Senior Product Manager - Instantel in Kanata Ottawa, Ontario at Securitas Technology Canada Corporation

Position Summary

The Senior Product Manager is a critical strategic role within Instantel (a Division of Securitas Products & Solutions - Securitas Technology) and is responsible for ensuring the Company's products continue to meet evolving customer needs while driving profitable, sustainable growth. The successful candidate will serve as the bridge between dealers, customers, the marketplace, Sales, R&D, Marketing, Production, Service, and executive management. The primary responsibility of the role is to translate customer and market requirements into clear, prioritized, commercially viable, and technically achievable product requirements that can be developed efficiently, cost-effectively, and successfully commercialized.

The Senior Product Manager owns the product roadmap, functional specifications, product lifecycle, and long-term product portfolio strategy. Working closely with cross-functional teams, the role ensures resources are focused on developing the right products, at the right time, at the right cost, at the right price, for the right markets including existing, adjacent, and emerging markets.

By providing disciplined product leadership, they will improve development efficiency, reduce costly rework and changing priorities, accelerate time-to-market, strengthen competitive positioning, and maximize the long-term profitability of Instantel's product portfolio.

Primary Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Develop and maintain the long-term product strategy for all Instantel product lines.
• Own the multi-year product roadmap.
• Identify product gaps, market opportunities, and new product initiatives.
• Recommend investments in new products and technologies for core, adjacent, and new markets.
• Recommend product retirement and end-of-life strategies where appropriate.

Voice of Customer & Market Intelligence

• Develop a deep understanding of customer workflows, applications, and operational challenges.
• Gather product requirements through direct interaction with customers, dealers, consultants, distributors, and industry partners.
• Analyze competitive products, technologies, pricing, and market trends.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and changing regulatory requirements.
• Maintain an ongoing Voice of Customer process.

Product Requirements & Functional Specifications

Working closely with the Director Business Development & Sales, Director R&D and key business and technical team members:

• Translate customer needs into clear, complete, and prioritized product requirements.
• Develop and own comprehensive Functional Specification Documents that provide Engineering with practical, technically achievable product requirements.
• Ensure all requirements include measurable acceptance criteria.
• Balance customer value with technical complexity, development cost, schedule, manufacturability, serviceability, and commercial viability.
• Minimize scope changes during development through disciplined upfront product definition.

Product Development Leadership

Working closely with the Director of R&D and key R&D team members:

• Participate throughout the product development process.
• Clarify product requirements during development.
• Evaluate proposed design trade-offs.
• Participate in design reviews.
• Support validation of completed features against approved specifications.
• Assist in managing product scope throughout development.

The Senior Product Manager defines what the product must accomplish and why it should be built. Engineering determines how those requirements are implemented.

Product Lifecycle Management

Own products throughout their lifecycle, including:

• Concept development
• Business case development
• Product definition
• Development support
• Product launch
• Product enhancements
• End-of-life planning

Commercial Success

Working closely with Director Business Development & Sales, Sales team members, and Marketing:

• Recommend product positioning.
• Recommend pricing strategy.
• Develop value propositions.
• Support product launches.
• Develop sales tools and technical product information.
• Support major customer opportunities.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Work closely with:

• Research & Development
• Sales
• Marketing
• Production
• Technical Support
• Service
• Executive Management

The Senior Product Manager leads through influence and collaboration rather than direct organizational authority.

Decision Making Authority

The Senior Product Manager is expected to make recommendations regarding:

• Product priorities
• Product roadmap
• Functional requirements
• Product features
• Market opportunities
• Product lifecycle decisions
• Product positioning
• Product pricing recommendations
• Product investment priorities

Major investment decisions remain subject to executive approval.

Work Environment

This position is based at Instantel's Ottawa, Ontario headquarters and offers a flexible hybrid work arrangement. Given the collaborative and customer-facing nature of the role, regular on-site presence is essential to effectively engage with cross-functional teams, support product development activities, and participate in strategic planning and decision-making.

The successful candidate is expected to work on-site a minimum of three days per week (Tuesday through Thursday). Subject to business requirements, remote work may be accommodated on Mondays and Fridays. However, the needs of the business take precedence, and additional on-site attendance may be required.

The role also requires significant travel, both domestically and internationally, to meet with dealers, customers, strategic partners, and other stakeholders. Regular field engagement is considered an essential component of the position, ensuring a thorough understanding of customer requirements, market trends, and emerging business opportunities.

Qualifications

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Electronics, Technology, or another relevant technical discipline.

An MBA or postgraduate business education is considered an asset.

Experience

• Approximately 10 years of progressively responsible experience.
• Demonstrated success managing technically complex products.
• Experience developing product strategies and roadmaps.
• Experience translating customer requirements into product specifications.
• Experience working closely with engineering teams throughout product development.
• Experience launching commercial products.
• Experience working with customers and sales organizations.
• Experience with hardware, embedded firmware, software, cloud platforms, or integrated systems.

Industry experience in instrumentation, monitoring, industrial electronics, mining, construction, environmental monitoring, or related markets is preferred but not mandatory.

Required Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong technical aptitude
• Excellent business acumen
• Strategic thinking
• Exceptional analytical ability
• Outstanding written communication skills
• Ability to develop clear technical documentation
• Strong presentation skills
• Excellent listening skills
• Customer-focused decision making
• Commercial awareness
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams
• Sound judgment
• High integrity

Travel

Travel of approximately 20–30% is expected to:

• Visit customers and dealers.
• Attend trade shows and industry events.
• Conduct field evaluations.
• Participate in product launches and customer demonstrations.

Travel schedules will vary depending on business needs.

Location: Ottawa, Ontario

Reports To: VP Instantel directly with dotted line to Director R&D and Director Business Development & Sales