Director, Product Strategy and Lifecycle Management

Körber Group•Pine Grove Township, PA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Product Strategy and Lifecycle Management owns regional material handling equipment (MHE) product strategy, prioritization, and portfolio success within the Global Product Management framework. The role represents regional needs in global roadmap decisions, leads Technical Product Leads, directs product requirements and development priorities, and develops lifecycle recommendations and business cases. In partnership with Global Product Management, R&D, Engineering, Commercial, Operations, and Supply Chain, the Director drives Innovation Vitality and commercial success. The position serves as the primary regional interface to Global Product Management, translating global strategy into regional priorities and representing customer needs, market requirements, competitive intelligence, and commercial priorities. It develops and maintains a multi-year regional product portfolio strategy, recommends product introductions, enhancements, standardization, rationalization, and end-of-life decisions, and is accountable for regional portfolio performance, including revenue growth, profitability, competitiveness, customer adoption, and innovation results. The Director develops business cases and financial analyses to support investment, budgeting, and portfolio prioritization; drives new product introduction, roadmap execution, and disciplined portfolio management; and assesses customer needs, competitor activity, market trends, and emerging technologies. The role ensures regional product requirements are clearly defined and incorporated into development planning, aligns product decisions with customer value and operational capabilities, leads and develops Technical Product Leads, and ensures compliance with global Product Management governance and processes. It provides leadership with visibility into portfolio performance, roadmap progress, risks, business cases, and decisions requiring escalation or alignment. This is a full-time, exempt position in a hybrid work setting, based with the parcel logistics team in Irving, Texas. Travel of up to 30%, including internationally, is required. Applicants must already be authorized to work full-time in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field.
At least 10 years of progressive experience in product management, portfolio management, product strategy, or lifecycle management.
Leadership responsibility in complex B2B technology, automation, industrial, intralogistics, or material handling equipment environments.
Strong expertise in product strategy, portfolio and lifecycle management, roadmap development, regional prioritization, and lifecycle decisions.
Ability to use Innovation Vitality and other performance measures to guide priorities and maximize customer and business value.
Ability to translate customer, market, commercial, and operational insights into product requirements and priorities; develop business cases; evaluate trade-offs; and make evidence-based recommendations.
Strong understanding of Product Management governance, decision rights, and lifecycle practices.
Experience aligning global and regional teams, improving processes, and collaborating across R&D, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Service, and senior leadership.
Ability to establish a clear vision, translate strategy into execution, align teams around shared priorities, and lead through change, ambiguity, and growth while focusing on business outcomes and customer value.
Proven ability to lead and inspire Product Management, Technical Product Leadership, and cross-functional teams in complex, matrixed global environments.
Experience with coaching, mentoring, talent development, performance management, succession planning, and organizational capability building.
Excellent communication, facilitation, negotiation, executive presentation, and stakeholder management skills, including simplifying complex information, clarifying trade-offs, and escalating material risks.
Strategic, pragmatic, decisive, and collaborative approach.
English fluency is required.
Ability and willingness to travel up to 30%, including internationally.
Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; the employer will not sponsor work visas.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree.
German, Spanish, or Portuguese language skills.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary regional interface to Global Product Management, translating global strategy into regional priorities and representing customer needs, market requirements, competitive intelligence, and commercial priorities.
Identify regional-market gaps and drive alignment on product and roadmap decisions.
Develop and maintain a multi-year regional product portfolio strategy aligned with growth objectives, customer needs, technology roadmaps, and market opportunities.
Lead recommendations for product introduction, enhancement, standardization, rationalization, and end-of-life decisions in partnership with Global Product Management.
Own regional product portfolio performance, including revenue growth, profitability, competitiveness, customer adoption, and innovation results.
Develop business cases and financial analyses to support investment, budgeting, and portfolio prioritization decisions.
Drive Innovation Vitality through new product introduction, roadmap execution, and disciplined portfolio management.
Assess customer needs, competitor activity, market trends, and emerging technologies to identify growth opportunities and inform product strategy.
Define, prioritize, document, and communicate regional product requirements to Global Product Management, R&D, Engineering, and relevant stakeholders.
Partner with global and regional development teams to incorporate requirements into development planning.
Align product decisions with customer value, technical feasibility, manufacturability, scalability, serviceability, and supply-chain capabilities in partnership with relevant functions and regional leadership.
Lead, coach, and develop Technical Product Leads across assigned product families, setting priorities, objectives, performance expectations, and capability development plans.
Ensure compliance with global Product Management governance, processes, decision rights, and communication standards.
Provide leadership visibility into portfolio performance, roadmap progress, material risks, business cases, and decisions requiring escalation or regional or global alignment.
Travel up to 30%, including internationally.