Director, Product Management

Fortune Brands is looking for a Director of Hardware Product Management to lead the hardware product strategy and execution for our Connected Security portfolio. This is a role for someone who wants to leave real fingerprints on the business — build on a strong foundation, shape where it goes next, and help define what the next generation of intelligent access looks like across Yale, August, Master Lock, and Sentry Safe.

Responsibilities

Own the full 4P strategy (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) for hardware across the Connected Security portfolio, serving as the primary product authority for Yale, August, Master Lock, and Sentry Safe smart security devices; Define and maintain a rolling 3-year hardware product roadmap aligned to business strategy, customer needs, and competitive positioning; Lead by doing as much as by directing — writing product briefs, running line reviews, and presenting roadmap to senior leadership; Lead cross-functional new product development teams through the full product lifecycle from unmet need identification through commercial launch across retail, e-commerce, and B2B channels; Partner closely with engineering, industrial design, operations, and marketing to deliver differentiated, manufacturable, and profitable hardware products; Develop winning go-to-market plans incorporating pricing strategy, channel mix, demand forecasting, and messaging frameworks; Conduct primary and secondary market research, competitive analysis, and consumer insight development to identify category trends and whitespace opportunities; Translate voice-of-customer and channel partner feedback into clear, actionable product requirements; Build and develop the hardware product management team, establishing practices, raising the bar on craft, and developing next-generation PMs; Align roadmap investments to strategic customer requirements across both B2C and B2B segments

Requirements

You're a builder — you define process where it doesn't exist, create clarity from ambiguity, and get more done through influence and ingenuity than org chart; Deep fluency in consumer electronics or smart home technology product development — you understand hardware constraints, BOM tradeoffs, and what it takes to bring a connected device to market; Strong 4P instincts: you think naturally about pricing architecture, channel dynamics, positioning strategy, and promotional trade-offs; Customer obsession: you use research and data to ground decisions, and you move fluidly between consumer insight and business case; Cross-functional leadership presence — you can align and motivate engineering, design, sales, operations, and finance toward shared outcomes without direct authority; Comfortable owning a portfolio with both B2C and B2B dimensions — you understand how channel dynamics, buyer psychology, and success metrics differ; A bias for clarity: you simplify complexity, write crisp product briefs, and make hard prioritization calls; An instinct for developing others — you invest in your team and raise the standard of practice in the PM function; 10+ years of Product Management experience, with a meaningful portion in hardware or connected device categories; Demonstrated experience in consumer electronics, smart home technology, or comparable hardware/software product environments; Proven track record owning full 4P strategy and taking hardware products from concept through commercial launch; Experience managing cross-functional teams across engineering, industrial design, supply chain, and go-to-market functions; Strong background in both primary and secondary customer research; ability to synthesize insight into product strategy; Experience navigating both retail/e-commerce (B2C) and commercial/B2B go-to-market models; Demonstrated ability to build and improve product management processes and team capability; BA/BS in Engineering, Marketing, or a related field required; Ability to travel up to 20%, including occasional international travel; Excellent verbal and written communication skills; executive-ready presentation capabilities

Nice to have

MBA preferred; Hands-on experience with smart home ecosystem partnerships and an understanding of how the leading smart home platforms operate and integrate with connected hardware; Familiarity with access control, physical security, or safety product categories; Experience in multi-brand portfolio management; Background in channel management across mass retail, specialty, and e-commerce (Amazon 1P/3P, owned DTC)

Benefits

Competitive compensation; Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits; Generous PTO policy; Flexible work model; Matching 401(k) contributions; Life insurance; Tuition/certification reimbursement; Annual bonus plan or role-based sales incentive plan; Product discounts; Adoption benefits; Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)