability to present and defend ranges to senior leadership with clarity and conviction.
• Fluent in English (working language) and Mandarin Chinese.

Competencies

• Customer-obsessed and trend-sensitive - deeply understands the Chinese guest.
• Bias for speed; decisive and proactive in managing risk.
• High integrity in supplier dealings.
• Collaborative partner to Merchandising, Marketing and the Global Team.
• Calm under pressure; able to manage multiple launches and deadlines simultaneously.

Shanghai Joint Venture Employment:

Please note that this position is employed through Warner Bros. Discovery’s joint venture with Jin Jiang International (Holdings) Co., Ltd. The joint venture entity is Shanghai WB Jinjiang Studio Tour Co., Ltd. Successful candidates will be hired by the joint venture company and assigned to work with Warner Bros. Discovery as required for this project.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.