Lead Product Manager – Hardware, Manufacturing & Strategy

David Aplin Recruiting; Canada; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

David Aplin Recruiting represents a manufacturing client seeking a Product Manager to lead product and engineering direction across the portfolio. You will shape strategy, lifecycle management, and continuous improvement while guiding an engineering team and collaborating with Sales, Marketing and Manufacturing.

The ideal candidate brings strong product management, engineering leadership, and commercial awareness, with the ability to take products from concept through production and drive

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical discipline.
• 7-10 years of experience in product management, product development, or engineering leadership within a manufacturing or durable-goods environment.
• 3+ years of direct experience managing engineers or technical teams, including coaching and performance management.
• Experience managing products through the complete lifecycle from concept through production launch.
• Experience with product-line margins, P&L, or commercial/product financial management.
• Demonstrated experience with Design for Manufacturing (DFM), cost reduction, product standardization, SKU rationalization, or similar initiatives.
• Strong understanding of CAD, PLM/PDM, and ERP/BOM structures.
• Strong business and analytical skills, with the ability to develop and defend product business cases.
• Comfortable interacting directly with customers and gathering market feedback.
• Experience establishing product development processes, roadmaps, stage-gate processes, and engineering change controls.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Engineering team, establishing priorities for product development and technical initiatives.
• Develop and maintain the product strategy and roadmap based on customer needs, market trends, competitive analysis, and business priorities.
• Own the full product lifecycle from concept & development through production, launch, and post-launch improvement.
• Lead product innovation, redesign, teardown analysis, and product enhancement initiatives.
• Identify opportunities for proprietary product features and competitive differentiation.
• Partner with Engineering and Manufacturing to ensure products are manufacturable, cost-effective, and production-ready.
• Standardize and improve existing products, components, and processes to enhance quality, efficiency, and cost.
• Drive cost reduction, part standardization, SKU rationalization, and product simplification initiatives.
• Collaborate with Engineering, R&D, Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, and leadership to align product priorities and execution.
• Manage product development and engineering budgets, team performance, and key product KPIs.
• Build and evaluate business cases involving product costs, margins, volume assumptions, and expected payback.
• Engage directly with customers through field visits, trade shows, dealer meetings, and voice-of-customer activities.

Skills

People leadership

Strategic thinking

Customer-focused

Decisive

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

P.Eng. designation

Tools

CAD

PLM/PDM

ERP/BOM

Job description

David Aplin Recruiting represents a manufacturing client seeking a Product Manager to lead product and engineering direction across the portfolio. You will shape strategy, lifecycle management, and continuous improvement while guiding an engineering team and collaborating with Sales, Marketing and Manufacturing.

The ideal candidate brings strong product management, engineering leadership, and commercial awareness, with the ability to take products from concept through production and drive