Technical Product Development Manager

Blue Oak Recruitment; Leeds; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Oak Recruitment is seeking a Technical Product Development Manager to own a portfolio of engineered products for the Electricity Supply and Rail sectors. You will develop concepts, produce specifications and work with manufacturing, suppliers and test houses to bring products from idea to launch.

The role requires understanding technical drawings, CAD, certification, safety and regulatory standards, plus a commercial eye for how to position products for sales.

Qualifications

• Strong technical grounding in engineering disciplines such as Mechanical Engineering or Product Design Engineering.
• Experience with engineered or manufactured products and understanding of design drawings, manufacturing processes, testing and validation.

Responsibilities

• Own the product portfolio and drive genuine technical ownership from concept to launch.
• Develop concepts, specifications and designs; coordinate prototypes, testing and certification.
• Work with manufacturing teams and suppliers to bring products to market and improve existing lines.
• Collaborate with Sales to understand customer needs and commercialisation opportunities.

Tools

CAD

Job description

Technical Product Development Manager

Are you someone who combines strong technical engineering knowledge with the commercial curiosity to look at a product and ask, “Why are we doing it this way?” or “Why aren't we making this ourselves?”

We're recruiting for a business supplying specialist engineered products into the Electricity Supply and Rail sectors, and they're looking for someone to take genuine, technical ownership of their product portfolio.

This isn't a role where you'll inherit a list of projects and simply keep them moving. They want somebody who will get under the skin of the existing range, understand how and why each product is manufactured and sourced, identify where improvements can be made and spot opportunities for completely new products.

You'll develop the concept, produce specifications and designs, work with manufacturing teams and suppliers, coordinate prototypes, arrange testing and certification and make sure the product meets the required technical, safety and regulatory standards before taking it through to launch.

A big part of the role is understanding commercialisation. Designing technically brilliant products that solve a customer's problem or redesigning ageing products into something the Sales team can take to market.

Day to day you'll be working closely with Sales to understand what customers are asking for, where competitors are stronger, where the current portfolio has gaps and what the next generation of products could look like.

There isn't a large product development department around you, so you need to be comfortable working independently, asking the questions, chasing suppliers, speaking to test houses, working with manufacturing, supporting Sales and driving your own projects forward. Cradle to grave in the truest sense.

That also means being comfortable with the less glamorous but essential side of product development. Technical drawings, specifications, Bills of Materials, certification, technical files, manuals, product change records and engineering documentation all sit within your remit. If you start a project, you'll be responsible for making sure the whole job is finished properly.

We're looking for someone with a strong technical grounding – likely Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering or a similar discipline – who has worked with engineered or manufactured products and understands design, drawings, CAD, manufacturing processes, testing and validation.

Candidates with experience within utilities, electricity, rail infrastructure, lifting equipment, overhead line equipment, earthing products, PPE or other safety-critical engineered products will have a distinct advantage, although strong product development experience from another engineering or manufacturing environment will be considered

If you're the sort of person who naturally looks at a product and starts thinking “I could improve that”, enjoys having ownership rather than working on one small part of a much bigger project, and wants the autonomy to take ideas all the way from a conversation to a commercially launched product, this could be a very good fit.

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