Director of Product Management

Kenstan Lock Company is a leading designer and manufacturer of highly engineered locking systems for the retail, government, and medical industries. We are seeking a highly technical and strategic Director of Product Management to lead the development and evolution of our next generation of connected security and access-control products. This role is not just about managing a roadmap or shipping features, it is about owning products through their full lifecycle — from market discovery and product strategy, through development, launch, adoption, and long-term commercial success.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience managing technical products that combine hardware and software components, such as IoT devices, connected systems, embedded technology, access control, smart devices, or industrial technology platforms. You should be equally comfortable discussing firmware constraints with engineers, software architectures and integration with high-value customers, and business strategy with executive leadership.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, drives clarity across cross-functional teams, and takes accountability for outcomes. You will work closely with customers, engineering, operations, sales, and executive leadership to translate real-world problems into scalable, technically sound product solutions that deliver measurable business impact.

Responsibilities

Product Strategy and Ownership

• Own and drive the product vision, roadmap, and lifecycle for connected hardware/software product lines.
• Identify market opportunities, customer pain points, and competitive gaps to shape product strategy and investment priorities.
• Lead products through the full lifecycle: discovery, validation, development, launch, adoption, scaling, and profitability.
• Define and monitor KPIs related to product adoption, operational performance, customer satisfaction, and business impact.
• Balance customer needs, technical feasibility, operational realities, and commercial priorities in decision-making.

Customer Discovery and Market Validation

• Conduct customer interviews, participate in site visits, and manage ongoing engagement to deeply understand customer strategic needs, user workflows and operational challenges.
• Identify high-value use cases and product opportunities where technology can create meaningful differentiation.
• Validate concepts quickly using prototypes, pilots, proof-of-concepts, and iterative feedback loops.
• Translate customer and field insights into actionable product direction and prioritized development initiatives.

Technical Product Leadership

• Partner closely with hardware, firmware, software, and systems engineering teams to define and deliver integrated product solutions.
• Develop detailed product requirements, technical specifications, user stories, workflows, and acceptance criteria.
• Drive alignment between hardware and software development timelines, dependencies, and release planning.
• Understand and evaluate technical tradeoffs related to embedded systems, cloud connectivity, integrations, security, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Help guide architectural and platform decisions that support scalability and long-term product evolution.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Leadership to ensure successful product delivery and adoption.
• Support go-to-market planning, product positioning, customer rollout strategies, and training initiatives.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with executive leadership on product strategy, risks, timelines, insights, and recommendations.
• Act as the connective tissue between technical teams and business stakeholders.

Accountability and Execution

• Take full ownership of product outcomes, not just process execution.
• Drive initiatives forward in environments where requirements may be evolving or incomplete.
• Push through obstacles, resolve ambiguity, and drive teams toward clear conclusions and measurable results.
• Make evidence-based recommendations on product investment, prioritization, enhancement, or sunset decisions.

Qualifications

• 7 years of product management experience, with significant experience leading technical products that combine hardware and software.
• Experience with connected devices, IoT systems, access control, embedded systems, industrial technology, smart devices, or related technical product environments.
• Strong technical fluency and ability to work effectively with hardware, firmware, software, and systems engineering teams.
• Demonstrated success leading products from concept through commercialization and long-term growth.
• Experience conducting customer discovery and translating insights into actionable product strategies and requirements.
• Strong understanding of agile product development methodologies and cross-functional execution.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Analytical and data-driven mindset with experience defining and tracking product success metrics.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related field preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in physical security, access control, hospitality technology, IoT, or operational technology environments.
• Familiarity with cloud-connected platforms, mobile applications, APIs, wireless communication protocols, or device management systems.
• Experience managing products with both recurring software revenue and physical hardware components.
• MBA or advanced technical degree is a plus.