Product Manager-Engineering

Description

The role sets product direction for a batching software line used in feed mills to feed production animals.

You will be the main link between customers, software developers, hardware teams, support staff and business stakeholders.

The team is seeking someone to start the role, and the reporting line is still to be set by department leadership.

The company's products are used in feed mill operations, so the role needs a strong grasp of plant processes and equipment.

Responsibilities

• You set the product direction for the batching product line.
• You build, maintain and share an 18-month roadmap that reflects customer needs, operational priorities and business goals.
• You look for chances to add features, optimize systems and innovate.
• You identify where AI, analytics and automation can improve system performance and decision-making.
• You turn business goals, user feedback and market insight into requirements, feature priorities and success measures.
• You track product performance, adoption and KPIs, and recommend improvements.
• You work with business, technology and design teams on solution design, delivery and user experience across the product life cycle.
• You research markets and competitors to spot trends, openings and risks.
• You write business cases, positioning material and internal updates on product value and roadmap priorities.
• You help rank initiatives and enhancement requests so resources go to high-value work.
• You gather and document business, functional and system requirements, write user stories, workflows and acceptance criteria, and keep the backlog ranked by customer impact, strategic value, feasibility and urgency.
• You work with developers from design through build, test and release.
• You visit customers to learn about their operations, pain points and options for improvement.
• You help design solutions that raise efficiency, throughput, reliability and system performance.
• You audit existing systems to confirm software settings, configurations and integrated processes work correctly, and recommend fixes and optimizations.
• You coordinate software, support, hardware and implementation teams, giving them clear requirements and timely updates.
• You are the central contact for product questions, requirements clarification and field feedback.
• You help troubleshoot, run root cause analysis and resolve issues in software-controlled processes and equipment integration.
• You join a rotating on-call schedule to support customers running 24/7 operations.

Requirements

• You have worked in feed mill operations, batching systems, industrial automation or a similar manufacturing setting.
• You understand PLCs, automation logic and software-controlled industrial processes.
• You know mechanical and electrical systems used in production or process plants.
• You have turned customer or business needs into product or system requirements.
• You write and speak clearly, and you organize and prioritize work well.
• You can work effectively across several teams and functions.
• You are willing and able to travel 30% to 40% of the time.
• You are willing and able to join a rotating on-call schedule.
• You hold a bachelor's degree in engineering, agricultural engineering, industrial technology, automation, computer science or a related technical field, or equivalent education and relevant experience.
• You hold a bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, information systems, health sciences or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• You have 4+ years in product management, product operations, business analysis, digital solutions or a related field.
• You are bilingual in English and French.
• You understand life sciences, drug managed care, market access, and the needs of payers and healthcare decision-makers.
• You can conduct market research, validate new products and services, build roadmaps and define product requirements.
• You know market research, data analytics and performance metrics.
• You understand software development life cycles and Agile methods.
• Familiarity with Salesforce in an Agile environment is an asset.
• You can assess, design and implement technology solutions.
• You know financial systems and tools, including Enterprise Performance Management, Business Intelligence, Data Warehouse, AI/ML, Power BI and Microsoft Office.
• You can build roadmaps that sequence recommendations around parallel and dependent initiatives.
• You analyze data and turn it into actionable insights.
• You understand PLC fundamentals, ladder logic, control sequencing, HMI functionality, SCADA and industrial communications.
• You know pumps, motors, conveyors, augers, feeders, batch boxes, mixers, valves, gates, bearings, gearboxes, belts and couplings, including common failure modes.
• You know VFDs, starters, relays, contactors, breakers, overloads, sensors, load cells, control panels and electrical schematics, and you understand electrical safety and lockout/tagout.
• You can explain technical concepts and turn them into operating processes.
• You stay open to feedback, mentoring and coaching.
• Preferred: experience in animal nutrition, feed manufacturing or agricultural production systems.
• Preferred: experience in product ownership, product management, controls engineering, systems engineering or applications engineering.
• Preferred: familiarity with SCADA, HMI systems and industrial control platforms.
• Preferred: experience working in Agile or similar product development environments.
• Preferred: knowledge of AI, predictive analytics or advanced automation in industrial applications.
• Preferred: experience supporting customer-facing technical solutions in the field.
• Preferred: certification in agile methodologies, lean, product management or pragmatic marketing.

Conditions

Work is split between office, remote and field settings, with regular time in feed mills and manufacturing facilities.

Travel is 30% to 40% of the time.

On-call duty runs after hours on a rotation, because customer operations never stop.

This is a full-time role.

The salary range is $76,200 to $119,460. This is a national average, and the actual range may vary by location. In Colorado, California, Washington, New York, Hawaii, Vermont, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Illinois, the range may be up to 10% lower than the minimum and 12% higher than the maximum.

Success is measured by clear requirements, progress on the 18-month roadmap, better customer system performance and efficiency, collaboration across teams, quick issue resolution, useful enhancements, and strong audit and optimization results.

Duties may change with business needs and local rules. Where an employment agreement, local terms, a prior job description or a collective bargaining agreement conflicts with this profile, those documents apply, and mandatory local law always prevails.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision care.
• Support for physical, emotional, financial and social wellness.
• Support for working families, including backup dependent care, adoption assistance, infertility coverage, family building support, behavioral health solutions, paid parental leave and paid caregiver leave.
• Training programs, professional development resources, mentorship, employee resource groups and volunteer activities.