Global Product Director, 3D Printing

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team. We encourage applications from candidates who may not meet every qualification but are intrigued by the role.

About the role

This is a hybrid role based in our Maple Plain, MN, or Raleigh, NC office, with on-site work expected on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The Global Product Director, 3D Printing is a strategic and data-driven role responsible for leading, managing, and directing the product-related activities within the 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Product Line. This role owns the strategy and business plans' implementation for all 3D Printing offerings and is jointly accountable for their profitability with sales and operations. The successful candidate will work closely with operations, engineering and R&D, sales, marketing, and leadership to maximize growth, development, and return on investment of the organization's product portfolio. This role reports into the Chief Technology and AI Officer.

Responsibilities

• Strategy & Planning
  • Promote and influence strategy formulation and investment decisions; develop 3D Printing product roadmaps with strong market orientation and outstanding financial outcomes.
  • Own the product planning process for the additive manufacturing portfolio, including new technology and product additions across all 3D printing processes and materials.
  • Set the direction for which additive technologies, materials, and applications Protolabs invests in, balancing prototyping and low-to-mid volume production use cases.
  • Ensure the digital manufacturing offering of 3D Printing drives high conversion of customers on the Protolabs ecommerce platform.
• Value Proposition Development
  • Ensure product roadmaps are linked to segment-specific customer needs and willingness to pay, with quantified value propositions based on value delivered vs. competitive offerings and alternative manufacturing methods.
  • Work closely with the Pricing Director to develop pricing strategies based on value delivered relative to the customer's next best alternative; lead change management around pricing to extract maximum value from new and existing 3D printing offerings.
• Customer Relationship Management
  • Communicate the value of the offering in customer-centric terms to drive customer choice based on value delivered.
  • Distill key customer value-creation elements of new offerings into functional requirements for the engineering team, including design-for-additive-manufacturing (DfAM) considerations.
  • Align cross-functional teams—Product Marketing, Sales, and Pricing—around service-line strategy, priorities, and execution plans.
• Products and Services Management
  • Manage product/service life cycles, profitability, demand planning, and maintain competitive additive offering portfolios that deliver more value than the next best alternative.
  • Drive both offering and business-model innovation across the additive portfolio; lead change as required.
  • Use structured processes to drive expected financial results.
  • Establish and maintain a project-management framework in line with strategic objectives; monitor and control the delivery of programs and projects.
• Technical & Additive Manufacturing Leadership
  • Serve as the senior product authority on additive manufacturing, providing deep technical direction across major 3D printing technologies: SLS, SLA, FDM/FFF, MJF, DMLS/SLM, PolyJet, and binder jetting.
  • Apply expert understanding of additive materials—including nylons and engineering thermoplastics (e.g., PA 11, PA 12, glass- and carbon-filled grades), TPU and elastomers, photopolymer resins, and metals such as stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, Inconel, and cobalt chrome—to guide portfolio and roadmap decisions.
  • Match technologies and materials to customer applications based on mechanical properties, tolerances, surface finish, build volume, throughput, post-processing requirements, and total cost, spanning both rapid prototyping and end-use production.
  • Stay ahead of emerging additive technologies, materials, and competitive offerings; translate that insight into differentiated roadmap and investment decisions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in technology, engineering, or business. MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Deep, demonstrable experience in 3D printing / additive manufacturing, with hands-on understanding of major technologies (SLS, SLA, FDM/FFF, MJF, DMLS/SLM, PolyJet, binder jetting) and associated material families (engineering thermoplastics, elastomers, photopolymer resins, and metals).
• 5+ years (8 years if without an MBA/advanced degree) of related business-to-business product management experience on a business >$50M.
• Strong command of how additive technology and material selection map to applications, performance requirements, post-processing, tolerances, and cost across both prototyping and production.
• Demonstrable track record of technical understanding and working with strong technical organizations (required in place of a technical degree for non-technical majors).
• Proven track record driving growth via successful application of the product management / strategic marketing toolkit, including market sizing, market segmentation, voice of the customer, value-proposition development and quantification, and value-based pricing.
• Proven track record owning product P&L, growth, and margin outcomes.
• Demonstrated expertise in market sizing, segmentation, voice of customer, value proposition development, and value-based pricing.
• Proven track record of leading projects and cross-functional teams that successfully achieve milestones and complete deliverables.
• Excellent communication skills, and comfort with public speaking and executive-team interactions.
• Ability to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally.
• U.S. Citizenship, lawful permanent residency (green card), or refugee/asylee status required due to ITAR regulations.

Skills & Leadership Traits

• Leadership: Confident, mature person with the ability to connect and inspire others; influence decision-making with peers and leadership.
• Results-Oriented: A "driver" who takes action and implements effective solutions in a timely manner.
• Problem Solver: Creative yet pragmatic; methodical, hands-on, and detail-oriented.
• Analytical Thinking and Decision-Making: A "conceptualizer" who integrates market trends and issues into roadmaps and business strategies; decisive and logical in recommending and driving the best course of action.
• Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills: A team player and builder, receptive to ideas from others; works effectively with all levels of management and a diverse workforce.
• Ethics: Highest level of professional integrity, honesty, and personal credibility.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and annual bonus opportunity.
• Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan.
• Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Account (including employer contributions).
• Dental and Vision coverage.
• Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance.
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability.
• Paid caregiver leave.
• PTO + Holiday Pay + Wellness Hours + Volunteer Hours.
• 401k with company match and immediate vesting.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program at a 15% discounted rate.
• Matching grants through Protolabs foundation.

Pay

$136,900 - $205,300 a year. Actual pay offered will vary depending on job function, work experience, specialized skills, training, education, and certifications.

Schedule

Hybrid role based in Maple Plain, MN, or Raleigh, NC office, with on-site work expected on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

• Regularly required to sit; use a computer keyboard, monitor, mouse, telephone, and printer; reach with hands and arms; talk, see, and hear.
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop, or kneel; must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Majority of work performed in an office setting; may require time in manufacturing areas exposed to machinery and noise (eye protection occasionally required).
• Occasional exposure to outside weather conditions, moving mechanical parts, high or precarious places, wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock, and vibration.
• Noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.