Chief Product Officer (CPO) – Footwear (m/f/d)

Pammys has grown to over 1.3 million customers in just a few years. Now we are building the Product Organization for our next phase of growth: new categories, higher volumes, international markets, and a globally scalable production network.

To achieve this, we are looking for a Chief Product Officer (CPO) – Footwear (m/f/d) to build, lead, and elevate our entire Product Organization to the next level.

We are not looking for a CPO who only knows product from strategy meetings.

We are looking for a builder and operator with deep footwear expertise who knows how to connect Product Development, Engineering, Design, Merchandising, Sourcing, Production, Quality, and Product Marketing into a high-performing organization.

You will develop our long-term product and category strategy together with the founders, while simultaneously ensuring its operational effectiveness.

If a development process isn't working, you'll dive in.

If quality, costing, or timelines are not right, you want to understand why and solve the problem together with your team.

If crucial competencies are missing, you will build them.

A central part of your role is building our international product and sourcing structure in China and, prospectively, in other production markets like Vietnam.

Your goal is clear:

• You will be responsible for Pammys' entire Product Organization, continuously developing structures, responsibilities, processes, and leadership.
• You will build high-performing departments for Product Development & Engineering, Sourcing & Production, Merchandising & Planning, Footwear Design, Product Management, Quality, and Product Marketing & Consumer Insights.
• You will recruit, lead, and develop strong leaders and specialists, building an organization that is not permanently dependent on the CPO.
• Together with the founders, you will be responsible for the long-term Product and Category Strategy and decide which categories, silhouettes, and product worlds Pammys will build in the future.
• You will manage the entire product development process from the initial idea through design, construction, material selection, sampling, fit, and testing to mass production and market launch.
• You will optimize our development processes with the goal of shortening development timelines, reducing iterations, and bringing products to production readiness faster.
• You will further develop our international factory and supplier network and conduct strategic negotiations on costing, capacities, quality, lead times, and production conditions.
• Together with us, you will build our product, development, and sourcing presence in China and develop a high-performing local team there in the long term.
• You will establish clear QA and QC structures, ensuring that defined quality standards not only exist on paper but are consistently implemented in production.
• Together with Merchandising & Planning, you will be responsible for the commercial steering of our portfolio through target costs, purchase prices, selling prices, margins, quantities, launch dates, and product profitability.
• You will establish clear product ownership, so that every relevant product has a responsible owner who drives development, design, sourcing, quality, and launch across all functions.
• You will connect product development more closely with consumer insights and marketing, ensuring that new products are aligned with real customer needs, clear positioning, and commercial scaling potential.
• You will regularly work directly with our teams, factories, and production partners in Asia and, in critical situations, will personally delve into operational product and production matters.

• Several years of leadership experience at Director, VP, SVP, or C-level in the product area of a footwear brand or a comparable international consumer company.
• Proven experience in building and scaling a multidisciplinary product organization.
• In-depth knowledge of footwear development, engineering, construction, materials, fit, sampling, testing, and production.
• Extensive direct experience with footwear factories and production partners in China, as well as ideally a robust network in the Asian sourcing market.
• Very good knowledge of sourcing, costing, supplier management, production planning, and commercial negotiations.
• Experience in building and scaling product portfolios, categories, and international product lines.
• Strong commercial understanding of margins, pricing, manufacturing costs, volumes, assortment, and product profitability.
• You can develop strategy at C-level and simultaneously delve deeply enough into operations to understand and drive complex product, development, or production problems yourself.
• You are a builder and feel comfortable in an organization where structures are not fully predefined but are created by you.
• You lead with high standards, clear responsibility, and strong execution.
• You make decisions quickly, data-driven, and with a strong entrepreneurial understanding.
• Very good English and a high willingness to travel internationally, especially to China and our production partners.
• Proximity to Hamburg or willingness to work on-site regularly with our team.

• True C-level ownership: You will be responsible for the entire Product Organization, one of the most important pillars of our future corporate strategy.
• Build instead of manage: You are not taking over a finished corporate organization but can actively build teams, structures, processes, and responsibilities.
• Direct influence on our growth: You will play a significant role in deciding which products and categories Pammys will develop and scale in the coming years.
• Direct access to the founders: Product decisions are made quickly, and you are immediately involved in the most important strategic decisions.
• International scope: You will help build our structures in China and work directly with factories, producers, and international partners.
• High speed: No endless coordination loops. When we are convinced, we implement.
• Strong foundation: You are building on a footwear brand with over 1.3 million customers and will shape the next growth phase from here.
• Great scope for design: You can develop a product organization designed for speed, quality, profitability, and international scaling.
• Executive Package: A compensation package commensurate with the responsibility, experience, and impact of the role, including performance-based components.
• Location in Hamburg with direct proximity to founders, leadership team, and central company functions.

We are not looking for someone to manage an existing product organization.

Find Jobs in Germany on Arbeitnow