Sr. Product Manager

Car Keys Express•Louisville, KY

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Product Manager is responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition of CKE Solid Keys products, bringing new product lines to B2B and retail channels and opening new distribution channels in collaboration with departments across the company. The role bridges market opportunities with product definitions that meet customer needs and leads new product introduction from ideation through engineering development and commercial launch. Reporting to the VP Technology, the position owns product strategy, roadmaps, and feature definition for CKE Solutions and works closely with R&D, Manufacturing, Marketing/Sales, and Executive Leadership to develop roadmaps, validate technical specifications, and deliver innovative, high-margin solutions. The role is based in Louisville, Kentucky. It leads cross-functional product development and launch activities, maintains product lifecycle information, and addresses escalated customer issues. The position has no direct reports.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
At least 10 years of industry experience, with a proven track record of leading product launches from inception and execution through commercial launch.
At least 3 years of leadership experience in R&D or Product Management.
Solid technical background with experience in hardware and software development for consumer products.
Familiarity with regulatory requirements, product literature, marketing materials, and packaging.
Demonstrated project management experience.
Ability to define product specifications based on customer pain points, develop product and marketing strategies, and communicate recommendations effectively to executive management.
Strong data and analytical skills, including advanced proficiency in spreadsheets, automation, and AI tools for manipulating large amounts of data.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams in a matrix environment.
Direct experience working with R&D, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and commercial teams.
Excellent communication, management, interpersonal, and leadership skills, including cross-functional negotiation, project management, and executive presentation skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Business, Engineering, or Marketing.

Responsibilities

Define product functional specifications based on customer requirements for R&D, marketing, and sales teams.
Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to define market size and pricing strategies through competitive analysis and volume forecasting.
Partner with R&D and Sales to define technical specifications, technical and commercialization risk mitigation strategies, and proof-of-concept MVP demonstrations with success criteria.
Work with R&D to define product cost, program timelines, and resources needed for program execution.
Own the customer-value proposition, feature trade-offs, and business case ROI evaluation; present proposals to executive leadership for approval.
Lead cross-functional new product introduction through ideation, prototype testing, final build, packaging, and launch using project tracking platforms.
Manage product launches, host Product Launch Meetings, and ensure release checklist items are completed accurately and on time by all teams.
Own the five-year product roadmap based on market and sales trends, including updated scoping metrics, revenue projections, and product cost estimates.
Present business cases and product strategy proposals to the Executive Leadership Team for approval.
Maintain the accuracy of product owners’ manuals, packaging, and product information on the CKE website.
Manage product Vehicle in Operation (VIO) coverage data for internal and external stakeholders.
Resolve escalated, high-visibility customer issues.
Ensure accurate product specifications, compatibility information, and user information on CKE web pages.
Travel to various locations, including client sites, field locations, or training venues, as needed.