Head of Product Design

About us:

At Hozelock, we’ve been helping people nurture their gardens for generations. From innovative watering solutions to trusted gardening tools, our products are designed to make growing easier, more enjoyable, and more sustainable. But behind every great product is a great team. We’re a company that values curiosity, craftsmanship and collaboration, where ideas are encouraged, expertise is shared, and people are empowered to make a real impact. If you’re passionate about quality, innovation and being part of a business with a proud heritage and an exciting future, Hozelock could be the place for you.

Job purpose: 

To design, develop and deliver innovative, high quality, cost effective products for Hozelock. 

Duties & Responsibilities: 

Creative thinking and research for design concepts prior to formal design briefs being issued.

Attend monthly Innovation meeting – Feeding ideas, concept models and concise presentations

Co-ordinate input into Steering meetings for all phases of the yearly meeting cycle to develop the future Product Road with Marketing managers.

Work closely with GTD on NPD prioritization to ensure Hozelock move forward with the right projects.

Work on continuous improvement of the New Product Development (NPD) process.

Work closely with GTD on NPD prioritization to ensure Hozelock move forward with the right projects.

Manage and steer Project Managers to ensure design integrity.

Work very closely with the Product Managers to develop robust and realistic Design Briefs.

Keep up to date with latest product design trends.

Develop all members of the design team to the highest standard possible

Ensure rigorous prototyping and testing is carried out prior capex.

Working closely with the QA Manager, ensure rigorous testing and necessary improvements made so that only reliable products go to Pilot production.

Work with external Design Consultancies when using new technologies.

Ensure all new mould tooling is designed to a high standard and is approved by all parties involved at GA sign off.

Manage allocation of Projects to Project Managers ensuring that each NPD project has adequate design resource.

Review Project Managers Presentations in advance of NPD Control meetings.

Review documentation on all projects prior to capex.

Support Design Engineers to offer creative support to their design work and guide them in the right direction for the project in a positive manor.

Facilitate Design Reviews on all projects as required to ensure robust designs prior to capex.

Ensure Design Engineers are trained to a high level on all CAD and CAE software used in the organisation.

Ensure the Design department is using relevant design software to drive the development process forward in the most efficient way.

Attend PPQI meetings and ensure all design related improvements are implemented.

Review Patent Watches to assess FTO

Review opportunities for Patenting new product ideas.

What are we looking for? 

Proven track record of designing, developing and introducing new products

Degree in product design or related engineering discipline

Experience of designing with Plastics

Engineering background Experience of 3D CAD is essential

Experience of designing components for plastic injection moulding domestic components and materials is essential

Experience of commissioning injection mould tools is preferred but not essential

Experience of Siemens NX is preferred but not essential

Experience of liaising with tooling and manufacturing engineers is essential

What do we offer? 

Company bonus scheme

Life assurance (x4 annual salary)

Health Cash Plan (Bronze cover)

Additional annual leave for long service

Employee Assistance Programme

Bike2Work scheme

Staff shop (discounted)

Free onsite parking

EV salary sacrifice scheme

Hozelock is proud to be an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please let us know