[Hiring] Director of Product Management @Arrowhead Engineered Products

Role Description

The Director of Product Management is responsible for defining what J&N sells and ensuring products are effectively positioned, represented, and perform successfully in the marketplace. This role leads the Product Management, Cataloging, Product Data, and Quality teams, translating vehicle, market, customer, and competitive intelligence into a profitable product strategy and roadmap.

This leader is accountable for bringing new products to market with complete and accurate fitment and content while ensuring all products meet fit, form, function, durability, and reliability expectations. The position shares responsibility for business line performance and drives 80/20 portfolio management initiatives to maximize growth and profitability.

Key Outcomes

• Achieve or exceed annual revenue, gross margin, and new product sales targets.
• Expand application and competitive coverage while improving fitment accuracy and ACES/PIES data quality.
• Reduce time-to-market from product approval to channel-ready product availability.
• Lower warranty claims and product return rates through effective root-cause analysis and corrective action.
• Improve inventory turns and reduce obsolete inventory through disciplined product lifecycle management.
• Drive profitable portfolio growth through strategic assortment optimization and 80/20 initiatives.

Product Strategy & Lifecycle Management

• Develop and own category strategies and a prioritized product roadmap utilizing VIO data, OE research, interchange analysis, competitive intelligence, sales trends, and margin performance.
• Lead the stage-gate product development process from business case creation through sourcing, validation, launch, and post-launch review.
• Partner with Sourcing and Engineering to establish product cost targets, quality standards, and market positioning.
• Recommend pricing, assortment, and portfolio optimization strategies.
• Apply 80/20 methodologies, portfolio simplification, and zero-based review processes to maintain strategic coverage while reducing complexity.
• Evaluate market opportunities and competitive gaps to support profitable growth initiatives.

Catalog, Product Data & Content Management

• Own application, fitment, OE, and competitor interchange data across all product categories.
• Establish and maintain ACES/PIES standards and structured cataloging processes, including non-vehicle applications.
• Ensure timely, accurate catalog submissions and data feeds across distributor, retail, eCommerce, and marketplace channels.
• Govern product master data across ERP, PIM, and customer systems through defined ownership, change management, and audit processes.
• Leverage workflow automation and AI-enabled tools to improve the speed, consistency, and accuracy of product data enrichment and validation.
• Drive continuous improvement in catalog accuracy and product discoverability.

Product Quality & Supplier Performance

• Establish fit, form, function, durability, and validation requirements in partnership with Engineering, Sourcing, and suppliers prior to product launch.
• Lead the commercial review of warranty claims, product returns, and field failures to distinguish product defects from application or data-related issues.
• Drive root-cause investigations and corrective actions to resolution.
• Incorporate quality learnings into product specifications, supplier performance management, and catalog content improvements.
• Monitor quality trends and implement proactive measures to improve product reliability and customer satisfaction.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead, coach, and develop a multidisciplinary team across Product Management, Cataloging, Product Data, and Quality functions.
• Establish clear priorities, performance expectations, role accountability, and succession plans.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, customer focus, and engagement.
• Lead regular business reviews, roadmap discussions, launch gate meetings, catalog accuracy reviews, quality assessments, and KPI reviews.
• Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) and target-to-improve (TTI) metrics.
• Present concise monthly business, product, and portfolio updates to senior leadership.
• Partner closely with Sales, eCommerce, Sourcing, Engineering, Operations, and other Arrowhead business leaders to drive strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 8+ years of automotive aftermarket experience in Product Management, Catalog Management, Product Data Management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of leadership experience managing teams.
• Strong knowledge of ACES, PIES, OE and competitor interchange data, vehicle applications, and catalog management best practices.
• Demonstrated success developing product roadmaps and prioritizing initiatives using financial, market, and customer data.
• Experience leading cross-functional product launches.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience with ERP, PIM, and catalog management systems.
• Strong analytical, communication, and presentation skills.
• Sound business acumen with the ability to influence and lead across functions.

Requirements

• Experience with rotating electrical products including starters, alternators, and related components.
• Working knowledge of VCdb, PCdb, PAdb, and Qdb.
• Experience conducting warranty analysis and managing supplier corrective action processes.
• Knowledge of 80/20 portfolio management and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Up to 25% travel is required, including travel within North America and occasional travel to the United States for business meetings, training, supplier visits, customer engagements, and industry events.
• A valid passport is required.

Compensation

• Competitive base salary of $150,000 - $180,000, plus incentive compensation, based on experience, qualifications, and relevant industry expertise.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to communicate verbally and hear effectively. The employee may be required to sit for extended periods and will frequently stand, walk, use hands to handle or operate office equipment, and reach with hands and arms. This role may be required to occasionally work in an outdoor venue position themselves on or near a track, off-road course, or testing environment in order to assess new products and offerings.