Product Manager - AV Solutions

Eaton’s Distributed IT division is currently seeking a Product Manager - AV Solutions to join our team. This role is a hybrid (3x2) position, preferably based in Woodridge, IL, with consideration for candidates located in Raleigh, NC.

We are seeking an experienced AV Product Manager to own and grow a portfolio of AV connectivity hardware, including cables, extenders, switches, splitters, and AV-over-IP hardware. This role is responsible for defining product strategy, managing lifecycle, enabling sales, and ensuring our products win on interoperability, system reliability, and long-term architectural value-not just price and availability.

This role sits at the intersection of Pro AV, IT infrastructure, and system architecture, and is critical to helping us differentiate against infrastructure-focused competitors.

The expected annual salary range for this role is $86,000 - $126,000 a year.

Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

What you’ll do:

Product Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Own the end-to-end lifecycle of assigned AV connectivity product lines (concept → launch → sustain → EOL).
• Define product segmentation between architecture SKUs (design-in, high-confidence) and commodity SKUs (coverage, attach).
• Develop clear value propositions by vertical (Corporate, Education, Healthcare, Industrial).
• Build product roadmaps aligned with market transitions

Market & Competitive Analysis

• Analyze competitors (e.g. Extron, Kramer, Legrand, Belden, Startech, Atlona) and identify displacement opportunities.
• Track standards and technologies: HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C/USB4, HDBaseT, fiber, SDVoE, Dante AV, IPMX (as applicable).
• Translate market trends into actionable product requirements

Interoperability & Architecture Ownership

• Define and document bounded behavior under load (clear operating limits, failure modes, and degradation behavior).
• Partner with manufacturing and QA to create interop matrices (hosts, docks, displays, chipsets, network conditions).
• Ensure products behave predictably in mixed-vendor environments and across real-world conditions.

Sales & Channel Enablement

• Build sales tools: battlecards, positioning briefs, presentations, and objection handling.
• Train sales and channel partners on when and how to sell architecture SKUs vs commodity SKUs.
• Support key customer and integrator engagements as the product authority.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as the primary liaison between Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Support.
• Drive requirements clarity, prioritize features based on customer impact, and manage tradeoffs transparently.

This role could be the next step in your career if you demonstrate the following experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
• Minimum of three (3) years experience in Product Management or related field
• Experience in Pro AV, AV connectivity, networking hardware, or adjacent infrastructure markets

You will set yourself apart by demonstrating some or all of the following:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field
• Demonstrated track record driving product line growth
• Understanding Product Development processes or similar stage gate processes
• Experience with SAP, Enovia, CRM, and Office 365 Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI)
• Proven ability to balance technical depth with business outcomes
• Experience with AV over IP architectures or large scale AV systems
• Background in integrator driven or channel heavy markets
• Familiarity with enterprise IT environments and AV/IT convergence
• Experience creating reference architectures or validation frameworks
• CTS, CTS D, or similar credentials

We will not consider candidates who:

• No relocation assistance is available for this position. Candidates must be located within a 50-mile radius of Woodridge, IL or Raleigh, NC. Active Duty Military Service Member candidates are exempt from these geographic requirements.
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc.

Keys to role success:

• Strong communicator and relationship-builder.
• Ability to drive process improvement and support execution of product initiatives.
• Data-driven and detail-oriented with strong business acumen.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to travel up to 25% #LI-LR1

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Eaton believes in second chance employment. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction history will be considered regardless of their arrest or conviction history, consistent with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act and other local laws.

You do not need to disclose your conviction history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Eaton is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

To request a disability-related reasonable accommodation to assist you in your job search, application, or interview process, please call us at 1-800-836-6345 to discuss your specific need. Only accommodation requests will be accepted by this phone number.

We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.