Technical Product Manager – Mechatronics

Active Group Pty Ltd; Cowra; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Active Group Pty Ltd in Cowra, NSW designs and manufactures three brands - BROOKFIELD, AGRIBIN and TUSKAN - and is evolving into intelligent, sensor-enabled machinery. The Technical Product Manager will own products end to end, from customer insight and concept through prototyping, field validation and production release.

You will lead a small engineering team, collaborate with external firms and serve as the technical link across engineering, operations, sales and our national dealer network.

Qualifications

• Degree in Mechatronic Engineering or closely related field with strong mechatronics experience.
• Minimum 3 years in technical product management, engineering management or project leadership.
• Proven track record of taking physical products from concept to production.
• Solid knowledge of hydraulics, mechanical design, electronics and control systems.
• Experience leading engineers or cross-functional teams and managing external contractors.
• Strong costing and BOM management; advanced Excel skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the product roadmap across BROOKFIELD, AGRIBIN and TUSKAN, prioritising against customer need, margin and manufacturing capacity.
• Translate customer, dealer and field feedback into clear product requirements and project briefs.
• Run products through a structured stage-gate process: concept, prototype, field trial, production release.
• Build and maintain product costings and pricing models across model ranges and tiers.
• Lead, mentor and develop a small in-house engineering team, setting priorities and removing roadblocks.
• Drive mechatronic upgrades to existing products, such as electrified and closed-loop hydraulic control.

Skills

Mechatronics

Project leadership

Engineering management

Costing & BOM

Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechatronic Engineering

Tools

ERP systems

CRM software

Job description

Lead the next generation of Australian-made farm machinery, from steel and hydraulics to sensors and software.

About us

Active Group Pty Ltd (AGPL) · Cowra NSW (Central West) · Full-time, permanent · On-site

Active Group is a family-owned agricultural manufacturer that has designed and built machinery in Cowra since 1974. We're the home of three established brands:

• BROOKFIELD: tillage implements, seedbed preparation tools and grain augers
• AGRIBIN: field bins, mother bins and fertiliser storage
• TUSKAN: hay handling equipment and bale grabs

Everything we make is designed and manufactured under one roof in Cowra, built for Australian conditions. We work closely with farmers, contractors and dealers to reduce downtime at harvest and make on-farm work faster and safer.

The opportunity

Our machines are evolving. What were once purely mechanical and hydraulic products now carry electronic controls, sensors and telemetry. We're looking for a Technical Product Manager with a mechatronics background to lead that shift across our product range.

You'll own products end to end, from customer insight and concept through prototyping, field validation and production release. You'll lead a small engineering team, work alongside external engineering firms and product designers, and be the technical link between engineering, operations, sales and our national dealer network.

This is a hands-on, on-site role. Expect to split your time between the design office, the factory floor, the test bay and the paddock.

What you'll do:

Product ownership and roadmap

• Own the product roadmap across BROOKFIELD, AGRIBIN and TUSKAN, working with the Head of Operations to prioritise against customer need, margin and manufacturing capacity
• Translate customer, dealer and field feedback into clear product requirements and project briefs
• Run products through a structured stage-gate process: concept, prototype, field trial, production release
• Build and maintain product costings and pricing models across model ranges and tiers

Engineering leadership

• Lead, mentor and develop a small in-house engineering team, setting priorities, reviewing designs and removing roadblocks
• Make sound technical trade-offs across mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and control systems
• Drive mechatronic upgrades to existing products, such as electrified and closed-loop hydraulic control
• Engage and manage external contractors, including engineering firms and industrial and product designers, setting scope, timelines and deliverables and integrating their work with the in-house team
• Manage suppliers and specialist partners (hydraulics, castings, steel, electronics) on specification, sourcing and quality

Controls, electronics and connected machinery

• Specify control architectures, sensors, actuators and controllers (solenoids, pressure transducers, ECUs)
• Lead machine telemetry development, including IoT gateway selection, CAN bus integration and cloud data pipelines
• Contribute to embedded and data software, or brief and manage external developers

Validation and field quality

• Design and run validation programmes, including accelerated wear testing and material and hardness comparisons
• Own root cause analysis on field failures and warranty claims, and close the loop with design changes
• Build feedback loops between the dealer network, customers and engineering

Commercial and cross-functional

• Equip sales and marketing with product briefs, feature sets and competitor analysis
• Represent product in customer, dealer and supplier meetings, and at field days
• Contribute to business systems (ERP, CRM) and evaluate new product and partnership opportunities

What you'll bring

• Bachelor's degree in Mechatronic Engineering, or a closely related discipline with strong mechatronics experience
• 3+ years in technical product management, engineering management or technical project leadership, ideally in manufacturing or heavy equipment
• A proven track record of taking physical products from concept to production
• Solid working knowledge of hydraulics, mechanical design, electronics and control systems
• Experience leading engineers or cross-functional project teams, including managing external contractors and consultants
• Strong commercial acumen, including costing and BOM management (advanced Excel)
• Clear, confident written and verbal communication with technical and non-technical audiences
• A hands-on, practical approach and comfort in a workshop environment
• Full Australian working rights
• Based in, or willing to relocate to, the Cowra region

Nice to have

• Software engineering experience (Python, C/C++ or JavaScript)
• Embedded or PLC programming
• Hands-on experience with CAN bus/J1939, MQTT, or AWS or similar IoT and cloud platforms
• Agricultural machinery, implement or farming background
• Field testing, reliability or failure analysis experience
• Exposure to ERP and CRM systems
• Dealer network or customer-facing experience
• Current driver's licence and willingness to travel to customer sites and field days

Why you'll love working here

• Genuine ownership: your decisions go straight into products farmers rely on every season.
• Full-stack engineering: steel, hydraulics, electronics and software, across three brands.
• Design and build under one roof: see your work manufactured and tested on site.
• Established and stable: a 50-year family business with deep customer and dealer relationships.
• Regional lifestyle: affordable country living in the NSW Central West, within reach of Orange, Canberra and Sydney.

Active Group is an equal opportunity employer. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.