Senior Director -
Product Development

Seattle, Washington

Ideology is currently seeking a senior-level, product development leader to join our studio. We are a Seattle-based research, design and product development team focused on bringing complex, physical products to life. With roots in the outdoor industry, our work has substantially broadened into consumer technology, medical devices, wearables, and travel. Our work is at the nexus of conceptual design exploration, technical engineering, and user experience.

We believe prototypes are the fastest path to clarity. Our process is grounded in making, testing, and refining. This bridges early concept thinking with real-world manufacturing outcomes. We operate as a tight, highly capable team that thrives on ambitious projects. This often requires a high level of comfort with ambiguity with an ability to tackle technically demanding challenges - while delivering a compelling vision with commercialization rigor.

We specialize in the unconventional.

About this role.

We are looking for a senior leader to own and elevate how projects run at Ideology. This position functions across design execution, client partnerships, and business development support. This role sits at the intersection of program leadership, client strategy, and design delivery.

You will help guide multidisciplinary teams through complex product development efforts, build and expand trusted relationships with clients and help shape future project opportunities.

You should be deeply comfortable with:

  • Structuring an ambiguous program into a clear, actionable path

  • Leading conversations with senior client stakeholders

  • Driving internal teams toward tangible, build-ready outcomes

This is not a traditional project management role. It is a leadership position for someone who understands how great ideas become real products and knows how to guide highly creative teams through that journey. While we foster flexibility and autonomy in schedules, we embrace working together as a team - in person.

This is not a remote position.

Core responsibilities.

Program + Project Leadership

  • Lead multiple and concurrent programs from kickoff through delivery

  • Translate high-level charters into clear scopes, milestones, and execution plans

  • Drive cross-functional alignment across industrial design, engineering, prototyping and external partners

  • Ensure projects move efficiently from concept to prototype to production intent

  • Maintain a strong bias toward tangible progress in models, prototypes, and tested outcomes

Client Leadership + Relationship Management

  • Serve as the primary point of contact for key client relationships

  • Build trust with senior stakeholders (product, engineering, innovation leads)

  • Guide clients through complex decisions with clarity and confidence

  • Balance advocacy for great product outcomes with practical constraints (cost, timeline, manufacturability)

  • Identify opportunities to deepen engagements through strong delivery

Business Development Support

  • Partner with leadership to scope new opportunities and craft proposals

  • Translate early conversations into structured, compelling project approaches

  • Help shape narratives that connect client needs with Ideology’s capabilities

  • Support relationship-building efforts across target industries (medical tech, wearables, consumer tech, etc.)

  • Contribute to long-term client growth and strategic positioning

Team Leadership & Culture

  • Support a highly capable team to further thrive; a morale protector and enhancer

  • Elevate project operations - bringing structure without adding bureaucracy

  • Reinforce a culture of ownership, curiosity and making

  • Help teams navigate project goals and maintain momentum

Who you are.

Foundational Experience

  • 10–15+ years in product development, innovation consulting or R&D environments

  • Experience leading complex, multidisciplinary programs

  • Background in consultancies, innovation firms, or in-house advanced development teams

  • Comfortable operating across concept development through early production

Mindset & Approach

  • You think in systems: connecting user needs, technical constraints, and business realities

  • Structured, but not rigid; you bring clarity without slowing things down

  • Hands-on enough to understand how things get built

  • You value prototypes as decision-making tools, not just deliverables

  • You take a team-first mentality and ensure all actions support all teammates

Client Presence

  • Strong executive communication skills: clear, direct and grounded

  • Able to build trust quickly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

  • Comfortable leading difficult conversations when needed

R&D Fluency

  • Deep appreciation for the realities of physical product development

  • Familiarity with manufacturing processes, materials and DFM considerations

  • Experience working through iterative prototyping cycles

  • Ability to bridge early concept thinking with downstream execution

For inquiries and applications, please email us at letschat@ideologyfirm.com

Learn more about Ideology