REI

Director of Product Research, Testing and Quality

REI$140K — $228K *
Consumer Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years in product creation, including research, testing, and quality
  • 8+ years leading teams in technical or product-focused roles
  • Experience collaborating across design, supply chain, and operations functions
  • Strong knowledge of product testing, safety standards, and quality systems
  • Skilled in strategic planning and data-driven decision-making
  • Strong scientific aptitude with knowledge of standards and best practices
  • Ability to envision future product technologies and plan quality assurance programs accordingly

Responsibilities

  • Set strategy for product research, testing, quality, and compliance across Co-op Brands
  • Lead and develop teams in research, test engineering, and quality assurance
  • Manage lab and prototyping operations, including budgets and external partners
  • Develop and enforce seasonal plans for leveraging product-specific research methodologies
  • Inspire innovative testing methods that predict customer experience and advocate for their use
  • Foster enterprise product quality through strategic partnerships across divisions
  • Set strategic direction and governance for Product Compliance, ensuring regulatory and safety integration

Benefits

  • Access to a state-of-the-art Magnusson Lab and Prototyping Shop for hands-on product development
  • Opportunities to shape product strategy and influence organizational direction
  • Collaboration with diverse teams across various functions
  • Emphasis on innovative test methods and customer-driven product design
  • Focus on outdoor product durability and safety, ensuring products perform well in real-life conditions.
Full Job Description
Overview

As Director of Product Research, Testing and Quality, you will lead how we test, validate, and improve our Co-op Brands products.

You'll guide teams across research, testing, quality, and compliance. You'll help ensure every product is safe, durable, and built for real outdoor use. You'll also partner with leaders across design, supply chain, legal, and retail to set clear standards and improve how we work.

This role leads our Magnusson Lab and Prototyping Shop, where ideas turn into tested, ready-to-use products. You'll help shape strategy, build strong partnerships, and use data to support better product decisions.

Responsibilities and Qualifications

  • Set strategy for product research, testing, quality, and compliance across Co-op Brands
  • Lead and develop teams in research, test engineering, and quality assurance
  • Manage lab and prototyping operations, including budgets and external partners
  • Develop and enforce seasonal plan for product teams to leverage product specific research methodologies, including field testing to simulate intended end-users in the intended environment and context.
  • Inspire and protect team competencies in creation of innovative test methods and requirements that accurately predict intended end use and customer experience, and when appropriate, advocate, share and standardize these techniques through supply chain and industry partnerships.
  • Foster an enterprise approach to Product Quality function through partnership with strategic leaders of divisions accountable for product quality investigation, disposition and remediation.
  • Set strategic direction and governance for Product Compliance, ensuring regulatory, safety, and compliance requirements are integrated across the product lifecycle.

Qualifications
  • 12+ years in product creation, including research, testing, and quality
  • 8+ years leading teams in technical or product-focused roles
  • Experience working across functions like design, supply chain, and operations
  • Strong knowledge of product testing, safety standards, and quality systems
  • Skilled in setting strategy and using data to inform decisions
  • Ensure high scientific aptitude on team through strong understanding of standards, best practices and systems to support work assignments that have wide variety and complexity; possess and share overview knowledge of adjacent functions
  • Apply vision for product technologies, materials, manufacturing methods and other concepts to strategically plan quality assurance and performance validation programs for future consumer product needs


Pay Range

$140,300.00 - $228,600.00 per year

About REI

REI is a retail company that specializes in outdoor recreation gear and clothing. The company was founded in 1938 by Lloyd and Mary Anderson in Seattle, Washington. REI is a consumer cooperative, meaning that it is owned by its members and operates for their benefit. The company has over 170 stores in the United States and is known for its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. REI has been recognized as one of the best companies to work for in the United States.
Learn more about REI
Size
14,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1938

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at REI

More Consumer Technology Jobs

Find similar Director of Product Research, Testing and Quality jobs: