Modern Sprout LLC (MS) is a Chicago based company focused on designing and manufacturing innovative products that offer simple and sustainable solutions to the modern challenges of growing plants.

Our portfolio currently includes app enabled grow lights, grow kits, gift sets, candles, and an exciting line of new plant care accessories. Our products have been included in “Oprah’s Favorite Things”, the Today Show, and Vogue, as well as the shelves of national retailers including Target, Nordstrom, World Market, Crate & Barrel, Starbucks Reserve, and Barnes and Noble. Modern Sprout launched in 2013 via Kickstarter, and has grown to include over 15 employees in 15,000 square feet of office/warehouse space in Chicago’s Industrial Corridor (West Town/Brewery District). 

We are seeking a bright, energetic and trend forward Director of Product Development who can work flexibly in a fast-paced
entrepreneurial environment. This role will work directly with company co-founders to drive the product development process from conceptualization to commercialization. A background in design, manufacturing and a passion for plants is preferred. This position will work closely with the entire team including sales, marketing, operations and purchasing departments to ensure new products are launched on brand, on time and on cost. This role will work closely with sourcing partners both domestic and overseas to sample, quote and purchase components required for all new products. The right candidate for this role will be passionate about the customer experience and dedicated to creating great products that allow people to successfully grow plants from seed. It is important to also have a grasp of the execution side or a willingness to learn about our various customers and sales channels to better inform the productdesign from brief to case pack. 

Given our small team, this position will have significant key responsibilities, opportunities for professional development,
and the chance to play a vital role in contributing to the brand’s continued successes in the plant care and gift market. This role also has access to an entire prototype lab and will be provided with any tools needed to execute on
job responsibilities. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Drive the creation of innovative new products; working directly with co-founders, lead graphic designer and manufacturing partners to translate directives and mood boards into finished products. 
• Work directly with the internal manufacturing team to make sure labor and margin goals are achieved on new product launches
• Must have excellent skills in the core Adobe Creative Suite (Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) as well as proficiency in a 3D CAD software (Solidworks, CREO or other) and a strong grasp of rendering software such as Keyshot in order to create concept sketches and product visuals to present to co-founders for review. A desire to learn new technology using AI will be supported and
  encouraged (Midjourney, Vizcom, etc.).
• Select color and material finishes for new products and create in
  depth request for quote documents to share with manufacturing partners for quoting and sampling.
• Collaborate with sales and marketing to research and understand market price points and develop products that meet cost targets. Create the initial bill of material for new products to analyze the cost, margin and MSRP.
• Monitor the general competitive landscape of consumer products. Be on top of the market and design trends. 
• Identify new manufacturing partners and suppliers. 
• Ensure components and assemblies adhere to applicable industry standards and follow industry compliance regulations. Oversee product safety testing with 3rd party independent testing labs as required. 
• Develop and manage new product timelines by efficiently driving products through design, prototyping, testing, and launch. 
• Be the liaison between sales, marketing, production and customer service teams on product deliverables. 
• Consistently and thoroughly communicate product status updates to team. Provide product updates at weekly meetings.
• Create exciting renderings of new concepts for customer pitches showcasing the product’s user experience and value proposition. 

SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Collaborate with co-founders and art director on product packaging design/labeling, retail merchandising, and trade show displays. 
• Work with leadership team to identify and execute continuous margin improvement projects that help achieve business goals
• Manage internal SKU and costing databases. 
• Work with production and suppliers to design product-specific protective shipping packaging. 
• Develop and maintain an organized, comprehensive library of current product components, specs, packaging, labels, etc., as well as reference samples of new raw materials to be considered for future projects. 
• Create build sheets to ensure products are assembled correctly.
• Actively testing products and new growing methods, monitoring and troubleshooting results. 

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE: 

• Minimum 7 years of experience in consumer product design or related field
• BS Industrial Design or equivalent work experience 
• Intermediate 3D modeling and 3D printing experience 
• Demonstrated self-starter with strong organizational skills and project timeline management experience
• Strong critical thinking, research and analysis skills 
• Excellent communication and presentation skills 
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced environment and
  understands that comes with ambiguity 
• Is able to succeed in a dynamic environment and produce multiple deliverables within tight timeframes 
• Understands of the economics of the consumer products industry
  including: quotes, costing, sales channels and margins 
• Has an impeccable eye for design and operates with a high attention to detail 
• Is eager work in a cross-functional team, working with sales, marketing and operations to bring a product to life 
• A green thumb is a plus but not a requirement 

BENEFITS: 

• Full-time, salaried. Competitive compensation based off experience. 
• Benefits includes medical and vision insurance, 401K contributions, flexible working hours, unlimited paid vacation time and the ability to work from home 

TO APPLY: 

Submit a resume and cover letter to careers@modsprout.com.  Please include salary history.

Job Type: Full-time 

ABOUT US: Modern Sprout is a Chicago-based design shop and manufacturer, leading the grow-your-own movement with innovative indoor and outdoor garden-focused lifestyle goods. Our mission is to make gardening easy and accessible for everyone, combining sustainability with stylish design. Our products can be found on the shelves of national retailers including Target, World Market, Whole Foods and at over 2000 independent retailers across the country.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:We are seeking a bright, energetic, and highly motivated individual tooversee key account sales initiatives, manage and grow existing customer relationships, procurenew accounts, and identify new sales channels. The ideal candidate thrives in a hands-on, fast-paced entrepreneurial environment, is driven by sales, and sees this role as a critical step in their career in sales.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Drive sales growth by developing and maintaining strong relationships with key customer accounts to achieve sales goals.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with dormant accounts and actively solicit new leads as needed.
• Identify products to expand assortment and develop programs to increase sales with existing key accounts.
• Attend and actively sell at seasonal tradeshows, travel to high-value areas, and visit local customers.
• Participate in internal weekly sales meetings to provide account business recaps, align on forecasts, and drive shipments.
• Map out, plan, and participate in sales meetings and pitches.
• Data entry tasks including setting up reports for internal/external needs, customer entry forms for new customer and new items, purchase order tracking and followup.
• Report customer needs, issues, product feedback, and trends to management to support Modern Sprout in best serving its partners.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

• A bachelor’s degree with 3-5+ years applicable experience in sales and account management within lifestyle, home, fashion, and/or gifting sectors.
• Proven track record of sales success in a similar role.
• Personable and able to build and maintain relationships with leads/potential clients.
• Driven and self-assured; someone who takes ownership of achieving their goals.
• Confident with strong written and oral communication skills.
• Tech-savvy and able to easily adopt existing systems and work with leadership to develop and execute new systems to manage growth.
• Progressively minded and interested in learning about and utilizing new tools and apps to achieve different objectives.

Green thumb is a plus.

BENEFITS:

• Full-time salaried +bonus with competitive compensation based on experience.
• Unique benefits package including medical and vision insurance, flexible hours, and unlimited paid vacation time.

Modern Sprout is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment by and advancement within Modern Sprout without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

TO APPLY:

Submit a resume and cover letter to careers@modsprout.com. Applications without cover letters will not be accepted. To learn more about Modern Sprout and its collection of products, please visit modsprout.com or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.

Modern Sprout is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.