Senior Product Development Manager
Possible
Sponsorship likelihood
This employer issued few or no visas recently
£50,000 – £55,000 / year
Salary
Within the market range
£54,400
Going rate
Offer is 0.9× the going rate
This role likely qualifies for a Skilled Worker visa
SOC 2161 (67% match) is an eligible occupation, with a going rate of £54,400, and Supertouch is a licensed sponsor. That is our reading of the rules. Whether they issue a Certificate of Sponsorship is still their call.
This could also be SOC 1121 (Production managers and directors in manufacturing). We read the code off the advert, so it is our best guess, not the employer's.
New graduate or PhD holder? Pick one of the lower rates.
What each route needs for this job
| Occupation code | New entrant 70% of going rate | STEM PhD 80% of going rate | Relevant PhD 90% of going rate | Standard rate 100% of going rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2161 Research and development (R&D) managers Most likely code | £38,100 Clears | £43,500 Clears | £48,900 Clears | £54,400 Clears |
1121 Production managers and directors in manufacturing Also possible | £38,500 Clears | £44,000 Clears | £49,500 Clears | £55,000 Clears |
We use the lowest threshold across the plausible codes. Likelihood is Possible at most when the pay clears only a lower rate, or only under a less likely code. A mark is for the top of the advertised pay. How the Home Office picks the code
About the role
Senior Product Development Manager
Smethwick, West Midlands | £50,000–£55,000 depending on experience | Senior Management Team
Protective workwear with a conscience
Supertouch has been designing, manufacturing and supplying quality PPE and workwear since 1996. We employ around 65 people from our head office in Smethwick and over 700 people at our own garment factory in Karachi, Pakistan. We're a family business with a genuinely different bottom line: half of our profit goes to charity through the Balqees Welfare Foundation, supporting people out of poverty, into education, and towards better health.
We're now looking for a Senior Product Development Manager to lead our Product department and help shape the next chapter of our ranges, from Hi-Vis & workwear to disposables and protective gloves.
The opportunity
This is a genuine opportunity to shape the future of the business. You'll join our Senior Management Team, reporting directly to the Managing Director, with ownership of product strategy, design, development, costing and sourcing across our core categories. You'll lead a team of four: two Workwear Designers, a Product Developer for gloves and PPE, and a Technical Manager, and you'll work closely with our Purchasing, Sales and Marketing teams to bring products to market that our customers can trust and our factory in Karachi is proud to make.
You'll take real commercial ownership too: setting target costs, negotiating with suppliers, managing margins alongside our Head of Commercial, and reporting directly on progress to the senior team. It's a role with genuine breadth, and genuine influence over where our product ranges go next.
As Supertouch continues to grow, so will this role. We're looking for someone who wants to build their department, develop their team, and build their career with us over the years ahead.
What you'll bring
- Experience in a senior product, design or development role within PPE, workwear, safety equipment or a related technical product sector
- A track record of taking products from concept through to successful launch, including ownership of costs, margins and supplier negotiations
- Confidence managing compliance requirements across PPE and workwear
- Experience leading or mentoring a design or development team
- Comfort working with international manufacturing partners, ideally including experience with suppliers in Pakistan or the Far East
- The commercial awareness to talk costs and margins as fluently as you talk design and fabric
What's on offer
- £50,000–£55,000 depending on experience
- A genuine path to grow the role and the department as Supertouch grows
- A seat on the Senior Management Team from day one
- Company pension scheme
- 23 Days annual leave plus bank holidays
- EV charging on site
- The chance to work for a family business where your work directly supports people out of poverty, into education and towards better health
If you want a product role where your decisions matter, where you'll have a real say in shaping the future of our ranges, and where there's genuine scope to grow as the business grows, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply now to become part of Supertouch's story.
#ProtectiveWorkwearWithAConscience
This description is the source posting as it read when we added it. We are not affiliated with Supertouch, so check their own site for the current details.
Where this offer sits in the market
Research and development (R&D) managers (SOC 2161) · UK · ONS ASHE 2025 · basic pay · ~83k in sample- Offer £50,000–55,000
- Middle half £45,448–73,580
- Median £56,992
- Going rate £54,400
- Threshold £41,700
- New entrant £38,100–48,900
The range sits inside the market's middle half (£45,448–73,580), so this is typical pay for the occupation.
Similar sponsored roles
See all UK visa jobsNo close matches live right now.
Browse more sponsored jobs at SupertouchAbout sponsorship for this role
Does this job guarantee visa sponsorship?
Not necessarily. Supertouch holds a sponsor licence, but sponsorship for a specific hire is always the employer's decision. Be upfront in your application that you'll require it.
What salary is needed for this role to be eligible?
The offer must clear both the general threshold and the SOC 2161 going rate of £54,400. New-entrant and shortage discounts can lower it.