VP Product

What we are: Fun fastpaced clientfocused peoplecentric inviting flexible and rapidly growing.

What we are not: Overly structured uncompromising disengaged or disconnected.

We are seeking a versatile resourceful and strategic VP of Product to lead the product team and execute product strategy globally. The ideal candidate understands and naturally embodies the bold product stance and valued product philosophy Waites is built on. We enjoy taking back napkin ideas and executing them strategically. We love watching 1000 flowers bloom and still deciding to plant more. We think big and act bigger. We iterate iterate and iterate again. We take on projects of varying scale and flavors and we all support one another in making our product (and services) better each day.

The VP Product will learn and develop alongside our visionary leaders and stakeholders. This role will be responsible for scaling product operations optimizing product roadmaps and delivering top value to customers while juggling speed quality and reliability. This individual will lead a product management team drive product launch strategies and ensure our solutions continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers. If you are skilled at understanding and aligning to whats important to businesses can navigate a world of competing product priorities and are looking for an organization that truly empowers you to explore and create wed love to hear from you. The work we do is categorically awesome and we hope to find the right fit based on culture experience and passion for product.

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Location: Cincinnati OH

Office Location: Queens Gate area of Cincinnati OH

Onsite Requirements: Onsite leadership needed; Remote flexibility as needed

Travel: 010

Work Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the U.S. Sponsorship is not available at this time

Exemption Status: Exempt

Job Description

This position will give you the opportunity to:

Strategic Leadership & Product Roadmap

• Serve as trusted advisor to the CEO and executive leadership on product development.
• Contribute to and influence the product roadmap while aligning with stakeholders vision.
• Ensure strategic prioritization of projects based on business impact balancing speed and quality.
• Evaluate and refine the product development process while maintaining agility and innovation.

Product Development &

• Oversee the development and lifecycle of multiple product initiatives simultaneously.
• Ensure proper productmarket fit by incorporating customer insights and datadriven decisions.
• Work closely with engineering sales and customer experience teams to align product strategies.
• Improve product quality and reliability while ensuring rapid iteration and innovation.

Customer & Market Representation

• Act as the Voice of the Customer ensuring product development aligns with market needs.
• Engage directly with customers to gather insights validate product concepts and enhance user experience.
• Lead product training initiatives for sales and support teams to ensure proper positioning and messaging.
• Conduct competitive analysis to define unique value propositions and market differentiation.

Executive & CrossFunctional Collaboration

• Communicate product decisions across departments ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Lead executive discussions on product development tradeoffs and longterm vision.
• Collaborate with marketing and sales teams to drive product adoption and revenue growth.

Team Leadership & People Management

• Manage and develop a team of Product Managers Certification Manager & Technical Writer.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to team members fostering professional growth.
• Create an environment of empowerment collaboration and ownership within the product organization.
• Ensure alignment between product engineering and customer success teams.

Process & Operational Excellence

• Introduce scalable product management methodologies while maintaining agility and iteration.
• Establish clarity in project ensuring all stakeholders understand priorities and objectives.
• Define and drive ROI calculations for product investments ensuring financial viability.
• Balance quality customer satisfaction and speed of innovation without compromising reliability.

Critical Thinking & DecisionMaking

• Quickly assess situations and make strategic recommendations under uncertainty.
• Navigate the complexity of an evolving product ecosystem with multiple active projects.
• Provide datadriven arguments to justify product prioritization and development efforts.
• Ensure that business strategy and product align for sustainable growth.

Cultural & Leadership Fit

• Work closely with the CEO adapting to a fastpaced visionary leadership style.
• Be comfortable in ambiguity and able to bring order to chaos.
• Demonstrate a high level of intellectual curiosity problemsolving ability and strategic foresight.
• Challenge ideas constructively while understanding when to push back and when to align.
• Embody a cando attitude taking ownership and delivering results.

Certifications & Compliance

• Oversee product certifications & work closely with the Product Certification Manager to streamline and optimize the certification process.
• Ensure compliance with domestic and international regulatory requirements especially as international expansion continues.
• Balance certification efforts with product innovation to avoid bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

Qualifications & Requirements

• 10 years of product management experience including leadership roles in industrial technology IoT SaaS or related fields.
• Proven track record of managing and scaling product teams in a fast paced highgrowth environment.
• Strong ability to align business objectives with product development and .
• Excellent communication and leadership skills to work across functions and with executives.
• Experience working with hardware and software products in an industrial or B2B setting.
• Datadriven mindset with the ability to analyze market trends and customer needs to inform decisionmaking.
• Experience working with agile product development processes.

Culture Fit Requirements

• High intellect and strong analytical skills
• Innovative and driven to constantly improve
• Nonbureaucratic flexible and able to thrive in a fastmoving environment
• Positive energy and attitude towards people and problemsolving
• Demonstrates a balance of humility strong work ethic and interpersonal savvy (Humble Hungry and Smart) in approach to teamwork and problemsolving
• A genuine human who likes to do awesome work with a cool team
• Demonstrates a Can Do mentality

Why WaitesAt Waites we offer an attractive base salary with a strong history of profit sharing. We are intensely customerfocused with a culture that encourages hard work fun and mutual success. As we continue to grow there will be many opportunities for professional advancement and development.

If you are an agile and innovative product leader looking for an exciting new challenge please apply with your resume to

Please note that we do not require assistance from thirdparty staffing agencies or recruitment firms at this time.

WST is an Equal Opportunity Employer.