• Job Tag: #LI-LK1
• Posted: October 06,2026
• Salary: $150,000

More than a decade ago, a young engineer joined a privately held Twin Cities manufacturer and found a company that was struggling. He looked for a way out. When he couldn’t find one, he made a different choice:

“If I can’t leave it, and I can’t accept it, then I better change it.”

He’s now the company’s President. Along the way, he and a group of committed leaders have been rebuilding the company from the inside. They rolled out new operating values and trained every team on respectful, healthy conflict. They redesigned performance reviews so people are measured on how they work, not just what they deliver. Operations, once a weak spot, is now one of the company’s strongest teams.

He’s honest that the work isn’t finished: “We don’t have it all figured out. We have ways to go. But we’ve made a lot of progress, and we’re really proud of the hard work we’ve put in together.”

Now it’s marketing and product’s turn

The company is growing, with nearly 15% growth this year and a goal of 20% a year. Product management and marketing are the next chapter of the transformation, and they need a leader to write it.

This is a newly created role reporting directly to the President. You’ll own product management and marketing across every product line, with no layers of bureaucracy and a real seat at the leadership table.

What you’ll build:

• Product management, from scratch. You’ll hire two product managers, find the gaps in the portfolio, position products against competitors, and guide each product from launch to retirement.

• A team that grows. You’ll lead and develop five marketers in design, video, writing, social, and events. Year one is about foundations: coaching people, connecting the work to customers, and helping the team communicate well across the company.

• Content that actually gets used, by the sales team, by distributors, and by end customers. Video is a big part of it.

• Market and competitive insight that guides where the company goes next.

• A brand worth following. The long-term vision is to become the clear leader in the market and grow into new ones.

Who thrives here

The President hires for capability, not credentials: “I see experience and education only as a way to validate the person’s skills exist.” He’s looking for someone who:

• Thinks strategically and collaborates naturally

• Rolls up their sleeves and leads by example

• Speaks up and defends their point of view, then delivers

• Gets energized by developing people

• Is excited by the company’s values of Leadership, Strategy, Integrity, Innovation, and Collaboration, not just willing to follow them

This opportunity tends to resonate with three kinds of leaders: a rising manager ready for a first seat at the leadership table; a director at a larger organization who wants more autonomy and less bureaucracy; and a seasoned leader who has done the big-company climb and now wants to build people and a function the right way, at a healthy pace. Compensation will follow track record and experience.