Product Manager - Devices

Safetrust•Fremont, CA

About The Position

Safetrust is building an identity platform that combines IoT devices, mobile credentials, and cloud-native architecture to provide secure access across physical and digital environments. As the company evolves from a hardware-centric model to a platform- and services-driven business, hardware remains an essential part of its solution. The Product Manager - Devices is responsible for transitioning hardware products from prototype to production. Working with executive leadership, Engineering, Procurement, Production, Quality, and external manufacturing partners, this role coordinates hardware and device activities and ensures requirements, deliverables, dependencies, and outstanding issues are identified, communicated, and completed. Executive leadership sets product strategy and direction; this role ensures products move reliably from prototype through production and ongoing improvement. The position coordinates productization, production readiness, manufacturing documentation and quality, testing and configuration management, cross-functional programs, supply chain and vendors, compliance, and pre-production samples. Success includes transitioning five or more hardware products from pre-production to production release in the first 6–12 months and refining the NPI process over the longer term. The ideal candidate resides within approximately two hours of Fremont, California, including travel by air.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in hardware product management, NPI, manufacturing engineering, or related technical hardware roles.
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent experience.
Ownership or significant involvement in at least two successful projects bringing electronic hardware products into volume production.
Strong understanding of electronic assemblies, PCB-based products, manufacturing processes, plastics development and manufacturing, and supply chain operations.
Experience managing BOMs and other manufacturing documentation.
Ability to read and understand engineering drawings, schematics, and technical specifications.
Familiarity with NPI processes, including EVT, DVT, PVT, and production readiness.
Strong project management and organizational skills.
Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership abilities.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Clear written and verbal communication skills in English.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, global environment.
Ability to identify gaps, anticipate issues, and drive accountability and follow-through without direct management authority.

Nice To Haves

Experience with physical access control systems, electronic security devices, RFID readers and cards, or related security hardware.
Experience working with contract manufacturers and hardware suppliers outside the United States, especially in Asia.
Experience supporting hardware product improvements, lifecycle changes, and manufacturing issue resolution.

Responsibilities

Direct and align pre-production prototype builds with contract manufacturers for engineering validation, internal testing, and customer evaluation.
Work with Production to develop work instructions for assembling contract-manufactured PCBAs into pre-production products.
Coordinate development of prototype cases and transition them into production-ready cases that meet applicable certification requirements, such as IP65 and UL294.
Refine enclosure, faceplate, and connector designs for manufacturability, durability, and aesthetics.
Manage tooling and mold development with Procurement in preparation for scalable, high-volume production.
Maintain process documentation following SOPs to support ISO 9001 audit compliance.
Organize third-party penetration security evaluations when required.
Identify design, documentation, testing, and manufacturing gaps and coordinate their resolution before production release.
Oversee the transition of hardware products from pre-production into volume manufacturing.
Ensure manufacturing-release deliverables are complete, accurate, and approved, including BOMs, assembly documentation, test procedures, personalization procedures, packaging requirements, and labeling, traceability, and serialization requirements.
Identify and resolve issues that could affect manufacturability, yield, quality, cost, or schedule.
Align Engineering, Quality, Procurement, and Production on readiness before releasing products for manufacturing.
Track readiness milestones, deliverables, and dependencies, escalating risks and delays as needed.
Support NPI activities, including EVT, DVT, PVT, and initial production ramp-up.
Develop, validate, and maintain manufacturing documentation, configuration controls, and production support assets with Engineering and Production.
Support production ramp-up, stable manufacturing performance, consistent quality, and operational handoff.
Coordinate root-cause investigations and corrective actions for product and manufacturing issues identified during ramp-up.
Support product improvements and hardware changes that maintain reliability and manufacturing consistency.
Work with Test Engineering to establish and implement test software and fixtures.
Coordinate ECOs, product revisions, and configuration updates so affected teams have current information.
Partner with Product Management and Engineering to establish standardized product-configuration SOPs.
Identify missing or inconsistent technical documentation and ensure owners address outstanding requirements.
Coordinate hardware and device initiatives among executive leadership, Engineering, Procurement, Production, Quality, and external partners.
Maintain visibility into milestones, responsibilities, decisions, and dependencies across hardware development and production.
Identify gaps, unresolved issues, and activities without clear ownership, ensuring follow-through and resolution.
Coordinate hardware improvements, revisions, and lifecycle activities after production release.
Support Procurement and contract manufacturers in securing reliable component sources.
Assist with alternate-component qualification and lifecycle risk management.
Manage EVT, DVT, and PVT stages and direct pre-production build execution.
Partner with Certification and Engineering on testing, requirement documentation, and corrective action plans.
Identify compliance and certification prerequisites and integrate them into hardware development timelines and manufacturing roadmaps.
Plan and deliver small quantities of pre-production samples for internal teams and selected customers with Product, Sales Engineering, and Sales.
Coordinate feedback from internal and customer evaluations with technical teams to support product improvements and production readiness.