Junior Product Developer

About this role

Hire Resolve is recruiting for a client in Midrand, Gauteng. The client is an established South African gifting brand. The role helps build product ranges and bring new products to market, with a path towards a full Product Developer/Buyer position.

What you’ll do

• Plan seasonal buying for your categories, balancing price points, occasions and customer needs.
• Track how products perform, manage their lifecycle and flag weak lines for removal.
• Research consumer trends, competitors and market gaps to find new product ideas.
• Write product briefs covering specifications, quality, packaging and sales targets.
• Handle samples and quality approvals, and keep launch dates on schedule.
• Monitor sales, margin and category results using BI and reporting tools, and review products after launch.
• Coordinate supplier meetings, follow up on actions and review supplier cost, quality and delivery.

What you need

• A relevant diploma or degree in e-commerce, buying, merchandising, marketing, commerce or product design.
• About 1–3 years of experience in product development, buying, merchandising or a similar retail or e-commerce role.
• Strong Excel skills, including pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, data analysis and margin calculations.
• Comfort with reporting and dashboard tools.
• A working understanding of gross margin, pricing and product lifecycles.
• Experience in supplier meetings and commercial discussions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage several timelines at once.
• A customer-focused mindset and an interest in gifting, lifestyle and seasonal trends.
• Advantageous: trainee or assistant buyer or product developer experience.
• Advantageous: packaging development, local or import sourcing, landed cost calculations or supplier negotiation.

Is this job for you?

This role suits someone who is curious about customers and commercially minded. You should enjoy both the creative side of product work and the number crunching behind it. If you take ownership, learn quickly and stay calm when deadlines are tight, this could be a good fit.

Tips before you apply

• Have your updated CV and a copy of your diploma or degree ready.
• Show a few examples of Excel work, such as margin analysis or pivot reports, on your CV.
• Describe past supplier or range-planning work with clear results, like cost savings or on-time launches.