Winnebago Industries

Head of Product Management

Winnebago Industries  •  Nappanee, IN (Onsite)  •  10 days ago
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Job Description

Primary Objective of Position:The Head of Product Development Marketing plays a central role in shaping the future of our motorized RV portfolio. This leader is responsible for leading a team, guiding product strategy, driving innovation, and ensuring our products reflect a deep understanding of the customer and the brand.

Working at the intersection of marketing, engineering, design, sales, and supply chain, this role manages the product portfolio from early concept through launch, growth, and lifecycle optimization. The position champions the voice of the customer, cultivates strong relationships with dealers and suppliers, and translates market insights into products that strengthen our competitive position and attract the next generation of RV owners.

This role requires a strategic thinker who can also execute—someone equally comfortable shaping long-term product vision and working cross-functionally to bring new ideas to market. The position offers significant visibility and growth potential and is intended to develop future leadership within the organization.

Key Areas of Responsibility


Product Strategy and Portfolio Leadership

  • Own and manage the product strategy for one or more motorized product lines within the broader portfolio while leading other product managers and their respective segment(s)
  • Define long-term product roadmaps that align with brand strategy, market opportunities, and company growth objectives.
  • Identify emerging consumer trends, technologies, and design directions that inform future product innovation.
  • Evaluate portfolio performance and lead strategic decisions around product positioning, segmentation, and lifecycle management.

Innovation and New Product Development

  • Lead the development of new products from concept through commercialization.
  • Partner with design, engineering, and PMO teams to translate customer insights into differentiated products and experiences.
  • Drive innovation initiatives that strengthen competitive advantage and attract new customer segments.
  • Ensure product concepts reflect both brand identity and evolving customer expectations.

Customer and Dealer Insight

  • Develop a deep understanding of end users through direct engagement, research, and market observation.
  • Build strong relationships with dealers to gather meaningful feedback on product performance, customer preferences, and emerging needs.
  • Regularly visit dealerships, trade shows, customer events, and field locations to remain closely connected to the market.

Go-to-Market and Product Launch

  • Lead cross-functional planning for new product introductions in collaboration with sales, marketing, engineering, production, and service teams.
  • Define product positioning, pricing strategy, and value propositions that support profitable growth.
  • Ensure product launches are executed with clarity and alignment across internal and external stakeholders.

Portfolio Performance and Cost Management

  • Monitor product profitability and performance metrics, identifying opportunities to improve margins, enhance value, and optimize the portfolio.
  • Lead initiatives such as value engineering, feature prioritization, and supplier collaboration to maintain competitive cost structures.
  • Partner with supply chain and engineering teams to ensure product solutions balance innovation, manufacturability, and quality.

Cross-Functional Leadership

- Serve as a key liaison across marketing, sales, design, engineering, PMO, purchasing, and supply chain.

- Influence cross-functional teams to align product priorities and deliver successful launches.

- Communicate product strategy and performance insights to senior leadership and internal stakeholders.


Key Attributes

Strategic Product Thinking

  • Ability to connect customer insight, brand strategy, and business objectives into a compelling product vision.

Customer Experience and Market Orientation

  • Demonstrated curiosity and commitment to understanding how customers live, travel, shop for, and experience products.
  • Prior experience leading or working closely with consumer insights, conducting quantitative and qualitative research to uncover consumer needs and inform product development plans.

Collaborative Leadership

  • Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders across diverse disciplines.
  • People developer with player-coach mentality that knows when to challenge, when to direct, and when to work alongside.

Strong Communication and Influence

  • Comfort presenting ideas and strategies to senior leaders, dealers, and partners while building alignment and enthusiasm.

Innovation Mindset

  • Comfortable working in early-stage concepts and ambiguity while translating ideas into practical product solutions.

Business and Financial Acumen

  • Ability to evaluate product opportunities through market analysis, cost structures, pricing strategy, and profitability.

Education and Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, engineering, or related field; MBA preferred.
  • 8–12+ years of experience in product development, marketing, category management or related strategic roles.
  • Experience managing complex products or product portfolios, preferably in RV, marine, automotive, outdoor recreation, or adjacent lifestyle industries.
  • Demonstrated success launching new products and driving profitable portfolio growth.
  • Strong analytical and financial modeling skills with experience developing business cases and product forecasts.
  • Ability to travel domestically to dealers, events, and customer locations.

Why This Role Matters

This role sits at the heart of how we build products that customers love. By combining customer insight, thoughtful design, and disciplined product strategy, this leader will help shape the next generation of motorhomes and the experiences they enable.

For the right individual, this position offers the opportunity to influence the future of the brand and grow into broader leadership responsibility over time.

Join a team dedicated to delivering innovative solutions and unforgettable experiences for RV enthusiasts. If you’re passionate about blending strategy, creativity, and customer focus into winning product plans, we’d love to hear from you!

Winnebago Industries

About Winnebago Industries

At Winnebago Industries, we believe that time spent outdoors is time well-spent. Winnebago Industries is a leading North American manufacturer of outdoor recreation products under the Grand Design, Newmar, Winnebago, Barletta and Chris-Craft brands.

We are a family of brands, each unique in its own rich legacy, but united in the pursuit to elevate every moment outdoors for our customers. The company builds high-quality motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth-wheel products, outboard and sterndrive powerboats, pontoons and commercial community outreach vehicles.

Committed to advancing sustainable innovation and leveraging vertical integration in key component areas, Winnebago Industries has multiple facilities in Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota and Florida. The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and traded under the symbol WGO.

We’re looking for people who are as passionate about their work as they are about the outdoors. We seek fresh minds and skilled hands that can bring new perspectives, ways of working and technology to deliver exceptional experiences. We do this best when we allow ourselves the time to enjoy the environment — so we seek to keep a healthy balance between work and play.

Be part of a team that treats each other with the respect, trust and humility needed to create extraordinary outdoor experiences for our customers.

Industry
Manufacturing & Production
Company Size
1,001-5,000 employees
Headquarters
Eden Prairie, MN
Year Founded
1958
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