Hardware Product Manager – Edge Tech, Bristol

Rowden; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Rowden is seeking a Design Manager to lead the end-to-end hardware product lifecycle, from concept through production, balancing user needs, technical constraints and commercial considerations. The role requires on-site Bristol HQ presence at least three days a week and eligibility for SC clearance.

You will own the product roadmap, translate user needs into actionable requirements, and align engineering, manufacturing, and delivery teams to meet ambitious performance and cost targets.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering hardware products from concept to production.
• Leading cross-functional teams through complex delivery.
• Ability to prioritise and trade off in constrained environments.
• Understanding of supply chain, manufacturing and production logistics.
• Translating customer needs into delivery requirements.

Responsibilities

• Own and develop the product roadmap aligned with market need and business strategy.
• Define a clear product vision, translating customer problems into actionable requirements.
• Prioritise features and capabilities across multiple platforms and constraints.
• Communicate vision clearly to cross-functional teams, customers, and stakeholders.
• Manage hardware product delivery across the full lifecycle; concept, design, prototyping, production.
• Own schedule, quality, cost and technical risk across product lines.
• Make trade-off decisions between performance, cost, timeline and capability in ambiguous environments.
• Drive integration and manufacturing readiness; understand supply chain constraints and logistics.
• Ensure products meet specification, reliability, cost targets and customer expectations.
• Build and lead a small team (design, engineering, and operations as needed).
• Support your team through technical decisions, problem-solving and career development.
• Work cross-functionally with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and customer teams.
• Mentor engineers and establish a culture of accountability and pragmatism.
• Maintain direct relationships with customers; understand their operational needs and constraints.
• Respond quickly to market feedback and customer requests.
• Contribute to go-to-market strategy, pricing, business cases and bid development.
• Ensure customer and end-user needs are reflected in product priorities and decision-making.
• Identify and escape technical, schedule and supply chain risks early.
• Manage design and delivery risks proactively; tolerate ambiguity while driving clarity.
• Ensure quality and reliability standards are met; own test and validation strategy.
• Make pragmatic decisions when data is incomplete or timelines are tight.

Skills

Product management

Cross-functional leadership

Roadmap prioritization

Hardware product delivery

Manufacturing logistics

Job description

Rowden is seeking a Design Manager to lead the end-to-end hardware product lifecycle, from concept through production, balancing user needs, technical constraints and commercial considerations. The role requires on-site Bristol HQ presence at least three days a week and eligibility for SC clearance.

You will own the product roadmap, translate user needs into actionable requirements, and align engineering, manufacturing, and delivery teams to meet ambitious performance and cost targets.