Product Development Manager

Universal Forest Products
Cincinnati, St. Louis, Missouri
Workplace: RemoteFull timeFunction: Communications, PR & CommunityExperience: 5-7 yearsEducation: bachelorsSkills: ["Cross-functional leadership","Workshop facilitation","Continuous improvement","Stakeholder collaboration","Innovation process deployment"]

Lead the design and development of new physical product concepts from opportunity identification through launch, translating customer needs and market insights into viable solutions. Drive innovation adoption using design thinking, lean innovation, and stage-gate processes, facilitating workshops, sprints, and concept testing. Partner across engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and commercial teams to ensure feasibility, validate consumer needs, and support portfolio prioritization and commercialization success.

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Universal Forest Products
Universal Forest Products
3 days ago

Product Development Manager

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Last checked: 18 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead the design and development of new physical product concepts from opportunity identification through launch, translating customer needs and market insights into viable solutions. Drive innovation adoption using design thinking, lean innovation, and stage-gate processes, facilitating workshops, sprints, and concept testing. Partner across engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and commercial teams to ensure feasibility, validate consumer needs, and support portfolio prioritization and commercialization success.
Location: Cincinnati, St. Louis, Missouri
Workplace: Remote
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Communications, PR & Community

Key Responsibilities

  • •Lead the design and development of new physical product concepts from opportunity identification through launch.
  • •Translate customer needs, market insights, and business objectives into compelling product solutions.
  • •Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure design feasibility and commercialization success.
  • •Lead projects through structured Innovation and Stage-Gate development processes, facilitating ideation sessions and innovation workshops.
  • •Conduct concept testing and consumer validation (including customer interviews and ethnographic research) and translate insights into actionable opportunities.

Key Requirements

  • •Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, or closely related field (required).
  • •5-7 years of product development experience.
  • •Experience developing physical products from concept to commercialization.
  • •Demonstrated success working within structured product development environments.
  • •Experience collaborating with engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and commercial teams.
Experience:5-7 yearsProduct development
Education:Bachelor's in Industrial Design, Product Design, or closely related field
Skills:Cross-functional leadershipWorkshop facilitationContinuous improvementStakeholder collaborationInnovation process deployment

Company Brief

Universal Forest Products
Manufactures and distributes wood, composite, and other building products for residential and commercial construction. Serves customers across retail, construction, industrial, and packaging markets through a broad network of manufacturing and distribution operations.
Industry: Building Materials
Company Size: Enterprise (1,001+ employees)
Revenue: USD 1B+
Growth: Public Company
Valuation: Public Company (Market Cap in USD)
Funding: IPO / Publicly Listed
Headquarters: Grand Rapids, United States
Founded: 1955
WebsiteLinkedIn