Knauf Insulation · 8 hours ago
Director, Product Innovation & Strategy
Shelbyville, IN
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
10+ years expKnauf Insulation is a leader in the insulation industry, and they are seeking a Director of Product Innovation and Strategy to provide visionary leadership and strategic direction for their product and innovation agenda across North America. This role involves shaping the long-term product innovation strategy, connecting global strategy to local execution, and driving profitable growth through customer-centric solutions.
IndustrialIndustrial ManufacturingManufacturing
Responsibilities
Creates a high-performance innovation engine that links market and customer needs to product roadmaps, leveraging building science, sustainability, and advanced materials expertise
Fosters an innovative mindset that allows for new methods, while keeping safety as the number one priority
Develops new products across multiple product categories and throughout all phases of product development, including ideation and scoping, manufacturing, validation, and launch, while considering important technical and sustainability issues
Partners cross-functionally with Building Science, Global Product Management, and Centers of Excellence to deliver innovations that advance Knauf’s sustainability and circularity goals
Helps identify, develop, test, and commercialize products in new or existing market segments. Owns the product strategy for our light commercial, residential, commercial, and industrial markets
Integrates voice-of-customer insights and competitive intelligence to prioritize innovation pipelines with measurable ROI, margin expansion, and strategic fit
Through a deep understanding of the go-to market opportunities and business requirements, translates these needs and through processes, ensures the most cost effective, dependable solution is provided
Establishes a world-class product management framework aligned with strategic priorities, emphasizing portfolio discipline, pricing excellence, and lifecycle optimization
Brings new products to market by analyzing proposed product requirements and product development programs, preparing ROI analysis, creating business case and comprehensive plan
Drives stage-gate governance, SKU rationalization, and lifecycle management to ensure resources are invested in the highest-value opportunities
Optimizes product line offerings by redesigning processes from manufacture to field applications
Manages profitable SKU mix to include: recommending the mix and scope of present and future product lines by reviewing product specifications and technical requirements, appraising new product ideas, developing product roadmaps, and competitive offering reviews
Partners with commercial, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to connect innovation to operational efficiency, digital enablement, and channel growth
Ensures regular product comparison audits are completed
In partnership with internal stakeholders, drives sustained revenue, market share and margin growth through development and implementation of effective annual and multi-year strategies
Leads the annual long-range product and innovation strategy, linking global and regional priorities into actionable investment roadmaps
Establishes portfolio strategies that balance core product stewardship with breakthrough innovation and diversification into adjacent categories
Develops improved positioning of the company’s products through sound business case, value proposition and marketing strategy
Effectively translates business strategies into product strategies, winning roadmaps and product specifications that meet revenue, profitability and customer satisfaction goals
Manages cross-functionally to deliver programs on-time and at-cost
Shapes and communicates the product vision enterprise-wide, ensuring that innovation is measurable, repeatable, and customer-led
Drives gathering of local market intelligence for major product and customer segments; understand winning models and anticipate market moves that could create an advantage
Responsible for product line performance of current and new products, with targets on orders, revenue, costs and margin
Leads product portfolio reviews to drive data-backed decisions, balancing growth, margin, and customer objectives
Oversees conceptual studies and market research; generates design concepts for new product ideas and enhancements to existing products
Leverages data analytics, AI-enabled market sensing, and digital dashboards to guide strategic decision-making and innovation prioritization
Proactively engages internal and external organizations and resources for product solutions, suggestions, and ideas
Provides a focal point where new ideas may be directed to determine feasibility
Interfaces with engineering and technical teams to determine feasibility, cost, and development estimates for generating ROI analysis
Anticipates market shifts and emerging technologies, building adaptive product strategies that support long-term growth
Translates complex data and trends into actionable business insights that inform portfolio and investment decisions
Solves complex problems using structured analysis, collaboration, and sound judgment
Balances long-term innovation objectives with near-term business results, applying analytical rigor to decision-making
Utilizes primary and secondary research to validate hypothesis and business case assumptions
Measures Portfolio Performance and identify fast and slow movers by sector and customer
Establishes KPI frameworks to measure innovation throughput, time-to-market, customer adoption, and profitability
Ability to collect, analyze and interpret data from financial systems, as well as the ability to create a business case for new markets, products or programs
Builds comprehensive project scope, costs and financial model for new product development
Analyzes and applies pricing leverage strategies to enhance financial outcomes and competitive positioning
Responsible for budgetary compliance and profit volume
Works closely with Director of Pricing and Sales Leadership to create effective and competitive pricing strategies
Champions disciplined investment governance ensuring capital allocation to innovation projects meets ROI and payback thresholds while supporting Knauf’s growth and sustainability goals
Leverages deep technical and commercial fluency to translate complex product data into clear financial outcomes
Understands our existing business and makes decisions to navigate it successfully
Navigates complex business environments and creates strategies to reach company goals. Envisions future scenarios, evaluates competitive advantages, and makes decisions that align with the company’s overall objectives. Prioritizes and adapts to meet goals and execute strategic action plans
Gathers, collects, analyzes data, forms connections, and makes decisions. Sees problems or scenarios from different perspectives to better devise strategies to deal with these situations or issues
Guides team, making pivotal decisions, and fosters a productive work environment. Inspires and motivates employees and ensures team members achieve their goals
Articulates ideas, collaborates with stakeholders, and facilitates clear and concise exchanges of information. Builds relationships, manages conflicts, and ensures that all team members are aligned with the business’s goals
Brings proven leadership experience from industrial technology and building materials sectors driving innovation cultures. Oversees P&L requirements for product management and innovation
Builds a culture of trust, inclusion, and accountability that supports collaboration and high performance
Creates psychological safety, encouraging open dialogue, diverse thinking, and responsible risk-taking
Drives engagement by linking individual and team goals to organizational purpose and recognizing contributions
Manages team dynamics, provides feedback, and supports professional development and succession planning
Acts as a change leader, fostering collaboration across functions and geographies to achieve transformation goals
Represents Knauf externally as a champion of innovation, partnership, and sustainability in industry forums and events
Identify, lead and develop talent to maximize individual, team and organizational effectiveness in meeting company goals
Builds and mentors a diverse, high-performing product and innovation team capable of scaling world-class product management capabilities
Promotes cross-functional collaboration, agility, and accountability creating a “One Knauf” culture that unites innovation, commercial, and operational excellence
Drives the highest levels of employee retention and engagement to ensure a sustainable workforce
Fosters a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability within the organization
Instills an environment of inclusion, where all employees feel that they can contribute and impact the company in a positive manner
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline required
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in product management, marketing within manufacturing, building materials, or related sectors
Proven success leading product strategy, innovation, and transformation across complex, cross-functional organizations
Demonstrated achievement in portfolio management, SKU rationalization, new product development (NPD), and market segmentation, with measurable results
Experience partnering across CoEs, global teams, and customers to drive business alignment
Skilled in financial governance, including ROI analysis, capital allocation, and investment prioritization
Proven track record of linking digital enablement, sustainability, and innovation into a cohesive commercial strategy
Effective negotiation, presentation, and communication skills with executive and cross-functional audiences
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and digital tools including CRM, PLM, ERP, and analytics platforms (e.g., Salesforce)
Demonstrates self-awareness, empathy, and active listening to foster collaboration and trust
Practices self-regulation and clear communication, maintaining professionalism under pressure
Skilled in team building, conflict resolution, and feedback delivery, promoting accountability and growth
Strong strategic and financial acumen, linking innovation and market performance to business outcomes
Advanced problem-solving and analytical reasoning, using data to drive prioritization and decision-making
Understanding of building and construction practices, insulation manufacturing processes, and technical design principles
Knowledge of industry codes, standards, and adoption cycles shaping market opportunities
High digital literacy, leveraging analytics, AI, and visualization tools to enhance innovation outcomes
Preferred
Advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred
Experience in the building and construction industry and/or insulation industry preferred
Executive education or certification in Product Strategy, Innovation, or Business Leadership desirable
Familiar with application engineering or technical sales principles
Company
Knauf Insulation
Knauf Insulation offers a broad range of insulation solution for glass mineral wool, rock mineral wool, wood wool, extruded polyst.
5001-10000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageRecent News
2025-10-22
Research and Markets
2025-10-17
2025-09-17
Company data provided by crunchbase