Product Manager

A Brief Summary Of This Position

The Product Manager is responsible for setting the strategic direction and managing the growth, profitability, and lifecycle of their product portfolio within Valmont’s Lighting & Transportation (L&T) business. This role serves as the primary voice of the customer and the market, translating customer needs, market insights, and competitive intelligence into clear product strategies and execution plans.

Essential Functions

• Provide strategic and tactical leadership to ensure the growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction of their product line
• Own product line stewardship, including product strategic framework, roadmap development, and lifecycle management
• Define market requirements for both existing and new products based on customer, agent, and end-user insights
• Collect and analyze market data, including infrastructure and transportation trends, customer expectations, and regulatory considerations
• Develop multi-year product plans and roadmaps aligned with L&T strategy
• Lead cross-functional product development teams to deliver new products and enhancements on time and within budget
• Partner with Engineering and Operations to ensure product designs are manufacturable, cost-effective, and scalable
• Maintain deep knowledge of competitive offerings and deliver actionable competitive analysis to sales and leadership
• Recommend product line extensions, rationalization, or eliminations to optimize portfolio performance
• Support pricing strategy by monitoring costs, margins, and market positioning in collaboration with Sales and Finance
• Aid in S&OP to support operations planning
• Collaborate with Marketing on product positioning, value propositions, and launch readiness
• Support product launches by ensuring sales tools, training, and communications are developed and delivered on time
• Provide product management support for international markets, ensuring global alignment and awareness of portfolio decisions
• Monitor quality, warranty, and reliability trends and work with cross-functional teams to develop corrective actions

Required Qualifications of Every Candidate

• Demonstrated experience in product management, including product planning, development, and launch
• Proven ability to create and execute business plans and deliver financial results
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence without direct authority
• Experience working closely with Engineering, Sales, Marketing, and Operations
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Strategic thinker with strong attention to detail and execution discipline
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 20%

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MBA, MS, or Engineering-related discipline)
• Product management experience with hard goods, infrastructure, or lighting products
• Experience working with agent-based or two-step distribution models
• Knowledge of the lighting and transportation market
• International product management experience
• Familiarity with emerging lighting technologies, controls, and smart infrastructure trends

Other Important Details About The Role

• Responsible for one- to three-year strategic and tactical planning for the product line
• Works closely with agents, customers, and internal stakeholders to ensure product solutions meet market needs
• Works closely with Sales, Engineering, and Operations to develop new products and manage enhancements to the existing products
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% domestically, including overnight stays, to support industry trade shows, key customer engagements, Valmont facility visits, and vendor site visits

Working Environment And Physical Efforts

• Work is typically performed within an office environment with some work being done in the offsite sales meetings, and out in the field
• While visiting the manufacturing areas of the plant, use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is required at all times
• The work environment can be demanding at times especially during the busy sales season or prior to new product launches
• Domestic travel represents up to 20% of the work schedule and includes transportation by vehicle and by air
• This position requires movement around the office and fields as well as the ability to drive a vehicle to and from the various work sites including the occasional transportation of other team members
• This position may require lifting, carrying, bending, kneeling, pivoting, reaching, standing, climbing stairs, handling, gripping, and visually inspecting equipment parts

Benefits

• Healthcare (medical, prescription drugs, dental and vision)
• 401k retirement plan with company match
• Paid time off
• Employer paid life insurance
• Employer paid short-term and long-term disability including maternity leave
• Work Life Support
• Tuition Reimbursement up to $5,250 per year
• Voluntary programs like tobacco cessation, Type 2 diabetes reversal, one-on-one health coaching, mortgage services and more