Director of Product Management - Cellular at Aclara

We have a future to create. So join Aclara, as we harness science and engineering to make a difference. We’re at the intersection of communications, data technology, energy, and national resource engineering.

Our 800 energy and utility customers across the globe ask us to solve complex challenges from making the power grid smarter, to delivering clear water, to empowering their customers to conserve energy. We’re a hardware, software and network engineering company building new solutions to hard problems. We’re big data gurus and in-the-field problem solvers.

Sound like your kind of challenge? Then join us.

We offer competitive benefits such as medical, dental, and vision care, flex spending, 401k, tuition reimbursement, vacation, holiday & personal time, and we are committed to diversity and to our veterans.

The Product Management Director is responsible for Aclara’s overall Cellular portfolio of products. Products include cellular-enabled electric meters sold in North America and Europe, Data Collection Units with cellular backhaul options, and Grid Monitoring sensors with cellular communication options. The Product Manager sets the vision for the cellular strategy. Among many responsibilities, the PM develops and articulates road maps, leads New Product Introductions (NPI’s), and meets aggressive commercial growth goals for the business. 

Essential Functions:

• Act as a cross functional leader within the company promoting the cellular strategy.
• Define strategy and roadmaps in accordance with Aclara’s product development processes.
• Work with internal and external third parties to assess partnerships and licensing opportunities to accelerate business growth.
• Create business cases with financial analysis. Work with internal stakeholders to obtain estimated sales volumes and product costs.
• Deliver Market Requirements Documents (MRDs) with prioritized features and corresponding justification.
• Define the product and all necessary technical and business requirements.
• Provide appropriate detail of the customer / market needs and use of the product feature set.
• Act as the company’s product expert with respect to the assigned product and overall solution capabilities.
• Provide training and support for Aclara’s customer-facing departments such as Account Management, Field Service, and Sales.
• Plan and coordinate beta and pilot programs.
• Set pricing to meet revenue and profitability goals.
• Work with Sales, Finance and Account Management to deliver a quarterly revenue forecast.
• Weekly reporting of plan execution and progress toward goals.
• Assist in developing sales tools and collateral including:
• Core positioning and messaging for the product in support of the marketing communications process.
• Support the development of marketing materials, product positioning documents, white papers, training documentation and trade show demonstrations for the assigned product portfolio.  Participate in planning for trade shows and other industry conventions and events as needed.
• Perform market research to support the development of short term and long term strategic product plans. 
• Monitor competitor activities and collect competitive information.  Deliver this data to internal stakeholders to support strategic and tactical business planning.
• Manage the product life cycle from product introduction to end-of-life.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Perform product demos to customers as requested.
• Support sales teams and channel partners through the development of presentations, demonstrations, and other materials.  Train the sales teams on the product lines.  Develop remote demonstrations to support sales efforts.  Support the development of proposal responses. 
• Assist in developing corporate standard technical presentations and documentation to ensure consistent messaging.
• Assist Sales in the development of sales forecasts.
• Support the company’s regulatory efforts.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical field with demonstrated success defining technical products.
• 10 or more years’ experience as a Product Manager or related work experience
• Working knowledge of communications networks (telecom/datacom).
• Advanced written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated public speaking skills, including presenting to large external audiences.
• Previous experience working on a team with engineers, sales, and customers.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams without formal reporting authority.
• Previous experience performing market research and collecting competitive information.
• Previous experience developing and monitoring a product roadmap.

Preferred:

• MBA or master’s degree in a technical field.
• Direct experience with electric utilities.
• Demonstrated experience in any of the following is a significant plus: Electric Utility Smart Grids, Internet of Things, Telecommunications Carrier Infrastructure, Utility Advance Metering Infrastructure.

Physical Demands:

• Must be willing and able to travel at least 20% of the time.
• Frequent sitting, standing and walking.