Hardware Product Manager

Hardware Product Manager

Location:

Ottawa, ON (Hybrid - majority onsite at 1

VALET R&D Lab)

We are looking for a Hardware Product Manager to own the full lifecycle of all company hardware products - existing and future - including the 1

VALET Entry Systems and related smart‑building devices. This role is accountable for what hardware we build, why we build it, and how it succeeds in the market. You will act as the single point of ownership for company hardware sold to customers, balancing product strategy, technical execution, quality, cost, and long‑term scalability.

You will lead and coordinate a cross‑functional Hardware Squad composed of:

• Production Lead
• Quality Assurance
• Hardware Support Engineers
• Full‑Stack Developers

This is a hands‑on, high‑impact role working closely with R&D, manufacturing partners, software teams, operations, and customer‑facing stakeholders.

• Own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of all hardware products: concept, design, validation, certification, manufacturing, launch, field performance, and end‑of‑life
• Define and maintain hardware product roadmaps aligned with company strategy, customer needs, and software platform evolution

• Lead the Hardware Squad and ensure tight collaboration across production, QA, support, and software
• Set priorities, define deliverables, and drive execution across multiple hardware initiatives
• Ensure alignment between hardware, firmware, and software teams

• Work closely with manufacturing partners, cost optimization, and production readiness
• Own quality standards, test strategies, and field reliability metrics
• Oversee certification and compliance (e.g., FCC, IC, CE, safety standards)
• Manage hardware component life cycles, supplier risks, and EOL planning

• Ensure on‑time delivery to internal deployment teams
• Partner with Operations and Support to continuously improve installation experience, reliability, and maintainability
• Own root‑cause analysis for hardware‑related issues and drive corrective actions

• Collaborate with Engineering, Product, Sales, Support, and Leadership to align priorities
• Support Sales and Customer Success with technical enablement, roadmap clarity, and customer communications
• Present hardware strategy, risks, and progress to executive leadership

• 5+ years of experience in hardware product management or equivalent roles (embedded systems, IoT, electronics, or smart devices)
• Proven ownership of customer‑facing hardware products at scale
• Experience managing cross‑functional teams spanning hardware, firmware, and software
• Experience using AI‑assisted tools (e.g., Replit AI, Claude, or similar) to accelerate product discovery, documentation, analysis, and execution

• Strong understanding of electronics, embedded systems, manufacturing processes, and hardware validation
• Ability to translate complex technical constraints into clear product decisions
• Familiarity with certifications, regulatory compliance, and quality frameworks
• Comfortable working with suppliers and contract manufacturers

• Strong decision‑maker with a bias toward execution
• Excellent communicator across technical and non‑technical audiences
• Able to balance long‑term product vision with short‑term delivery realities

• Experience with smart‑building, access control, IoT, or security hardware
• Exposure to global manufacturing and supply chain management
• Experience scaling hardware products from pilot to mass production

• Own mission‑critical hardware used daily in real buildings
• High autonomy and clear ownership
• Work hands‑on in a dedicated R&D lab
• Direct impact on company strategy and customer experience
• Collaborate with strong engineering and product teams in a fast‑growing Prop Tech company