Director of Marketing, Product Planning & Business Development

Wabtec; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 105,000 - 149,000; Full time

Job summary

Wabtec is seeking a Director of Marketing, Product Planning & Business Development to unify the marketing function with product development and sales. You will drive multi-year roadmaps, lead Voice of Customer efforts, and partner with Engineering to prioritize investments, while expanding in North American and international transit markets.

You will shape commercial strategy, accelerate new product commercialization, and identify profitable growth opportunities across OEM and aftermarket

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or related field; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Product Management, Product Marketing, Business Development, Marketing, or Commercial Leadership roles.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing teams and cross‑functional initiatives.
• Experience translating market insights into profitable product strategies and commercialization plans.
• Willingness to travel up to 50%.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the Vapor Bus Marketing organization with clear priorities and performance expectations.
• Create and execute annual marketing strategies aligned with revenue, growth, and market share objectives.
• Drive brand positioning, market awareness, and trade show strategy across events and channels.
• Establish marketing KPIs and measure ROI for major campaigns and programs.
• Develop multi-year product roadmaps and lead Voice of Customer initiatives with Engineering and Sales.
• Identify new business opportunities, partnerships, and expansion into adjacent markets.
• Collaborate with Sales to develop customer value propositions and market penetration plans.
• Support executive-level engagement and strategic negotiations with key customers.

Skills

Strategic marketing

Product planning

Voice of customer

Cross-functional leadership

Market research

Business development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing/Engineering

MBA preferred

Job description

Job Description

Who will you be working with?

Wabtec Vapor Bus Solutions is seeking a Director, Marketing, Product Planning & Business Development to lead the marketing function and serve as a commercial bridge between Sales, Engineering, Product Development, customers, and business leadership. The role will combine strategic marketing, product roadmap planning, voice-of-customer leadership, and business development to strengthen market position, accelerate new product commercialization, and identify profitable growth opportunities across OEM, aftermarket, and adjacent transit markets. Reporting to the VP of Sales, this leader will help convert market insights into actionable product strategies, customer value propositions, and go-to-market plans that support long-term revenue growth and portfolio competitiveness.

What will your typical day look like?

• Lead, coach, and develop the Vapor Bus Marketing organization, setting clear priorities and performance expectations.
• Create and execute annual marketing strategies aligned with revenue, growth, and market share objectives.
• Drive brand positioning, market awareness, customer communications, trade show strategy, and industry event participation.
• Establish marketing KPIs and measure return on investment for major programs and campaigns.

Product Planning & Portfolio Management

• Develop and maintain a multi-year product roadmap aligned with customer needs, technology trends, and business strategy.
• Lead Voice of Customer activities to identify emerging customer requirements, unmet market needs, and product opportunities.
• Partner with Engineering to prioritize new product development investments, innovation opportunities, and technical feasibility assessments.
• Conduct market sizing, segmentation, competitive benchmarking, pricing analysis, and portfolio profitability reviews.
• Drive business case development for new products, portfolio extensions, and lifecycle management decisions.

Business Development & Growth

• Identify and evaluate new business opportunities, strategic partnerships, adjacent markets, and expansion initiatives.
• Develop growth strategies for North American and international transit markets, including OEM and aftermarket channels.
• Support key customer relationships and executive-level engagement in partnership with Sales leadership.
• Lead strategic initiatives that expand market share, improve profitability, and strengthen customer value.
• Support negotiations and management of strategic partnerships or commercial agreements where applicable.

Sales & Customer Engagement

• Partner closely with Sales to develop customer value propositions, account strategies, and market penetration plans.
• Deliver competitive intelligence and market insights that improve sales effectiveness and opportunity conversion.
• Support major customer presentations, executive business reviews, product demonstrations, and proposal positioning.
• Develop tools and programs that improve sales enablement, product adoption, and customer understanding.
• Participate in customer visits to understand operational challenges, technology needs, and future procurement priorities.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Engineering to translate market requirements into actionable product development priorities.
• Lead cross-functional alignment on product strategy, commercialization plans, product launch readiness, and customer commitments.
• Build strong working relationships with Operations, Supply Chain, Field Service, Finance, Engineering, and Sales.
• Serve as the commercial voice of the customer across the organization.
• Drive alignment between product roadmap priorities, engineering schedules, customer commitments, and revenue objectives.

What do we want to know about you?

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field; MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Product Management, Product Marketing, Business Development, Marketing, or Commercial Leadership roles.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing teams and cross‑functional initiatives.
• Experience working with engineering and technical development organizations.
• Demonstrated success developing product roadmaps, customer value propositions, and commercialization strategies.
• Strong strategic planning, analytical, financial, and business case development skills.
• Experience leading customer‑facing initiatives, executive‑level presentations, and market growth programs.
• Ability to translate customer requirements and market insights into profitable business solutions.
• Ability to travel up to 50%.
• Relocation assistance may be provided if eligibility requirements are met.

Additional Information

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The salary rate for this role is currently $104800-149300 The actual salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, education, business needs, market demands and work location. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. More information on offered benefits, which include health, welfare, and retirement, are available at mywabtecbenefits.com. Other benefit offerings for this role may include annual bonus, if eligible.

What could you accomplish in a place that puts People First?

At Wabtec, it’s not just about a job - it’s about the impact you make. When our people come together, we’re Expanding the Possible by continuously improving what we do and how we do it - for our clients and each other.

If you’re ready to revolutionize how the world moves for future generations, Wabtec is the place for you.

Who are we?

Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value‑added services for the freight and transit rail sectors. Drawing on more than 150 years of experience, we are leading the way in safety, efficiency, reliability, innovation, and productivity. Whether it’s freight, transit, ports, logistics, mining, industrial, or marine, our expertise, technologies, and people together – are accelerating the future of transportation. With roots that date back to George Westinghouse, Thomas Edison, and Louis Faiveley, Wabtec has always built technologies and implemented solutions for a variety of sectors that are critical to meeting the needs of customers and governments alike.

Our global team of about 30,000 employees worldwide delivers performance that moves the world forward. We’re lifelong learners, obsessed with better. Learn more at www.WabtecCorp.com.

Culture powers us and the possibilities.

We believe the best ideas come from a mix of experiences and backgrounds. At Wabtec, we strive every day to create a place where everyone belongs. We’re building a culture where leadership, inclusion and your unique perspective fuel progress.

We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome talent of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities, including race, gender, age, disability, veteran status and more.

Need accommodation? Just let us know - we’ve got you.