Product Research & Development Associate

Product Research & Development Associate at Moutonière

In-Person Role in Austin, TX

Start Date: As soon as possible

About Moutonière:

Moutonière is a new luxury house that produces limited-edition collections designed by contemporary artists and produced by heritage artisans for modern patrons. Our first collection, launched at Paris Fashion Week, features silk scarves screen printed by hand in Como, Italy, using original paintings by celebrated contemporary artists.

We are expanding into new categories — jewelry, apparel, objects, and more — and we’re looking for someone with taste, curiosity, and rigor to help us define and develop what comes next.

See the collection at www.moutoniere.com and follow us on Instagram @moutoniere.

Position Overview:

We are looking for a Product Research & Development Associate to support the founders and brand team in researching, exploring, and shaping future product collections. This role is ideal for someone who is endlessly curious, deeply visual, and highly organized — someone who can investigate materials, techniques, historical references, and artisan processes, and distill what they find into smart, creative proposals.

You’ll work closely with the co-founders and the Brand Curator to evaluate ideas, source references, and map out how potential products might be made — from jewelry to fashion to decorative objects. You will be essential in equipping the team with inspiration, context, and clarity.

This is an incredible opportunity for a creative researcher, design thinker, or early-career developer with a passion for luxury, craft, and storytelling.

Key Responsibilities:

🔍 Research & Inspiration Gathering

• Explore future product categories aligned with Moutonière’s identity (jewelry, clothing, objets d’art, etc.)
• Research materials, historical context, design precedents, craft traditions, production methods, and artisan sources
• Build visual references, annotated moodboards, and well-organized research decks
• Present product possibilities with clarity and context to the founding team

📐 Development Support

• Collaborate with the co-founders and Brand Curator to shape collection concepts and seasonal directions
• Source materials, techniques, and artisan partners globally
• Create preliminary spec sheets, sketches, and visual briefs to support sampling or prototyping
• Maintain a living archive of materials, processes, and supplier information

🤝 Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with the Brand Curator and Pop-up Specialist to align product development with creative direction and experiential goals
• Provide the Social and Digital teams with product insights, stories, and process visuals to support campaigns
• Assist with timelines and handoff to production partners when needed

Qualifications:

• 2–4 years of experience in product research, design development, trend forecasting, or creative strategy
• Strong visual instincts and editorial taste — you know when something feels right
• Ability to draw and create technical sketches
• Familiarity with fashion, fine art, design history, and craft traditions
• Exceptional research skills — digital and analog
• Clear, organized communicator — skilled at building decks, moodboards, and briefs
• Resourceful, self-starting, and energized by solving open-ended creative problems
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative, founder-led environment
• Bonus: experience working with luxury brands, ateliers, or product-based studios

Portfolio Requirement:

Please include a portfolio, moodboard, visual essay, or work sample that reflects how you think and what inspires you. We are especially interested in how you research and translate ideas visually.

Compensation:

• $65,000–$90,000 base salary
• Health insurance
• Friends & family discount on Moutonière products
• Opportunity for performance-based growth within the brand

Why Join Moutonière?

Moutonière is a house built on taste, story, and craftsmanship. Joining now means helping to shape the future of what we make and how we make it. If you are someone who loves research, aesthetics, and design, and you want to help bring meaningful, beautiful things into the world — we’d love to meet you.