Category Director, Technology

Horizon Hobby; Champaign (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounts on Products

401(k) with company match

Paid Time Off

Discounts on Horizon products

Job summary

Horizon Hobby in Champaign, IL seeks a Category Director of Technology to own the commercial vision, category strategy, and long-term growth of its technology portfolio anchored by the Spektrum brand. You will lead ecosystem growth, expand adoption, and increase customer lifetime value across radios, receivers, batteries, and related technologies.

You will align stakeholders across product, engineering, marketing, and sales to deliver a unified tech strategy, champion accessibility, and

Qualifications

• Own the commercial vision, category strategy, and long-term growth of Horizon Hobby's technology portfolio.
• Lead efforts to grow the ecosystem, accelerate adoption, and increase customer lifetime value.
• Align cross-functional stakeholders around a unified technology vision.
• Represent Horizon Hobby at industry events, trade shows, and enthusiast experiences.
• Create strategies to simplify product selection, setup, learning, and ownership experiences.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the long-term strategy for Horizon Hobby's technology portfolio, including Spektrum and related technology categories.
• Identify opportunities to expand ecosystem adoption across radios, receivers, batteries, chargers, telemetry, software, connectivity, and future technologies.
• Create category growth plans that drive revenue, profitability, customer acquisition, and CLV.
• Evaluate adjacent market opportunities, partnerships, and emerging technologies that strengthen the ecosystem.
• Influence product roadmaps to ensure long-term category growth and competitive differentiation.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Ecosystem development

Product strategy

Cross-functional collaboration

Customer experience

Job description

At Horizon Hobby, we inspire dreams and help build memories! Our company is the leader in the global Radio Control industry, celebrating 40 years in 2025! We offer tremendous opportunities for growth and development and a full array of benefits including discounts on our products! We are currently hiring a Category Director, Technology!

This is a full-time, on-site position at our Champaign IL, location. Working hours are Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.

Typical pay for this position is $100,000-$120,000 annually. The final offer for this position will be based on the unique experience and qualifications of the candidate selected. This position may also be eligible for a bonus not included in the base pay range.

From first-time hobbyists learning to fly to world-class competitors pushing the limits of performance, our customers rely on technology to make their experiences more immersive, more capable, and more rewarding. Radios, receivers, batteries, chargers, telemetry, software, connectivity, and emerging technologies increasingly define how enthusiasts interact with our brands.

As the Category Director, Technology, you will own the commercial vision, category strategy, and long-term growth of Horizon Hobby's technology portfolio, anchored by the industry-leading Spektrum brand. You will lead efforts to grow the ecosystem, accelerate adoption, increase customer lifetime value, and identify emerging technology opportunities that strengthen Horizon Hobby's leadership position. You will help define not only what technology products we create, but how customers discover them, learn them, adopt them, and grow within the ecosystem over time.

This role sits at the intersection of product strategy, customer experience, ecosystem development, and business growth.

We're looking for a leader who sees the bigger picture.

Not someone who manages products.

Someone who builds ecosystems.

Someone who understands how technology, customer experience, education, and innovation come together to create lasting customer engagement and business growth.

Most importantly, someone who believes the future of the hobby depends on making advanced technology more accessible, more approachable, and more valuable to the next generation of enthusiasts.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the long-term strategy for Horizon Hobby's technology portfolio, including Spektrum and related technology categories.
• Identify opportunities to expand ecosystem adoption across radios, receivers, batteries, chargers, telemetry, software, connectivity, and future technologies.
• Create category growth plans that drive revenue, profitability, customer acquisition, and customer lifetime value.
• Evaluate adjacent market opportunities, partnerships, and emerging technologies that strengthen the ecosystem.
• Influence product roadmaps to ensure long-term category growth and competitive differentiation.

Make Technology More Accessible

• Champion initiatives that reduce barriers to entry for new hobbyists.
• Create simple, intuitive pathways for customers entering the hobby for the first time.
• Partner across the organization to simplify product selection, setup, learning, and ownership experiences.
• Develop strategies that help entry-level customers confidently enter the ecosystem and naturally progress into more advanced solutions.
• Identify opportunities to improve education, content, digital experiences, onboarding, and customer support.

Own the Customer Journey

• Develop a deep understanding of customer needs, motivations, behaviors, and pain points.
• Translate customer insights into category strategies, business plans, and investment priorities.
• Ensure the voice of the customer is reflected in product, marketing, merchandising, and ecosystem decisions.
• Identify opportunities to improve retention, engagement, and customer satisfaction.

Drive Category Performance

• Own category revenue, profitability, growth, and market share objectives.
• Monitor business performance and identify opportunities to optimize pricing, product mix, merchandising, and lifecycle management.
• Evaluate industry trends, competitive developments, and customer behavior to guide strategic decisions.
• Build business cases and growth plans for strategic investments.

Lead Through Influence

• Partner with Product Development, Engineering, Marketing, Ecommerce, Sales, Operations, and Community teams to drive execution.
• Align cross-functional stakeholders around a unified technology vision.
• Represent Horizon Hobby and the technology category at industry events, trade shows, dealer meetings, and enthusiast experiences.
• Inspire teams around a customer-first approach to growth and innovation.

Physical Requirements

• Occasional lifting of office supplies and materials, up to 20 pounds.
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while working on a computer.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Benefits & Other Perks

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• HSA and FSA options
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance and Supplemental Life Insurance
• 401(k) with a company match
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Internal Rewards
• Discounts on Products
• Additional Coverage such as accident, critical, hospital and pet insurance

Horizon Hobby is a progressive, innovative company and, as such, is constantly reevaluating and reinventing the processes and procedures associated with each job. The essential duties and responsibilities of this position may change at any time. In addition, employees may be asked to work on special projects or to assist with other work necessary or important to the operation of Horizon. Your cooperation and assistance in performing such additional work is expected and appreciated.

Horizon Hobby, LLC is an equal opportunity and E-Verify employer