Head Design Jobs in Minnesota (NOW HIRING)

HBF, a subsidiary of HNI Corporation, is a premium workplace furnishings brand recognized for sophisticated design, exceptional materials, distinctive textiles, and a refined yet provocative aesthetic. Operating as a focused and entrepreneurial business within HNI’s broader family of workplace brands, HBF combines the agility and creative energy of a niche design company with the capabilities and resources of a large global organization. Click here or visit HBF.com to learn more about this unique brand.

The Head of Product is a senior product marketing and portfolio leader responsible for the strategy, development, commercialization, and lifecycle management of HBF’s Furniture and Textiles portfolios. This role combines the strategic scope of a senior product portfolio leader with active, hands-on participation throughout the product development process.

Working closely with Design, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, and HNI’s broader shared-service organizations, the Head of Product translates market opportunities and the HBF brand vision into a compelling portfolio of commercially successful products. The role participates throughout the product lifecycle—from identifying opportunities and developing concepts through design, development, launch, portfolio management, and eventual product rationalization.

The ideal candidate is a product leader with the sensibilities of both a businessperson and a design advocate. They understand the financial and commercial disciplines required to manage a successful portfolio, but they are equally comfortable discussing materials, finishes, colors, form, visual presentation, and the emotional response that distinguishes an exceptional product from a merely functional one. 

They are energized by the opportunity to work within a smaller, design-driven brand where senior leaders remain close to the product and where speed, judgment, and individual contribution matter.

Just as importantly, the successful Head of Product will be a compelling champion for HBF within the larger HNI organization. They possess the executive presence to explain why a specialized opportunity matters, the financial and strategic discipline to support that argument, and the relationship-building skills to secure the resources and organizational commitment necessary to turn a strong design concept into a successful commercial product.

Design, Aesthetic & Brand Stewardship

• Partner closely with internal and external designers to develop products that reinforce HBF’s distinctive design identity.
• Apply strong aesthetic judgment when evaluating product concepts, materials, colors, textiles, finishes, photography, and presentation.
• Balance commercial considerations with the creative integrity and differentiated design perspective expected of a premium furnishings brand.
• Help ensure individual product introductions contribute to a cohesive portfolio while retaining the originality and visual impact associated with HBF.
• Maintain awareness of developments in architecture, interiors, furniture, textiles, materials, fashion, and adjacent design disciplines that may influence future portfolio opportunities.

Internal Advocacy & Enterprise Partnership

• Serve as a visible and persuasive advocate for HBF and its product portfolio within HNI Corporation.
• Communicate HBF’s product strategy, market opportunity, priorities, and resource requirements to senior leaders and shared-service partners.
• Develop compelling business cases that articulate both the financial opportunity and strategic importance of product investments.
• Build alignment across functions and organizational boundaries to secure Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, Finance, and other resources required for successful product development.
• Ensure the needs and opportunities of a smaller specialty brand receive appropriate visibility within a larger enterprise environment.
• Develop strong relationships throughout HNI that enable HBF to leverage enterprise capabilities without sacrificing the speed, creativity, and entrepreneurial approach that differentiate the brand.

Product Portfolio Strategy

• Own the overall strategy, performance, and lifecycle of HBF’s Furniture and Textiles product portfolios.
• Develop short- and long-term portfolio roadmaps aligned with the HBF brand, market opportunities, customer needs, and financial objectives.
• Identify opportunities for new products, category expansion, line extensions, new materials and finishes, product refreshes, and portfolio rationalization.
• Evaluate the portfolio holistically to maintain the appropriate balance of iconic products, established revenue drivers, new introductions, and emerging design concepts.
• Develop business cases and recommendations for new product investments based on market potential, competitive positioning, financial performance, strategic value, and fit with the HBF brand.
• Monitor portfolio performance and recommend investment, repositioning, enhancement, or discontinuation decisions as appropriate.

Product Development & Lifecycle Management

• Participate actively in all phases of the product development lifecycle, from early concept development through commercialization and ongoing lifecycle management.
• Help translate market opportunities and customer needs into clear product briefs and development priorities.
• Participate in product reviews and provide direction regarding positioning, features, materials, finishes, applications, price points, and overall market fit.
• Make timely decisions and facilitate cross-functional problem solving to keep development initiatives moving in a fast-paced environment.

Textiles Portfolio Leadership

• Provide high-level strategic leadership to an experienced team responsible for HBF Textiles, including new collections, patterns, colors, materials, applications, and lifecycle decisions.
• Monitor performance of existing textile collections and identify opportunities for extensions, refreshes, repositioning, or rationalization.

Furniture Portfolio Leadership

• Lead portfolio planning and product development activities across HBF’s furniture categories.
• Partner with Design and Engineering to translate concepts into commercially viable products without compromising design intent.
• Evaluate product opportunities based on customer needs, competitive whitespace, application, aesthetics, manufacturability, pricing, margin, and portfolio fit.
• Maintain a clear perspective on how individual furniture introductions contribute to HBF’s broader market position and design identity.

Market, Customer & Competitive Insight

• Maintain a deep understanding of HBF’s customers, dealer partners, designers, specifiers, and other stakeholders within the architecture and design community.
• Monitor competitive products, emerging design trends, workplace changes, material innovations, pricing, and broader market dynamics.
• Build relationships with Sales and dealer partners to capture market feedback and identify unmet needs.
• Translate qualitative market intelligence and quantitative product performance into actionable portfolio recommendations.

Financial & Business Performance

• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of the revenue, margin, volume, investment, and lifecycle performance of assigned product categories.
• Partner with Finance to develop business cases, forecasts, investment analyses, and product performance reporting.
• Evaluate product development decisions with consideration for both creative objectives and commercial return.
• Manage portfolio priorities within established investment and resource constraints.

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Product Management, Business, Design, Architecture, Industrial Design, or a related field required. 
• MBA or advanced degree preferred but not required.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in product management, product marketing, portfolio management, product development, or a related discipline. 
• Demonstrated experience owning a product portfolio and participating throughout the complete product lifecycle.
• Experience bringing new physical products from concept through commercialization.
• Demonstrated experience developing business cases and influencing senior leaders regarding product investments and organizational priorities.

• Experience within workplace furnishings, contract furniture, textiles, interior products, architectural products, consumer design, or another design-led industry strongly preferred.
• Experience working directly with designers, creative professionals, engineering teams, and commercial organizations.
• Previous leadership experience, including direct or functional leadership of product professionals and cross-functional teams.

• Exceptional product judgment, combining market awareness, financial reasoning, customer insight, and aesthetic sensibility.
• Strong appreciation for sophisticated design and the ability to recognize products and ideas that reinforce a distinctive premium brand.
• Executive presence and persuasive communication skills, with the ability to build enthusiasm and organizational support for product opportunities.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort operating within a smaller, fast-moving business while navigating the resources and processes of a larger corporation.
• Ability to move fluidly between high-level portfolio strategy and detailed product-development decisions.
• Strong commercial instincts with the ability to balance creative ambition with market realities and financial performance.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and ability to influence across organizational boundaries without relying on formal authority.
• Decisiveness and willingness to make thoughtful decisions with incomplete information.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage numerous concurrent product initiatives.
• High standards for quality, design, execution, and attention to detail.