Director, Global Product Management, Phased Array & Eddy Current Sensors

The Director, Global Product Management is a critical leadership role within the Wabtec Inspection Technologies Global Product Management & Marketing (PMM) organization.  Reporting to the Global VP PMM for NDT, this role is responsible for leading a team of Product Specialists to sustain and grow the market share of the Phased Array sensors and Eddy Current sensors product lines, while maintaining a long-term vision to meet market needs. 

The Director, Global Product Management is accountable for assigned product lines P&L development against targets and key product market share development globally, as well as within regions and targeted market segments.  In this effort, this role will coordinate and collaborate very closely within the Product Management team, with Sales Leadership, as well as with Application Engineering teams. 

The Director, Global Product Management must work collaboratively with regional Sales Management and Applications Engineering teams to collect market intelligence data (VoC, VoS, win/loss root cause analysis, industry trends, market share, market opportunity in targeted segments, competitor activities/trends).  It is critical that the Director, Global Product Management utilizes this market intelligence data to focus our efforts toward Innovation that Matters.  The Product Management team must continually refine our development strategies and priorities to create products and solutions based upon what actually matters to our customers.

The Director, Global Product Management is responsible for the development and maintenance of their assigned Product Line Strategies and Product Road Maps (PRM).  This activity will be coordinated with Global Working Groups comprised of team members selected by the Director and VP PMM from Global Product Marketing, Sales, Application Engineering, and R&D. 

The Director, Global Product Management is responsible for regular collaboration and coordination with R&D to ensure that PRM projects are well executed, and for execution of Product Launch / NPI activities with Winning Go-To-Market strategies and unparalleled Unique Customer Value Propositions.  Launch / NPI activities must be well-coordinated with Global and Regional Leaders from Sales, Applications Engineering, and Marketing. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

•        Team Management & Talent Development:

• Oversee team of Product Specialists. Where applicable, based on Product Line(s) assigned, oversee a team of Application Specialists and/or Application Scientists.

• Provide timely and complete roll-up of Global Product Management team activities, KPIs, Problem Solving Process documents, and PDCA Action Plan improvement initiatives.

• Responsible to monitor, optimize and achieve product performance within business objectives. Responsible for monthly monitoring and analysis of actual achievement vs KPIs to identify requirements for improvement. Drive global solutions to achieve business goals.

• Delegate key responsibilities for specific products/product lines as appropriate to team members.  While maintaining ownership over the complete Business Line KPIs, foster talent development among Product Specialists through delegation of KPI measurement, management, problem solving, PDCA Action Plan improvement initiatives.  Ensure that KPIs that are managed by team members are effectively rolled up into Business Line KPIs in a timely manner for reporting purposes.

• Ensure that team members are regularly exposed to a range of activities to foster talent development.  This includes responsibility for regularly (daily) product support activities with customers and sales team members, participation in R&D activities, attendance at working group meetings, regular collaboration with the Sales and Application Engineering organizations, and regular travel to meet with customers, support sales, provide training, attend tradeshows/seminars, etc.

•        Own Product P&L:

• P&L Business owner/leadership of the assigned product line(s), including all strategic planning through to market launch and product life cycle, as well as third-party strategic partnerships and potential M&A opportunities.

• Coordinating with different teams to ensure optimal product vitality and performance, while maintaining a long-term vision to meet market needs.

• Focus on ensuring that correct market pricing is implemented for all key products in each region to maximize sales volume and revenue.  Collaborate with Sales on validation of pricing and implementation.  

• Act as the key approver for all assigned product pricing.  Work with stakeholders at the global and regional level to ensure efficient pricing implementation processes are in place.

• Monitor key product cost on a monthly basis (or as needed) to ensure that changes are detected and impact to profitability are understood.  Collaborate with Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Finance, and other stakeholders to address issues, and to drive initiatives to improve profitability.

• Focus on Service offerings that are related to assigned product lines.  Set expectations for product support periods, spares pricing, service contract offerings, etc.  Support implementation within regional service organizations.

•        Product Roadmap Development and Management:

• Development and maintenance of a detailed Product Road Map (PRM) for the assigned product line(s).  Provide clear specifications for development projects as well as clear prioritization of features/functions to direct product development, production, and launch. 

• Provide updated Product Road Map documentation for annual planning cycles, taking into account actual project status and impacts.

• Collaborate with R&D leaders and Program Management Office to ensure that PRM plans are regularly updated in Clarity tool.  This activity is critical to allow for development prioritization, planning, budgeting, and overall project execution.

• In close collaboration with Global Sales, participate proactively in building relationships with strategic key accounts and opinion leaders who will influence broader market acceptance (such as OEM & Asset Owner who define the to-be testing standards) to drive growth in the long-run, fuel product development efforts and ensure relevance of strategic plans.

•        Long-term Product Planning:

• Market Opportunity Identification: Working with Application Engineering & Sales to conduct market analysis to identify opportunities and key market and customer segments, and to gather information on customers and competitors.

• Anticipate market trends and plan the lifecycle of assigned products, including launch, maturity, and sunsetting.

• Close collaboration with Supply Chain and Manufacturing to coordinate the product sunsetting process, ensuring proper part availability for service to EOL, and minimizing extra inventory to be scrapped after sales and service activities end.

•        Development of Winning Go-to-Market Strategies and Launch Materials (NPI Packages):

• Lead the New Product Introduction (NPI) process start-to-finish, working with stakeholders to meet launch deadlines. Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Application Engineering to develop requirements for global & regional marketing campaigns to ensure successful market introduction and sustainment.

• Value Proposition and Message Definition: Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Application Engineering to define the value proposition for new products and support the development of key messages for marketing campaigns.

• Creating content of all detailed documents for product launches, including technical data sheets, user manuals, competitive analysis, and sales support materials.

• Align with Marketing Communications on web and collateral plans for launch.

Minimum Qualifications

• Excellent understanding of targeted markets, customer segments and customer needs for assigned business line.

• Deep understanding of the Product Portfolio within the assigned product lines, competitive products, relative market position of Evident at the global and regional level.

• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, including English language, strong interpersonal skills and an ability to effectively interact at a senior executive level.  

• Significant experience with NPI activities and driving marketing campaigns.

• Significant experience with product line strategy development and execution.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, or related field. 

• 10+ Years Product Management and/or Product Marketing Experience.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of inspection modalities related to assigned business line.

• Strong knowledge of the science & technology related to assigned business line.

• Outstanding written and oral communication skills, interpersonal skills in a multi-cultural environment, and an ability to effectively interact at a senior executive level.  

• Strong skills in talent development and retention.

• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.

• Proficiency in data analysis for strategy development, reporting, and presentation. 

• Ability to execute complex mid-to-long term projects according to plan coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders.

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 tools, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint. 

• Ability to travel domestically & internationally up to 20%. 

Pay Range $104,800 – 149,300 base salary depending on experience plus annual bonus target.

**Many Wabtec Inspection Technology positions are located at export-control-restricted work locations or require access to export-controlled information. To be considered for these positions, you must be a U.S. Person. If hired, you must be able to provide valid proof of such status.

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The salary rate for this role is currently $104,800 – 149,300 depending on experience. The actual salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, education, business needs, market demands and work location. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. More information on offered benefits, which include health, welfare, and retirement, are available at mywabtecbenefits.com. Other benefit offerings for this role may include annual bonus, if eligible.

What could you accomplish in a place that puts People First?

At Wabtec, it’s not just about a job - it’s about the impact you make. When our people come together, we’re Expanding the Possible by continuously improving what we do and how we do it - for our clients and each other.

If you’re ready to revolutionize how the world moves for future generations, Wabtec is the place for you.

 

Who are we?

Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for the freight and transit rail sectors. Drawing on more than 150 years of experience, we are leading the way in safety, efficiency, reliability, innovation, and productivity. Whether it’s freight, transit, ports, logistics, mining, industrial, or marine, our expertise, technologies, and people together – are accelerating the future of transportation. With roots that date back to George Westinghouse, Thomas Edison, and Louis Faiveley, Wabtec has always built technologies and implemented solutions for a variety of sectors that are critical to meeting the needs of customers and governments alike.

Our global team of about 30,000 employees worldwide delivers performance that moves the world forward. We’re lifelong learners, obsessed with better. Learn more at www.WabtecCorp.com.

Culture powers us and the possibilities.

We believe the best ideas come from a mix of experiences and backgrounds. At Wabtec, we strive every day to create a place where everyone belongs. We’re building a culture where leadership, inclusion and your unique perspective fuel progress.

We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome talent of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including race, gender, age, disability, veteran status and more.

Need accommodation? Just let us know - we’ve got you.