Head of Product, Hardware - BCycle Product Team chez Bicycle Transit Systems (BCycle)

Title: Head of Product, Hardware - BCycle Product Team

Reports to: COO

Location: Madison, WI

Job Type: Full-time, Monday through Thursday 9am to 5pm, Hybrid, Exempt, 32 hours per week

BCycle aims to change the world, community by community, by developing the bike share systems that are getting more people on bikes. A subsidiary of Bicycle Transit Systems, BCycle develops and delivers the bikes, stations, and software that power bike share systems across the US. Our products are designed to be engaging, intuitive, sustainable, and robust for people who want to go places by bike, whether they are riding for fun, exercise, or transportation. We also build our products to last, based on the goal that bike share, biking, and sustainable transportation become established features of the communities where we work.   

The Head of Product, Hardware, is a senior executive responsible for defining and executing the vision, strategy, and delivery of Bicycle Transit Systems’ hardware portfolio, including bikes, stations, and related components. This leader sets the direction for product innovation, ensures alignment with organizational strategy, and oversees the full product lifecycle from concept to scale. 

As a key member of the executive leadership team, the Head of Product, Hardware, partners with the President, CEO, COO, the Head of Product, Software, and senior leaders across engineering, supply chain, operations, business development, and service operations to co-create and deliver a unified, company-wide product strategy. Together with the Head of Product, Software, this role ensures that BTS’s hardware and software evolve as an integrated ecosystem, delivering seamless, sustainable, and market-leading experiences to riders, operators, and communities. 

A few of the benefits we offer:    

• Competitive compensation package  
• Affordable medical, dental, and vision insurance options  
• 401k with up to 4% employer match  
• 3 weeks PTO + 1-week sick time off per year 
• 4-Day Workweek
• Paid parental leave

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategy & Leadership 

• Define and own the long-term hardware product vision and roadmap, aligning with company mission and growth objectives.
• Co-own the company-wide product strategy with the Head of Product, Software, ensuring that hardware and software roadmaps are tightly aligned and reinforce one another.
• Serve as a thought leader and subject-matter expert on micromobility hardware, connected devices, and sustainable transportation solutions.
• Partner with Product Engineering Manager to build, mentor, and lead a high-performing product organization, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
• Partner with executive leadership to balance market opportunity, customer needs, innovation, and operational efficiency.
• Partner with the Engineering Manager to ensure the product strategy is technically sound, addressing safety, feasibility, and reliability, while respecting their authority to escalate critical technical or safety decisions to the Executive Team.

Product Development & Lifecycle 

• Own business outcomes across the product lifecycle, including discovery, requirements definition, prioritization, and launch readiness. Partner with Engineering, Tech Ops, and external manufacturing partners, on development execution, production, and in-field support.
• Write product briefs, proposals, and scope documents for leadership approval
• Specify what needs to be built and why, while supporting an Engineering team leading the technical approach and execution.
• Define product requirements and success metrics that balance customer experience, technical feasibility, cost, and scalability.
• Translate business needs into clear product requirements and collaborate with engineering to define technical specifications
• Own 'what good looks like' and launch criteria, and ensure Engineering executes validation and reliability processes, including DVT, PVT, field trials, and QA.
• Monitor and evaluate product performance post-launch to drive continuous improvement and innovation.
• Work in partnership with the Head of Product, Software to design and deliver integrated solutions that provide a unified experience across the ecosystem.
• Maintain product line documentation, including SKUs, BOMs, cost targets, and feature/benefit summaries.

 Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Collaborate with Industrial Design, Engineering, and Software to ensure seamless product integration and superior user experience.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Manufacturing partners to ensure sourcing strategies, cost targets, and scalable production plans are met.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Business Development to forecast demand, set production schedules, and deliver product with appropriate packaging and instructions for setup and deployment
• Work closely with Operations to ensure production readiness, field deployment, and long-term product reliability.
• Support Business Development to position products effectively, drive adoption, and win in competitive markets.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration between hardware and software teams, breaking down silos and accelerating delivery of integrated, customer-centered solutions.

Market & Customer Insight 

• Serve as the voice of the customer, ensuring product decisions are grounded in user needs and operator feedback.
• Conduct and oversee market research, competitive analysis, and industry trend monitoring to inform strategic decisions.
• Represent the company at industry events, conferences, and with strategic partners, strengthening BTS’s reputation as an innovation leader.

Leadership & Team Management 

• Oversee the Engineering Manager, who leads a multidisciplinary team, ensuring clear objectives, accountability, and a collaborative culture.
• Ensure effective and consistent communication across functional teams and with key partners
• Act as the primary point of contact for internal stakeholders, providing consistent updates on hardware product progress, managing expectations, and aligning teams on timelines and goals
• Mentor team members to promote professional growth, enhancing team capability and overall performance.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements: 

• 8+ years of product management experience, with at least 5 years leading hardware or connected device product portfolios.
• Proven track record of delivering successful physical products from concept to large-scale deployment.
• Strong technical understanding of industrial design, mechanical/electrical engineering, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience collaborating with global supply chain and manufacturing partners.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and organizational skills, with ability to navigate ambiguity and align diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success influencing executive-level decisions and driving company-wide strategic outcomes.
• Proven ability to build and maintain a shared product vision with software leaders, co-owning strategy and execution across domains.
• Background in micromobility, cycling, transportation, or IoT/connected hardware.
• Advanced degree in engineering, design, business, or related field (MBA or equivalent experience strongly valued).
• Experience with PLM system implementation and management.

Physical Requirements and Special Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• Required standing or sitting for several hours straight at a time 
• Ability to maintain regular, punctual attendance in accordance with company policy 
• Repetitive motion required of the wrists, hands, or fingers occasionally throughout the workday 
• Any travel would be primarily local during the business day.  
• Work from home shifts require a reliable internet connection and an environment to take calls where quiet & customer privacy can be assured. 
• This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and photocopiers.  
• Must be able to lift up to 20lbs.  
• This role requires the ability to speak clearly so listeners can understand, understand the speech of another person, see details of objects that are less than a few feet away, stand or sit for several hours straight at a time, and bend or stoop as necessary.  
• This is a full-time position expected to work 32 hours per week (4 days per week, 8 hours per day). Some hours outside of this, including nights and weekends, may be required. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/D