Director Product Design, Trend & CMF

This is a unique opportunity to define how Staples Own Brand products look, feel, and show up in the world—at scale, across categories used every day by millions of customers. 

This role will help define and evolve the visual and emotional identity of Staples Own Brand products- shaping how each brand comes to life through product. Through trend, color, material, and finish strategy, this leader will establish distinct brand personas and translate them into scalable product design systems that create cohesion across categories, seasons, and customer touchpoints. 

We are seeking a Director Product Design to build and lead our CMF (Color, Material & Finish) and product trend capability within the Strategic Enablement + Centers of Excellence function. This role operates as a horizontal design authority across brands and categories, ensuring consistent, high-quality product expression at scale. 

This role is firmly rooted in product design—not marketing creative. While informed by brand strategy and marketing-led brand expression, this leader owns how brand comes to life physically in the product - through color, material, finish, and overall product composition. 

You will define product design language, seasonal direction, and enterprise-wide design systems that enable teams to consistently deliver cohesive, differentiated, and commercially successful assortments. 

What You’ll Do 

Product Design Language & Brand Translation 

• Define and codify the visual identity systems of each Staples Own Brand product 
• Establish what each product should look like and feel like  
• Translate brand positioning into repeatable CMF principles and design rules that scale across categories 
• Establish enterprise-wide CMF and trend frameworks to guide product development across Own Brands 
• Partner with Brand Marketing to ensure alignment to brand strategy—while owning product-level execution, not marketing creative 
• Act as a cross-category design authority, influencing assortment architecture and product decisions in partnership with merchandising leadership 
• Help shape the long-term creative direction of Staples Private Brands through design leadership 
• Use CMF and trend strategy to elevate perceived value and strengthen Private Brand differentiation 

Trend Strategy & Brand Translation 

• Identify and synthesize macro, cultural, consumer, and design trends relevant to Staples Own Brands 
• Translate trends into commercially viable product direction tailored to each brand’s positioning, customer, and price tier 
• Create, evolve, and apply brand personas to ensure trend direction reinforces each Brand’s distinct identity and target customer 
• Build differentiated seasonal narratives that create emotional connection while remaining scalable and executable 
• Define how trends should appear across good / better / best tiers and across distinct brand architectures 
• Monitor competitive retail and design landscapes to identify whitespace opportunities and emerging aesthetic shifts 

CMF Design & Execution 

• Set and guide CMF direction across a wide range of product categories (furniture, tech accessories, writing, notebooks, organization, etc.) 
• Develop elevated, manufacturable CMF solutions that balance design intent with cost, durability, and scalability 
• Guide work from concept through production-ready execution, including sample review and approval 
• Ensure color accuracy, finish consistency, and material quality across development and manufacturing 
• Leverage design strategy to improve perceived quality, drive sell-through, and support effective good/better/best tiering 

Cross-Functional Leadership & Global Collaboration 

• Serve as the central product design voice across merchandising, product development, sourcing, packaging, and brand teams 
• Influence without direct authority, driving alignment through strong design perspective and clear frameworks 
• Partner closely with global partners to stay connected to materials innovation and manufacturing capabilities 
• Introduce clearer creative decision frameworks and governance to improve speed, alignment, and consistency 

Design Systems & Creative Operations 

• Build and maintain CMF libraries, seasonal frameworks, approved palettes, and material standards 
• Develop scalable tools that enable teams and suppliers to execute design direction consistently and efficiently 
• Leverage AI and digital tools to accelerate concepting, visualization, and trend exploration 
• Communicate direction through clear, compelling visual storytelling, frameworks, and design documentation 

What We’re Looking For 

Experience 

• 8–12+ years in CMF design, product design, or trend-driven product development 
• Experience in private brand, retail, or multi-category product environments 
• Proven ability to translate trends into commercially successful product direction 
• Experience working with global suppliers, factories, or design teams 

Skills & Attributes 

• Exceptional eye for color, material, finish, texture, and product composition 
• Strong understanding of trend forecasting and consumer behavior 
• Ability to balance design, brand intent, manufacturability, and cost realities 
• Portfolio demonstrating both conceptual thinking and real-world product execution 
• Strong communicator who can influence cross-functional stakeholders 
• Highly organized, able to manage multiple brands, categories, and timelines