Commercial Product Manager

The Opportunity

The Commercial Product Manager is responsible for taking ownership of our new development areas, primarily Travel Bags and Accessories. This role bridges the gap between operational execution, strategic sourcing, and commercial planning.

You will work as a partner in a cohesive global duo, collaborating closely with your counterpart in Australia (Luggage). While they focus on hard goods, you will provide the deep commercial expertise required on varied small product categories.

Day to Day Responsibilities

We’re fast-paced and opportunistic, meaning we’re agile and comfortable in an entrepreneurial setting, where no two days are ever the same. But these are the things that will be core to your role and will keep you busy.

Product Management (Travel Bag & Accessories Lead)

• Order Execution: You are the engine room of the department. Place and manage orders for lines and new product development (NPD), ensuring 100% accuracy on prices, quantities, and dates up until ex-factory.
• Critical Path Ownership: While the Product Development team manages the design and costing timelines, you own the production timeline. You track every stage from "Item Creation" to "Warehouse Delivery," chasing suppliers daily to ensure they hit their deadlines.
• Capacity Planning: Work strategically with factories to book production slots in advance, ensuring they have the capacity to handle our volume peaks without delaying delivery.
• Cross-Category Coverage: Maintain sufficient knowledge of Luggage product management statuses to provide coverage and act as a factory liaison for the Luggage category when required.
• Cross-Functional Visibility: Monitor progress of projects to inform global launch dates and ensure all stakeholders (Marketing, eCommerce, Wholesale) have visibility of these dates and potential challenges.

Product Buying & Sourcing

• Factory Management: You are the day-to-day commercial face of Antler to our factories. You rely on your deep existing relationships to resolve purchase order delays, manage volume planning and drive performance.
• Strategic Costing: Work alongside Product Development team to negotiate payment terms, volume discounts, and freight to optimise total landed cost beyond initial FOB. You understand how raw material prices and currency fluctuations impact the bottom line, and you work to protect our margin.
• Handover from Product Development: Collaborate with the Product Development Manager to receive "Ready to Buy" handovers, ensuring all commercial details are finalized before raising orders.
• Sample management: Support wider teams in wholesale and marketing sample orders that fall out of normal PO's.
• Calendar Management: Collaborate with the commercial team to ensure products are costed, ordered, shipped, and launched as forecasted.

Product Data Management

• Data Gatekeeper: Setting up on line numbers and attributes in our ERP, maintaining Item Masters/Line Numbers and Costs structures. You ensure that once the system is live, the data is clean, accurate, and standardized.
• RRP & Pricing: Manage Global RRPs and factory pricing data, ensuring system accuracy for reporting.

Shipping & Containerization

• Freight Optimisation: Master the art of Nesting (placing smaller cases inside larger ones). You will calculate the exact Set Ratios (e.g., 1:1:1 sets) to ensure we ship 0% "fresh air" and maximize Cube Utilization (CBM) per container.
• Execution: Work with freight forwarders and Internal logistics team to schedule container bookings, ensuring we prioritize the right stock for the right markets.
• Documentation: Ensure all shipping documentation is accurate and compliant with import regulations (including TSA standards/REACH).
• Global Support: Support the global commercial team with new business opportunities and expansion initiatives in international markets.

Quality & Cost Control

• Commercial QA: Ensure incoming goods meet the commercial standards agreed at the buying stage. You coordinate third-party inspections and manage the resolution of any commercial disputes regarding quality.
• Ownership for labels, tickets and product information including dimensions and product-care labels and share with wider team Ie Digital.   
• Inventory: Maintain optimal inventory component levels to support production while minimizing excess.
• Cost Efficiency: Analyse cost drivers (e.g., freight rates, raw materials) and propose efficiency improvements to support financial planning.

Requirements

The Requirements

These are the things you’ll need to thrive in the role at Antler.

• Experience: Significant experience in Production Merchandising, Buying, or Supply Chain, specifically within Luggage or Hard Goods.
• Factory Relationships: You have a strong track record of building effective relationships with factories globally. You know how to push for results while maintaining a partnership.
• Work Ethic: You are a self-starter who can process high volumes of work. You are known for being a "work machine" who gets the job done accurately and quickly.
• Operational Mindset: You are ready to champion our ERP project. You understand the pain of manual work and are motivated to help us build a system that solves it.
• Logistics Savvy: You are an expert in container planning, Nesting, and freight efficiency.
• Commercial Acumen: Ability to understand margins, landed costs, and the impact of production delays on commercial sales.
• Seniority & Autonomy: You are comfortable working independently and can act as a senior liaison for the department without day-to-day hand-holding.

Benefits

The Perks

Aside from the role, the people and our big ambitions, here are some of the other things that make Antler a great place to work.

• Lifestyle: 33 days annual leave inclusive of Bank Holidays.
• Lifestyle: Hybrid approach – typical office days are Monday, Tuesday & Thursday. 
• Flexible hours: If you start the day early with international calls, you can finish up early. 
• Health: Health cash plan provided by Medicash.
• Wealth: Pension + pension advice, life insurance and discretionary company bonus.
• Family: Enhanced family leave for both primary and secondary careers.
• Benefits: Antler allowance and discount, CharlieHR perks, retail discounts and cashback