Global Product Director, 3D Printing

Be yourself at Protolabs Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification.  We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace.  So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply!  You can help make our company even better.  We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself.  We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams.

Why Protolabs? We are the leaders in digital manufacturing. We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds. We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do. It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home.

Join Our Team as Global Product Director, 3D Printing! We are accepting applications from candidates based in Minnesota or North Carolina. This is a hybrid role based in our Maple Plain, MN, or Raleigh, NC office, with on-site work expected on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The Global Product Director,3D Printing is a strategic and data-driven role responsible for leading, managing and directing the product-related activities within the 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) Product Line.This role is responsible for proactive management of Protolabs' 3D Printing offering across the full range of additive technologies and materials.

The successful candidate will work closely with operations, engineering and R&D, sales, marketing and leadership to maximize the growth, development and return on investment of the organization's product portfolio today and in the future. At its core, this role owns the strategy and the business plans' implementation for all 3D Printing offerings and is jointly accountable for their profitability with the sales and operations.The Global Product Director leads and directs the 3D Printing product team, translating deep additive manufacturing expertise and product strategy into scalable, repeatable go-to-market execution that accelerates adoption across segments and regions.

This role reports into the Chief Technology and AI Officer.

Strategy & Planning

Promote and influence strategy formulation and investment decisions and develop 3D Printing product roadmaps with strong market orientation and outstanding financial outcomes

Own the product planning process for the additive manufacturing portfolio, including new technology and new product additions across the full range of 3D printing processes and materials

Set the direction for which additive technologies, materials, and applications Protolabs invests in, balancing prototyping and low-to-mid volume production use cases

Ensure the digital manufacturing offering of 3D Printing drives high conversion of customers on the Protolabs ecommerce platform

Value Proposition Development

Ensure product roadmaps are linked to segment-specific customer needs and willingness to pay, with quantified value propositions based on value delivered vs. competitive offerings and alternative manufacturing methods

Work closely with the Pricing Director to develop pricing strategies based on value delivered relative to the customer's next best alternative, and lead change management around pricing to extract maximum value from new and existing 3D printing offerings

Customer Relationship Management

Communicate the value of the offering in customer-centric terms to cause customers to choose Protolabs' additive offerings based on value delivered

Distill key customer value-creation elements of new offerings into functional requirements for the engineering team, including design-for-additive-manufacturing (DfAM) considerations

Align cross-functional teams - Product Marketing, Sales, and Pricing around service-line strategy, priorities, and execution plans, ensuring sales execution stays aligned to roadmap direction and approved messaging

Products and Services Management

Manage product/service life cycles, profitability, demand planning and maintain competitive additive offering portfolios that deliver more value than the next best alternative

Drive both offering and business-model innovation across the additive portfolio, and lead change as required

Use structured processes to drive expected financial results

Establish and maintain a project-management framework in line with strategic objectives, and monitor and control the delivery of programs and projects

Technical & Additive Manufacturing Leadership

Serve as the senior product authority on additive manufacturing, providing deep technical direction across the major 3D printing technologies — including SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), SLA (Stereolithography), FDM/FFF (Fused Deposition Modeling), MJF (Multi Jet Fusion), DMLS/SLM (Direct Metal Laser Sintering / Selective Laser Melting), PolyJet, and binder jetting

Apply expert understanding of additive materials - including nylons and engineering thermoplastics (e.g., PA 11, PA 12, glass- and carbon-filled grades), TPU and elastomers, photopolymer resins, and metals such as stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, Inconel, and cobalt chrome — to guide portfolio and roadmap decisions

Match technologies and materials to customer applications based on mechanical properties, tolerances, surface finish, build volume, throughput, post-processing requirements, and total cost, spanning both rapid prototyping and end-use production

Stay ahead of emerging additive technologies, materials, and competitive offerings, and translate that insight into differentiated roadmap and investment decisions

Bachelor's degree in technology, engineering or business. MBA or advanced degree preferred

Deep, demonstrable experience in 3D printing / additive manufacturing, with hands-on understanding of the major technologies (SLS, SLA, FDM/FFF, MJF, DMLS/SLM, PolyJet, binder jetting) and the associated material families (engineering thermoplastics, elastomers, photopolymer resins, and metals)

5+ years (8 years if without an MBA/advanced degree) of related business-to-business product management experience on a business >$50M

Strong command of how additive technology and material selection map to applications, performance requirements, post-processing, tolerances, and cost across both prototyping and production

Demonstrable track record of technical understanding and of working with strong technical organizations (required in place of a technical degree for non-technical majors)

Demonstrable track record driving growth via successful application of the product management / strategic marketing toolkit, including market sizing, market segmentation, voice of the customer, value-proposition development and quantification, and value-based pricing

Proven track record owning product P&L, growth, and margin outcomes

Demonstrated expertise in market sizing, segmentation, voice of customer, value proposition development, and value-based pricing

Proven track record of leading projects and cross-functional teams that successfully achieve milestones and complete deliverables

Excellent communication skills, and comfort with public speaking and executive-team interactions

Ability to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally

A high-energy, creative and resourceful self-starter who demonstrates leadership skills and has stellar customer instincts

You are highly intelligent and enthusiastic with a commitment to excellence

In terms of personal competencies, you must be a hands-on person who possesses the best combination of strategic thinking and drive to achieve tangible business results

You will have a successful track record with professional growth and achieving results in matrix organizations where you had to use influencing skills to drive results

You will be a strong, integrative thinker and will lead cross-functional teams to drive the organization to outstanding outcomes

You must be able to balance theoretical thought with practical execution

Key traits for this role include:

Leadership: Confident, mature person with the ability to connect and inspire others and influence decision-making with peers and leadership

Results-Oriented: A "driver" who possesses the ability to take action and implement effective solutions in a timely manner

Problem Solver: Creative yet pragmatic problem solver. Methodical and hands-on as well as detail-oriented

Analytical Thinking and Decision-Making: A "conceptualizer" who can integrate market trends and issues into roadmaps and business strategies. Decisive and logical in recommending and driving to the best course of action, with excellent planning, execution, and project-management skills

Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills: A team player and builder, receptive to ideas from others, who works effectively with others to identify and resolve issues. Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to interact successfully with all levels of management as well as a diverse workforce

Ethics: Highest level of professional integrity and honesty as well as personal credibility

We offer a competitive salary and annual bonus opportunity

In addition, we offer amazing benefits including but not limited to:

Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan

Flexible Spending Accounts

Health Savings Account (including employer contributions)

Dental and Vision

Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance

Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

Paid caregiver leave

You will receive PTO + Holiday Pay + Wellness Hours + Volunteer Hours

401k with company match and immediate vest

Employee Stock Purchase Program at a 15% discounted rate

Matching grants through Protolabs foundation

And More!

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