Product Development Assistant & Sample Coordinator

About the Role

Help bring DASH's award-winning kitchen appliances and licensed consumer products from first sample to store shelf. The Dash brand designs and sells small kitchen appliances through Amazon, Target, Kohl’s, Costco, and other national retailers. We’re looking for an organized, proactive Product Development Assistant & Sample Coordinator to keep product development moving—making sure product information is accurate, samples arrive on time, and testing and retailer deadlines stay on track. Reporting to the Product Development Manager, you’ll work with our New York team, Hong Kong and China offices, and factory partners. This is an entry-level opportunity to build hands-on experience in consumer product development, sourcing, testing, and retail execution, with growing ownership of individual products over time. Our business moves quickly, and priorities shift with retailer timelines, factory schedules, and new opportunities. We’re looking for someone who takes initiative, follows through, and takes ownership of open items through completion.

Key Responsibilities

Product Roadmap, Costing, and Item Data

• Maintain the product development roadmap with current status, dates, factory information, and costs for every active item.
• Resolve cost and SKU discrepancies between the roadmap and costing sheets.
• Request factory quote sheets, verify them against samples, and challenge unapproved cost increases.
• Work with Operations and the item setup team to create and correct SKUs, including parent and child SKUs and spare parts.

Samples

• Request, track, and log samples, including working prototypes, T1 and off-tool samples, retailer meeting samples, and customer service reference units.
• Set shipping deadlines around sales meetings and retailer reviews, and follow up with factories to ensure samples reach the New York office on time.
• Test incoming samples, document issues with photos, and promptly communicate feedback to factories.

Testing and Compliance

• Track and organize test reports and certifications by SKU, including safety, FDA, BPA, Prop 65, and ISTA-6A packaging documentation.
• Independently review and approve product rating labels and on-pack compliance copy against applicable requirements, including California AB1200 chemical disclosures and Mexico NOM labeling.
• Obtain approval for testing quotes, follow up on late reports, and submit Amazon packaging and Andon Cord test reports on time to prevent chargebacks and suppressed listings.
• Maintain material and chemical records for new items and reorders, file factory audit reports, and escalate findings that require a decision.

Retailer Programs and Projects

• Support retailer programs from approval through shipment, including labels, displays, artwork review, and testing.
• Coordinate packaging dielines and gift box changes across factories, Creative, and Operations, keeping project tasks current in monday.com.
• Manage factory questions on licensed products, including artwork placement and decoration costs.

Customer Service and Daily Coordination

• Serve as the product development contact for the outsourced customer service team on escalated cases, replacement requests, and product hierarchy updates.
• Report recurring product defects to the product development team so they can be addressed at the factory.
• Participate in weekly calls with the Hong Kong office and factories, and distribute next steps and owners the same day.
• Keep shared trackers current so item status is visible to the full team.
• Place and reconcile small vendor orders, such as color standards, and process returns and refunds.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Microsoft Excel skills, including lookups and filters, and a habit of checking that numbers tie out.
• Clear, concise written communication for daily correspondence with overseas partners.
• Availability for occasional evening calls with Hong Kong.
• Experience with Amazon Vendor Central or monday.com is helpful, but not required.
• Mandarin or Cantonese language skills are helpful, but not required.

Qualifications

• 0–2 years of experience in product development, sourcing, merchandising, or a related field.
• Excellent organization and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple open items and shifting priorities.
• Initiative and dependable follow-through: you identify problems, ask questions, and drive tasks to completion without repeated reminders.
• Careful judgment and accountability when reviewing product information and independently approving compliance materials.
• Experience in consumer products or retail is helpful, but not required.
• Familiarity with product testing, safety certifications, product labeling, or regulatory compliance, including UL/ETL, FDA, or Prop 65, is helpful, but not required.

Location and Work Arrangement

• This role is based in New York City.
• All team members are expected in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• The office is open Monday through Friday.
• Occasional evening calls with our Hong Kong office are required.

Compensation and Benefits

• Annual base salary of $60,000–$65,000, depending on relevant experience and qualifications.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance benefits.