Products Lead

Rakon is a global high-technology company: a New Zealand-grown success story and a world leader in its field. We design and manufacture advanced frequency control and timing solutions for telecommunications, global positioning and space applications. To complement our growing product R&D team, we are looking for a Products Lead with the skills and enthusiasm to significantly enhance Rakon’s competitive position.

About this job

As a Products Lead, you will lead brand new product development particularly during the concept and capture stages. The main objective is to develop compelling business cases for new initiatives, organise teams to and accelerating progress. You will shape products by collaborating closely with internal and external stakeholders to align technology with market needs, ensuring maximum commercial impact. Additionally, you will not only oversee the lifecycle and performance of existing and future XO/VCXO product lines but also take on a people leadership role, manage and develop a team of three direct reports.

What You’ll Do:

Advanced Technology:

• Understand customers (both existing customers and future customers) and markets. Conduct market research supported by on-going visits to customers and non-customers to understand long-term requirements and market/technological trends.
• Guide effective R&D investment in technology enablers. Determine where investment is required for the next generation of market leading products to ensure Rakon’s long term financial success. Seek cross-functional input from global sales team, business development, engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure buy-in across the business and improve investment outcomes.
• Derive detailed product requirements from market research to define Rakon’s future product capabilities.
• Lead great ideas into great products. Own the transition of new products through Rakon’s internal processes to ensure ideas are thoroughly evaluated and developed into active projects by developing and maintain business cases with quantified commercial value, uncertainties, and risk which is bought-off by the businesses leadership team.

Managing the Rakon XO/VCXO product line:

• Analysing product performance, operational metrics and sales success.
• Using an evidence-based approach, manage the transition of the products through the product lifecycle to maximise the product line profitability.
• Define product target cost. Collaborate with key internal and external stakeholders as appropriate to achieve this target cost.
• Support sales in providing pricing guidance including a minimum acceptable price where appropriate.
• Positioning products within the Rakon XO/VCXO portfolio to maximise commercial return for the business.
• Provide high-level market and XO/VCXO product requirements. Develop, own and control the product family roadmap for XOs and VCXO products.
• Work with marketing, business development and sales teams to create effective marketing and go-to-market plans.

Key Competencies:

• An Engineering degree or equivalent (masters preferred) in electronics, mechatronics or mechanical engineering.
• 2+ years’ experience in a similar role Ideally with demonstration of teams leadership.
• Demonstration of developing teams through thought leadership.
• A unique blend of business and technical savvy, a big-picture vision, and the drive to make that vision a reality.
• Excellent financial acumen, experience with price sheets, product lifecycle initiation, new product development, product launches, and end-of-life management.
• Fluent knowledge across key business facets such as profit, loss, margins, analysis and forecasts.
• Strong technical background with an emphasis on product research and development.
• People and cross functional leadership and strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

Desired experience:

• 1+ years in electronics manufacturing.
• MBA, commerce degree or equivalent.

What we offer:

• Work visa sponsorship for successful overseas candidate.
• Excellent work-life balance, hybrid working.
• 20 days of annual leave.
• Competitive salary and bonus.
• Opportunity to work with a global team.

At Rakon, we value task-focused problem solvers and team players who continuously seek to improve our products and business and develop themselves. The guiding principles of the Rakon business are Passion, Respect, Courage, Perseverance, and Integrity. They guide us in the way we operate and the decisions that we make. People from 49 countries work at Rakon, and we are an LGBTQ-friendly company that offers equal opportunity regardless of gender and ethnicity.