DANIEL TARALA

Director of Product Development & Design | Fractional Leadership & Consulting | Go-to-Market | Brand Strategy

San Francisco, CA | daniel.tarala@gmail.com | 303 229 8457 | danieltarala.com | LinkedIn.com/in/danieltarala

CAREER PROFILE

Product development and design leader who takes products from concept to market — setting direction, running development, and getting things made. Deep experience across consumer electronics, travel, carry, lifestyle, and licensed products, with hands-on ownership of overseas factory and vendor relationships.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Drove the highest-revenue global product launch in company history at Peak Design — $17M from concept to customer

  • Led high-stakes product launches across consumer electronics, travel, carry, lifestyle, and outdoor categories, contributing to $100M+ in annual revenue

  • Built and managed licensing and collaboration programs with Marvel, Sennheiser, Blizzard, BMW, Audi, Callaway, Timberland, and Sony

  • Built Target's Embark private-label travel brand from first sketch through retail execution across 1,000+ doors at its peak; conceived and built Callaway Golf's travel/lifestyle bag program from the ground up

  • PMP Certified | 15+ years of product development and sourcing leadership across global markets

Awards: CES Product of the Year · Red Dot · Travel + Leisure Product of the Year · Outdoor Retailer Best in Show · NLDA Best New Product

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

PEAK DESIGN — San Francisco, CA2023–2025

Line Lead

  • Led design- and engineering-driven development of a new product category end to end — from concept through prototyping, factory execution, and global launch — delivering $17M in launch revenue

  • Set product direction across a 15-SKU line spanning 5 core styles in multiple colorways; compressed the program from a ~5-year development trajectory to under 2 years while managing factory operations through 12–18 month execution plans, improving schedule efficiency ~4%

DROP (Massdrop) — San Francisco, CA2018–2021

Head of Product Development & Design Studio

  • Directed product development across 12+ product communities — including EDC, denim, timepieces, audiophile, outdoor equipment, and carry — at a leading community-driven CE platform, setting creative direction and studio tone

  • Built and executed licensing/collaboration programs with Marvel, Sennheiser, and Blizzard Entertainment; introduced 18-month R&D calendars, delivering an estimated 4–6% margin improvement

DANIELTARALA.COM — San Francisco, CA2017–Present, concurrent

Fractional Product Development Director / Independent Consultant

  • Partner with startup founders across 9 engagements to build the operational foundation needed to scale — team structure, supplier networks, and product architecture

  • Guide companies through the full product development lifecycle — roadmap, factory selection, sourcing and negotiation, development, and launch

YEEZY — Oakland, CA2017–2018

Head of Product Development & Global Strategy

  • Built Yeezy's product development operation from the ground up — established the Oakland design/prototyping studio as an experimental concept-test lab and R&D pipeline across apparel, accessories, footwear, eyewear, and headphones

  • Built and managed a supply chain of 12+ manufacturers and 37 suppliers, negotiating terms directly in a high-velocity startup environment

VICTORINOX — Ibach, Switzerland 2014–2016

Director of Product & Strategy

  • Directed global product strategy, design, and development — managing a $150M+ portfolio across 300+ SKUs, including international markets — for a heritage brand's travel gear, accessories, and licensed portfolios in a good-better-best program

  • Executed annual back-to-school hard-side collections and Swiss Works programs — the best-selling tier in the portfolio

Earlier Experience: Director of Design / Product & Strategy, TRG Group — led 11+ concurrent licensed brand partnerships (BMW, Audi, Chrysler, Timberland, Swiss Gear) worth $200M+ combined and built Callaway Golf's travel & bag program and Target's Embark private-label brand. Designer, Hexhead Design — soft goods/CE design for Sony, Case Logic, Ping Golf.

CORE SKILLS & CAPABILITIES

Product Development · Design Direction · Industrial Design · Factory & Vendor Management · Overseas Sourcing & Negotiation · Supply Chain Management · Licensing & Brand Partnerships · Program & Project Management (PMP) · Go-to-Market Strategy · Tech Packs & Design Briefs · Soft Goods & Hard Goods

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION

  • B.S. Industrial Design — Art Institute of Colorado

  • PMP Certification — Project Management Institute (PMI)