Global Product Director, 3D Printing

Protolabs•Raleigh, NC

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Global Product Director, 3D Printing is a strategic and data-driven role responsible for leading, managing and directing the product-related activities within the 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Product Line. This role is responsible for proactive management of Protolabs' 3D Printing offering across the full range of additive technologies and materials. The successful candidate will work closely with operations, engineering and R&D, sales, marketing and leadership to maximize the growth, development and return on investment of the organization's product portfolio today and in the future. At its core, this role owns the strategy and the business plans' implementation for all 3D Printing offerings and is jointly accountable for their profitability with the sales and operations. The Global Product Director leads and directs the 3D Printing product team, translating deep additive manufacturing expertise and product strategy into scalable, repeatable go-to-market execution that accelerates adoption across segments and regions. This role reports into the Chief Technology and AI Officer.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in technology, engineering or business.
Deep, demonstrable experience in 3D printing / additive manufacturing, with hands-on understanding of the major technologies (SLS, SLA, FDM/FFF, MJF, DMLS/SLM, PolyJet, binder jetting) and the associated material families (engineering thermoplastics, elastomers, photopolymer resins, and metals)
5+ years (8 years if without an MBA/advanced degree) of related business-to-business product management experience on a business >$50M
Strong command of how additive technology and material selection map to applications, performance requirements, post-processing, tolerances, and cost across both prototyping and production
Demonstrable track record of technical understanding and of working with strong technical organizations (required in place of a technical degree for non-technical majors)
Demonstrable track record driving growth via successful application of the product management / strategic marketing toolkit, including market sizing, market segmentation, voice of the customer, value-proposition development and quantification, and value-based pricing
Proven track record owning product P&L, growth, and margin outcomes
Demonstrated expertise in market sizing, segmentation, voice of customer, value proposition development, and value-based pricing
Proven track record of leading projects and cross-functional teams that successfully achieve milestones and complete deliverables
Excellent communication skills, and comfort with public speaking and executive-team interactions
Ability to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally
U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

Promote and influence strategy formulation and investment decisions and develop 3D Printing product roadmaps with strong market orientation and outstanding financial outcomes
Own the product planning process for the additive manufacturing portfolio, including new technology and new product additions across the full range of 3D printing processes and materials
Set the direction for which additive technologies, materials, and applications Protolabs invests in, balancing prototyping and low-to-mid volume production use cases
Ensure the digital manufacturing offering of 3D Printing drives high conversion of customers on the Protolabs ecommerce platform
Ensure product roadmaps are linked to segment-specific customer needs and willingness to pay, with quantified value propositions based on value delivered vs. competitive offerings and alternative manufacturing methods
Work closely with the Pricing Director to develop pricing strategies based on value delivered relative to the customer's next best alternative, and lead change management around pricing to extract maximum value from new and existing 3D printing offerings
Communicate the value of the offering in customer-centric terms to cause customers to choose Protolabs' additive offerings based on value delivered
Distill key customer value-creation elements of new offerings into functional requirements for the engineering team, including design-for-additive-manufacturing (DfAM) considerations
Align cross-functional teams - Product Marketing, Sales, and Pricing around service-line strategy, priorities, and execution plans, ensuring sales execution stays aligned to roadmap direction and approved messaging
Manage product/service life cycles, profitability, demand planning and maintain competitive additive offering portfolios that deliver more value than the next best alternative
Drive both offering and business-model innovation across the additive portfolio, and lead change as required
Use structured processes to drive expected financial results
Establish and maintain a project-management framework in line with strategic objectives, and monitor and control the delivery of programs and projects
Serve as the senior product authority on additive manufacturing, providing deep technical direction across the major 3D printing technologies — including SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), SLA (Stereolithography), FDM/FFF (Fused Deposition Modeling), MJF (Multi Jet Fusion), DMLS/SLM (Direct Metal Laser Sintering / Selective Laser Melting), PolyJet, and binder jetting
Apply expert understanding of additive materials - including nylons and engineering thermoplastics (e.g., PA 11, PA 12, glass- and carbon-filled grades), TPU and elastomers, photopolymer resins, and metals such as stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, Inconel, and cobalt chrome — to guide portfolio and roadmap decisions
Match technologies and materials to customer applications based on mechanical properties, tolerances, surface finish, build volume, throughput, post-processing requirements, and total cost, spanning both rapid prototyping and end-use production
Stay ahead of emerging additive technologies, materials, and competitive offerings, and translate that insight into differentiated roadmap and investment decisions