Senior Product Manager- In Chamber

  At Watlow, we combine a rich legacy with forward-thinking innovation. Founded in 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri, Watlow has grown from a small heating element manufacturer into a global leader in thermal systems. This position will be based at our innovation and engineering site in San Jose, California. This location serves as a hub for collaboration, advanced engineering, and customer-focused solutions, offering opportunities to work at the forefront of technology while contributing to Watlow’s ongoing legacy of excellence.  #PoweredByPossibility   We are hiring a: Sr. Product Manager – In Chamber   San Jose, CA  Watlow is seeking a strategically oriented Senior Product Manager to lead the growth and innovation of our in-chamber product platform. This platform includes an integrated portfolio of thermal management solutions spanning heating, sensing, and control technologies. The role focuses on semiconductor applications such as etch, deposition, lithography, and advanced packaging, where precise thermal control is critical to wafer and IC process performance. This position is responsible for defining product vision and portfolio strategy, and for driving execution through close collaboration with engineering, commercial, and operations teams.   This is a growth-oriented role focused on innovation, strategic evolution, and cross-functional leadership. It's an opportunity to own the full product lifecycle, build customer-centric solutions, and align Watlow’s technology roadmap with market inflections facing advanced fabs and leading OEMs.   The Senior Product Manager will be a member of the segment leadership team and play a critical role in driving Watlow’s 2030 growth ambition.   What You’ll Do: Thermal Platform & Architecture Strategy: Identify future thermal management requirements including materials, zone density, sensing, and environmental constraints (vacuum, plasma, RF) and translate them into scalable product platforms and system architectures. New Product Investment & Financial Modeling: Lead business case development for new product introductions, including NPV, IRR, margin, cost-down, and capacity modeling. System-Level Integration Leadership: Drive the transition from discrete thermal components to integrated system solutions combining heaters, sensors, controls, and data to improve process stability, uniformity, and equipment performance. Customer & Application Engagement: Partner directly with semiconductor OEMs, process engineers, and system integrators to understand application-level thermal challenges and convert technical requirements into robust product specifications. Cross-Functional Development Execution: Lead cross-functional teams through stage-gate development, balancing thermal performance, reliability, manufacturability, supply chain resilience, and time-to-market. Portfolio Performance & Commercial Strategy: Own category-level P&L, track product and platform performance, and collaborate with sales and marketing on pricing, positioning, and value-based selling strategies. Technical Leadership & Expertise: Act as a technical authority in thermal and sensing technologies, supporting customer engagements, failure analysis, qualification efforts, technical publications, and intellectual property strategy.   What you´ll need to succeed? Bachelor’s degree in engineering, applied science or related field; MBA preferred 5+ years in product management, business leadership, or strategic marketing in high-tech B2B industrial sectors (preferably semiconductor or thermal systems) Proven success in managing complex, global product portfolios with multi-tiered stakeholder environments Strong fluency in technical commercialization, product line strategy, and stage-gate methodologies Experience developing platforms that integrate across mechanical, electrical and software   Preferred Qualifications: Comfortable engaging at the executive level with OEM and fab customers Analytical rigor with the ability to build financial models, track KPIs, and make data-informed investment decisions Strong storytelling, relationship-building and influencing skills, both internal and external, commercially and technically Experience working across geographies, especially in U.S., Europe, and Asia-based semiconductor hubs Background in global program or product management, with the ability to navigate diverse customer timelines, expectations, and cultural nuances Demonstrated success in leading, managing and developing others   The annual salary base pay for California is between $160,000-$189,000 annually. This is a good faith hiring range and you are also eligible for employee benefits and annual performance bonuses. Applicable pay within the posted range may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, geographical location, job function of the position, education, and experience of the successful candidate. We may consider compensation above the posted range for candidates whose experience and qualifications closely align with the needs of the role.