Head of Product

Position: Head of Product

Location: Remote (Global) - time zone overlap with the Netherlands required

Employment Type: Full-Time

Type of contract: Independent contractor 

🌎 Work from any corner of the world and be a part of the #remoteworkrevolution!‼️

About the Business:

This is a DTC e-commerce business selling hair tools primarily to women aged 65+. Today, 90–95% of revenue comes from a single hero product: a portable detangling/styling brush. Marketing and customer acquisition are strong; product depth is not.

The business now needs to move beyond dependence on one product and build a real, defensible product portfolio.

Scope of the role:

The Head of Product owns the product function end-to-end. This role is responsible for defining the product vision, identifying and validating new products, improving the existing hero product, and building a repeatable product development process.

The founders are strong marketers with limited product expertise. This role is expected to lead the product function independently, design the process, make informed decisions, and move quickly to test and iterate.

Responsibilities:

1. Product Strategy & Vision

• Define and own the product vision and multi-quarter roadmap for the hair tools portfolio.
• Develop a deep understanding of the core customer (women 65+): pain points, hair routines, physical constraints, desires, and willingness to pay.
• Analyze the competitive landscape across hair tools and adjacent categories to identify gaps and opportunities.
• Identify product extensions or new product lines that align with the brand, audience, and marketing strengths.

2. New Product Discovery & Development

• Source and evaluate new product opportunities through suppliers, manufacturers, white-label options, or custom development.
• Design and execute fast, lean validation loops, including:
• Customer interviews and surveys
• Concept tests and landing pages
• Pre-launch waitlists
• Small-batch test orders and limited launches
• Define clear hypotheses and success metrics for each product experiment.
• Work directly with manufacturers on samples, iterations, quality standards, and cost negotiations.
• Manage the full product lifecycle from concept → test → launch → scale or kill.

3. Existing Product Optimization

• Own the performance and customer experience of the current hero product and future core products.

• Analyze reviews, returns, support tickets, and NPS to identify product, packaging, or instruction improvements.
• Propose and execute improvements to product specs, packaging, inserts, accessories, and bundles—especially with older customers in mind.
• Collaborate with marketing to ensure positioning and messaging are grounded in real product insights.

4. Data, Experimentation & Insights

Define and track product KPIs, including:

• Product-level contribution margin
• Repeat purchase rate
• Product-specific AOV
• Return and complaint rates
• Review sentiment and test launch performance
• Design and run structured experiments (A/B tests on offers, bundles, and variations).
• Translate qualitative and quantitative data into clear decisions: scale, iterate, or kill.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with founders and marketing to ensure product strategy supports acquisition and retention.
• Equip marketing with deep product knowledge, customer insights, and angles for high-performing creatives.
• Collaborate with operations and logistics on inventory planning, lead times, and MOQs.
• Coordinate with external partners as needed (designers, packaging specialists, agencies, freelancers).

6. Process & Leadership

• Design and implement a lightweight but robust product development process suitable for a fast-moving DTC business.
• Introduce practical tools and workflows (roadmaps, backlogs, prioritization) without unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Over time, build and lead a small product team as scale requires.

What Success Looks Like (First 6-12 Months):

• A clear, prioritized product roadmap aligned with business goals.
• Multiple new products identified, validated, and launched, with early traction from at least some.
• Improved performance and customer satisfaction for the hero product.
• A repeatable test-and-learn product process with clear decision criteria.
• Founders have confidence in product direction and decision-making.

Requirements:

• 4+ years in Product, Category, or Brand Management within:
• DTC e-commerce
• Consumer physical products
• Beauty, haircare, personal care, or adjacent categories
• Proven experience:
• Launching consumer products from concept to market
• Running lean product experiments
• Making decisions based on data and customer insight
• Experience working in fast-moving, small-to-mid-size companies.
• Strong collaboration with marketing teams, especially performance marketing.

Skills & Competencies:

• Strong customer insight skills (interviews, feedback synthesis).
• Solid analytical ability (spreadsheets, cohorts, funnels, experiment analysis).
• High bias for action and speed.
• Structured and detail-oriented.
• Clear communicator who can explain product trade-offs.
• Comfortable owning decisions end-to-end and being accountable for outcomes.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with older or accessibility-focused customer segments.
• Hair tools, beauty devices, or assistive products background.
• Experience working with Asian manufacturers (e.g., China).
• Familiarity with reviews, NPS, and feedback systems.
• Exposure to performance marketing, CRO, or growth teams.

Traits That Fit the Culture:

• Speed over perfection
• Ownership mentality
• Pragmatic problem-solving
• Curiosity and empathy for older customers