Product Development Manager

About Axe:

At Axe, we’re a community of passionate diamond-sport innovators driven by a shared belief that there is always room to elevate the game. Grounded in continuous learning and collective effort, we design bats that feel like natural extensions of the player—reimagining traditional handle-to-barrel architecture to unlock intuitive feel, confidence, and performance. Our purpose is to maximize player potential while building trust and authenticity within the baseball and softball communities. Our mission is to deepen the connection between athlete and equipment through purposeful, performance-driven innovation, and our vision is for an Axe to be an essential presence in every dugout. 

Position Summary:

The Product Development Manager for Baseball & Softball Bats is a hybrid technical role responsible for driving the development and lifecycle of Axe’s alloy and composite bats. This role is built for someone who thinks like an engineer—analytical, curious, mechanically minded—yet thrives in a small team where they can contribute from early technical concepts to product strategy, testing, storytelling, and the final go-to-market execution.

You will evaluate materials, construction methods, barrel and handle designs, and key performance characteristics, then translate those findings into precise specifications for the factory. You will validate prototypes, diagnose performance issues, and review test data provided by the Axe Lab Technician. You will analyze results from compression testing, cannon performance testing, and durability testing to determine the adjustments needed to each design to deliver the highest-performing bat for every certification.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Product Ownership & Lifecycle Leadership

• Own the technical roadmap and lifecycle of Axe alloy and composite bats across baseball and softball categories.
• Develop and maintain detailed product specifications, tolerances, construction notes, and performance targets.
• Evaluate product performance using lab testing, MOI/swing weight analysis, durability data, and competitive benchmarking.
• Ensure each product meets defined performance, quality, and engineering criteria from initial concept to final production.

Deep Voice-of-Hitter Integration:

• Conduct structured player testing, durability checks, competitor bat analysis, and hitter feedback sessions.
• Convert subjective “feel” into measurable requirements (swing weight, handle stiffness, barrel responsiveness, vibration tolerance, etc.).
• Map athlete archetypes to specific design formulas: hitter type ? performance need ? construction approach.

Technical Development & Engineering Support:

Author detailed Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) including:

• ECPs
• Swing weight/MOI ranges
• Handle stiffness
• Layup direction and composite architecture
• 3D CAD models and 2D drawings of Alloy spec and wall-thickness
• Evaluate prototypes through lab testing, field testing, and comparative studies.
• Diagnose root causes when performance deviates—materials, tooling tolerances, adhesives, cure cycles, layup alignment, etc.
• Guide engineering and factory teams by explaining why a construction change is needed and what effect it should produce for different hitter profiles.
• Approve final build specs prior to production.

Factory Collaboration & Technical Communication:

• Maintain close working relationships with composite and alloy manufacturers.
• Review tooling drawings, layup sheets, bill of materials, and quality-control reports to ensure adherence to intended spec.
• Provide clear, structured feedback on prototype deviations or durability failures.
• Troubleshoot manufacturing issues through data, test results, and methodical experimentation.
• Ensure that production consistently reflect intended performance.

Aesthetic & Product Integrity Alignment:

• Work with design teams to ensure aesthetics (finishes, coatings, graphics) do not interfere with durability, weight targets, or functional performance.
• Bring category insights from baseball, fastpitch, slowpitch, and adjacent sports that may influence design considerations.

Cross-Functional Technical Expertise:

• Provide marketing, sales, and customer service teams with accurate technical documentation, performance differentiators, and testing summaries.
• Support the creation of educational materials that explain product functionality, not marketing claims.
• Ensure on time delivery of designs that meet marketing language

Process, Data & Operational Discipline:

• Maintain product documentation—including Design specs, ECP, BOMs, drawings, certifications, and test results
• Build and manage technical development timelines spanning prototyping, testing, certification, and factory approvals.
• Use quantitative data (lab metrics, QC reports, warranty claims, MOI audits) to shape decisions and improve next-generation bats.
• Enforce disciplined testing standards and documentation across the product development cycle.
• Submit prototype design for certification, cosmetic certification and compliance testing.

Requirements

Qualifications:

Required

• 3–7 years of experience in technical product development, product engineering, or technical product management for hardgoods or performance equipment.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate prototypes, review testing data, and collaborate with engineers on technical iteration.
• Ability to translate user feedback into measurable engineering changes.
• Strong mechanical intuition and comfort working with multiple materials, tolerances, and physical product testing.
• Experience collaborating with international factories (composite or alloy manufacturing preferred).
• Exceptional organizational and documentation skills.
• Strong technical communication skills—ability to speak the language of engineering, manufacturing, and design.

Preferred Skills:

• Hands-on experience with composite engineering, materials science, or mechanical testing.
• Background in baseball or softball that provides useful context for bat performance and hitter behavior.
• Exposure to FEA, MOI measurement tools, durability testing processes, or bat performance labs (a plus, not required).
• Ability to travel Internationally to tour production Factory