Product Development & Sourcing Manager - Consumer Products

This is an opportunity to join our rapidly growing, Dubai-based company, supported by a global network of contractors. Zelona starts, acquires and grows consumer brands, selling primarily in the U.S. across Amazon, Walmart and Shopify. Over the past decade, we've launched, acquired and scaled multiple top-ranking brands in their categories across home, water and lifestyle. Now, we're looking for a Product Development & Sourcing Manager to own what we sell, what it costs and where it comes from. This is a hands-on, commercially accountable role: you'll decide what we buy and when, negotiate with our factories, and take new products from idea to first order. You'll report to our COO and work hand in hand with our long-standing China-based sourcing team, who handle factories, samples, inspections and freight on the ground. You'll also work with our product designer, brand managers, e-commerce manager and in-house developers, with admin and data support from our operations team. This role blends product and commercial judgement with execution: you make the calls, record them in our in-house system, and see them through. We admit we're not for everyone. We have high standards, move fast, and hire smart people with strong critical thinking skills: people honest and confident enough to say "I don't know, but I'll find out." If you want a comfortable 9-to-5, this isn't your place. If you want to build, it is. What You'll Own • Buying and replenishment: the monthly buy plan for more than 100 products, purchase orders within your authority, reorder settings in our in-house system, and stock plans for Q4 and promotions with the brand managers • Suppliers and cost: choosing and onboarding factories; negotiating price, MOQ, lead time and payment terms; approving price changes; checking supplier invoices before payment; and finding new suppliers beyond China • Freight and landed cost: approving freight within your limit, Incoterms on every order, HS codes and tariffs, and landed cost per product, refreshed monthly • New product development: running every project from idea to first order (validation, design with our product designer, specs and quotes, samples and testing, packaging and set-up), with clear stage gates and written go/no-go decisions • Certification and compliance: a complete, current record for every active product (CPSC, DOE/CEC, NSF/WQA, EPA, Prop 65, FCC), lab testing and safety protocols with our factories, and a compliance check before every launch • Product data and lifecycle: GS1 barcodes, product naming and the product master record; new products, changes and discontinuations; and decisions on excess stock • Quality: the supplier quality standard, bills of materials and packaging specs, no material change without written approval, sign-off on pre-shipment inspections, and root cause on returns and defects Expected Results • Our best-selling products stay in stock, without excess sitting in warehouses • Lower unit and landed costs on our biggest products • A steady pipeline of new products, launched on schedule through clear go/no-go decisions • Complete, current certification and compliance documents for every active product • Fewer returns and defects, and no product changes without approval • Clean product data: every new product set up right the first time What You Bring • 6+ years in product development, sourcing or buying for private-label or OEM consumer products, ideally appliances, water or home products, with launches you can show • You've owned replenishment for a multi-product Amazon catalogue (FBA, ideally AWD) or a retailer's private label • Direct negotiation with Chinese factories, working alongside a China-based sourcing team • Hands-on product certification: CPSC, DOE/CEC or NSF/ANSI, or ESMA/G-Mark and CE • Fluent with landed cost, HS codes and Incoterms • You run projects to a decision: clear gates, written go/no-go, no drift • Comfortable with the numbers behind buying: forecasts, weeks of cover and unit economics • Comfortable rolling up your sleeves in a lean environment, and you close every loop in writing • Fluent business English. Mandarin isn't required: our China team handles day-to-day factory communication • Able to travel to our factories a few times a year • Bonus: you use AI tools to speed up research, analysis and documentation, and you check their output How We'll Measure Success • In-stock rate and weeks of cover on our top products • Forecast accuracy • Unit cost and landed cost against last year • Launches per quarter, and time from idea to first order • Compliance documents complete for every active product • Return and defect rates Why Zelona? • A lean, high-growth company with a reputation for driving results • Real ownership: you decide what we make and buy, not just process the orders • You report to the COO and work directly with the founder on the product range • You'll build the product and sourcing function in Dubai as we grow • We operate fast, keep things simple, and care deeply about what we do (and each other) We're looking to hire now. If you want to build something meaningful, and you're excited to own both the products and the numbers behind them, apply today.

6+ years in product development, sourcing or buying for private-label or OEM consumer products, ideally appliances, water or home products, with launches you can show. You've owned replenishment for a multi-product Amazon catalogue (FBA, ideally AWD) or a retailer's private label. Direct negotiation with Chinese factories, working alongside a China-based sourcing team. Hands-on product certification: CPSC, DOE/CEC or NSF/ANSI, or ESMA/G-Mark and CE. Fluent with landed cost, HS codes and Incoterms. You run projects to a decision: clear gates, written go/no-go, no drift. Comfortable with the numbers behind buying: forecasts, weeks of cover and unit economics. Comfortable rolling up your sleeves in a lean environment, and you close every loop in writing. Fluent business English. Mandarin isn't required: our China team handles day-to-day factory communication. Able to travel to our factories a few times a year. Bonus: you use AI tools to speed up research, analysis and documentation, and you check their output.

Buying and replenishment: the monthly buy plan for more than 100 products, purchase orders within your authority, reorder settings in our in-house system, and stock plans for Q4 and promotions with the brand managers. Suppliers and cost: choosing and onboarding factories; negotiating price, MOQ, lead time and payment terms; approving price changes; checking supplier invoices before payment; and finding new suppliers beyond China. Freight and landed cost: approving freight within your limit, Incoterms on every order, HS codes and tariffs, and landed cost per product, refreshed monthly. New product development: running every project from idea to first order (validation, design with our product designer, specs and quotes, samples and testing, packaging and set-up), with clear stage gates and written go/no-go decisions. Certification and compliance: a complete, current record for every active product (CPSC, DOE/CEC, NSF/WQA, EPA, Prop 65, FCC), lab testing and safety protocols with our factories, and a compliance check before every launch. Product data and lifecycle: GS1 barcodes, product naming and the product master record; new products, changes and discontinuations; and decisions on excess stock. Quality: the supplier quality standard, bills of materials and packaging specs, no material change without written approval, sign-off on pre-shipment inspections, and root cause on returns and defects.