Lead Product Manager Infrastructure and Operations

Bridgestone Americas • Nashville, TN

2d

About The Position

The Lead, Product Manager for Infrastructure & Operations, will lead the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of store technology platforms across a network of 2,200+ retail locations. This role is responsible for ensuring high availability, performance, and scalability of infrastructure and operational technologies that power store operations, voice/telephony, edge systems, and tight collaboration with Retail Networking Leaders and Enterprise IT platform owners. This Lead, Product Manager position operates at the intersection of technology transformation and retail operations, partnering closely with Retail Operations business leadership, cross-functional IT teams and external vendor partners to modernize legacy environments while maintaining operational excellence across all the Retail Tire and Service network of stores. The role includes direct leadership of two Product Owners (Tech Ops and Voice) and requires strong financial, vendor, and executive communication skills. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role so if you are an applicant on an F1 visa or STEM or OPT or some other form of temporary employment authorization, we will not be able to consider your application for this role and your application will be declined.

Requirements

• 6–10+ years in product management, infrastructure, or IT operations (retail or multi-site environments preferred)
• Proven experience supporting large-scale distributed environments (1000+ locations)
• Strong understanding of: Networking (SD-WAN, routing, switching, firewalls) Voice/telephony platforms Store/edge infrastructure
• Experience managing budgets, vendors, and contracts
• Demonstrated ability to present to and influence executive leadership
• Experience leading small product teams or junior product managers/product owners
• Strong prioritization skills balancing innovation vs operational stability
• Ability to operate in complex, cross-functional environments
• Data-driven mindset with focus on SLAs, uptime, and performance metrics
• Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years of experience; or equivalent work experience

Nice To Haves

• Experience in retail, automotive services, or field operations environments
• Familiarity with platforms like Fortinet, SD-WAN solutions, and cloud-managed networking
• Exposure to Agile / SAFe delivery models
• Effective cross-functional communication
• Problem-solving under pressure, especially during incidents
• Continuous improvement mindset

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the product roadmap for infrastructure and store operations technology, aligned to broader retail IT transformation goals.
• Balance modernization initiatives (SD-WAN, edge compute, cloud connectivity, voice platforms) with run-the-business stability (KTLO)
• Drive adoption of resilient, scalable, and secure architecture across all store locations.
• Partner with architecture and engineering teams to ensure decoupled, flexible infrastructure platforms.
• Manage replacement cycle strategy and roadmap for assets at all store locations.
• Ensure the adoption and usage of Tiered Support Process and Help Desk tools.
• Work with Incident Management group to monitor and manage the health of the stores
• Own performance and uptime of hardware and services: Store hardware – PC’s, servers, tablets, phones, credit card machines, etc Store networking (LAN/WAN, SD-WAN, firewalls) Voice/telephony platforms (e.g., RingCentral or equivalent) Edge infrastructure supporting SaaS POS and store systems Store networking (LAN/WAN, SD-WAN, firewalls)
• Strong strategic planning and collaboration with Retail Networking Leaders and Enterprise IT platform owners
• Ensure store resilience, including offline capabilities and failover strategies
• Define and create operational and trend reporting aligned to SLAs, SLOs, and operational KPIs across all locations
• Lead and develop 2 Product Owners: Product Owner – Tech Operations Product Owner – Voice & Communications
• Set clear priorities, outcomes, and accountability for product teams
• Foster a product-oriented mindset within infrastructure and operations domains
• Partner with: Retail Leaders and Strategy team Various networking teams Cybersecurity teams Store Operations and Field Support Many 3rd party MSP’s and other external vendors
• Align infrastructure capabilities with store experience, uptime needs, and business priorities
• Act as the primary liaison between technical teams and business stakeholders
• Own budget planning, forecasting, and cost optimization for infrastructure and operations products
• Manage vendor relationships and contracts (hardware, telephony, managed services, etc)
• Drive cost efficiency and value realization, including reducing site dispatches and improving remote support capabilities
• Present roadmaps, performance metrics, risks, and investment strategies to executive leadership
• Translate complex infrastructure topics into clear business outcomes
• Support governance forums (Steer Committee, project portfolio reviews, quarterly planning)

Benefits

• A supportive and engaging onboarding experience to ensure a smooth transition into our team.
• The opportunity to develop and grow, through training and regular mentorship.
• Corporate Social Responsibility activities.
• A truly global, dynamic and challenging work environment.
• Agility and work/life effectiveness and your long-term well-being.
• A diverse and inclusive team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior