Vice President of Product

About the job

Join Our Team

At Onward Robotics, we are a bold, gritty, and purposeful team with an ambitious mission to revolutionize fulfillment. Our team is driven by a client-first mentality: we aim to solve hard problems and fuel our clients’ growth with innovation. We are seeking talented individuals who will have a huge impact on both our business and our team. Join us on our mission as we move fast, think big, and have fun!

About Us

Onward Robotics delivers innovative automation technology that coordinates humans and robots as a cohesive system to revolutionize fulfillment. Our Meet Me solution combines proprietary software with person-to-goods mobile robots to increase efficiency in warehousing, distribution, and e-commerce operations. Onward Robotics provides the boost in productivity, flexibility, and speed that companies need to remain competitive and grow. Learn more at onwardrobotics.com.

Job Purpose

The Vice President of Product at Onward Robotics will lead the strategy, development, and execution of our product vision. You will serve as the strategic and operational leader of our product organization, responsible for defining and delivering innovative, market-leading solutions that align with client needs and accelerate our business growth. You will build and lead a high-performing team, drive cross-functional collaboration, and own the full product lifecycle—from vision through go-to-market.

Duties and Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Vision

• Own the long-term product strategy, ensuring alignment with company goals and client outcomes.
• Define a compelling roadmap that balances innovation with operational scalability and drives competitive differentiation.
• Translate complex warehouse workflows and robotic systems into intuitive, valuable client experiences.

Leadership & Team Development

• Recruit, mentor, and develop a world-class product management team.
• Foster a high-performance, mission-driven culture with a focus on client obsession, cross-functional partnership, and rapid iteration.
• Foster a data-informed culture of experimentation, iteration, and innovation.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Engineering to prioritize development efforts, scope MVPs, and ensure timely, high-quality delivery.
• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, and Client Success to integrate market feedback and deliver a best-in-class go-to-market experience.
• Serve as a key member of the executive team and collaborate with the board and external stakeholders.

Client & Market Insight

• Lead discovery efforts to deeply understand target user personas, client workflows, and industry pain points.
• Drive product decisions using market trends, user data, client or prospect interviews, and competitive intelligence.
• Drive competitive analysis, pricing, and product positioning strategies.

Product Execution & Lifecycle Ownership

• Define and monitor KPIs across product adoption, usage, NPS, and business impact.
• Champion agile methodologies, continuous delivery, and a culture of experimentation and learning.
• Oversee product positioning and solution bundles in collaboration with the Marketing team.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Thinking & Vision
• Leadership & Team Development
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Market and Client Insight
• Agile Product Management
• Technical Fluency
• Business Acumen
• Clear and Persuasive Communication

Typical Day

• Meet with Engineering and Product teams for sprint planning or stand-ups.
• Join cross-functional syncs to align roadmap progress or strategic initiatives.
• Review and give feedback on product designs or business cases.
• Analyze product usage data or customer feedback to inform decisions.
• Check in with direct reports for coaching and performance support.
• Present updates or insights to executive leadership or the board.

Direct Reports

• Senior Product Managers
• Product Managers

Qualifications

Required Skills

• Visionary product leadership with an ability to inspire and align teams
• Expertise in B2B or enterprise software and/or robotics and automation products
• Strong technical understanding of software and hardware integrations
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills
• Experience in product strategy, lifecycle management, and go-to-market execution

Minimum Experience Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive product management experience, with 5+ years in senior leadership roles (Director, VP, or CPO).
• Demonstrated success scaling B2B or enterprise software products—ideally in robotics, automation, or industrial tech.
• Strong technical fluency; ability to collaborate with hardware and software engineering teams.
• Proven experience bringing new, complex products to market from 0 → 1 and 1 → scale.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder alignment skills.
• Ability to lead through influence in cross-functional and executive-level settings.

Preferred Experience Requirements

• Background in warehouse automation, robotics, logistics, or AI-driven solutions.
• Experience in early-stage or growth-stage technology companies.

Minimum Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field

Preferred Education Requirements

• Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) or a technical discipline

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods
• Ability to occasionally visit warehouses or industrial sites (may include walking, standing, or light travel)
• Some travel required (up to 25%) to customer sites, company headquarters, or industry events