Product Steward - IIoT & Edge (Global)

As a Product Steward for IIoT & Edge at Portainer, your responsibilities include bridging the gap between engineering and customer feedback, designing features that are both practical and innovative, and validating usability before and after product launches. You’ll be the voice of the customer, ensuring that the product development aligns with real-world challenges in industrial settings.

For the Product Steward IIoT & Edge role at Portainer, candidates should have a solid understanding of edge computing and IIoT, hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes, and strong communication skills to convey complex ideas clearly. Flexibility in working hours to engage with global teams is also essential.

At Portainer, the Product Steward collaborates closely with Sales, Field Application Engineers (FAE), and Support teams. The role involves spotting patterns in customer feedback, surfacing pain points, and setting product priorities, ensuring a well-rounded and informed approach to product development.

The Product Steward position at Portainer stands out due to its focus on guiding product direction without traditional ownership. You’ll be deeply involved in shaping the product while maintaining a grounded connection to real-world applications. This role is designed for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy, engineering, and customer insights.

As a Product Steward at Portainer, the career growth opportunities are promising. You’ll gain invaluable experience in a cutting-edge area of technology, build a strong understanding of customer needs, and have opportunities to influence product strategy and development, all of which can lead to senior roles within product management or broader strategic positions.

To effectively validate features in product development, I believe in a rigorous process of user consultation and prototyping. By collecting feedback from actual users and conducting usability tests, I can create a clear understanding of what works and what doesn't before the product launch.

In a previous position, I encountered a significant issue with connectivity in a remote industrial setting. By leveraging my knowledge of IIoT and collaborating with engineering, we redesigned our data acquisition system to enhance resilience, ensuring data integrity despite network fluctuations.

Prioritizing product features based on customer feedback involves assessing the urgency and impact of each request. I categorize feedback into immediate needs, potential improvements, and long-term enhancements, ensuring the most critical customer pain points are addressed first.

Communication is vital for a Product Steward. It's my responsibility to translate complex technical information into actionable insights for both engineers and stakeholders, fostering a collaborative environment that drives the product in the right direction.

Managing cross-functional team dynamics requires clear communication and respect for everyone's expertise. I actively facilitate discussions to ensure that each voice is heard and bring together diverse perspectives to create a holistic approach to product strategy.

I employ a combination of direct engagement with users through interviews and surveys, alongside analyzing usage data. This blend enables me to gather both qualitative and quantitative insights, which are crucial for informed decision-making in product development.

In a past project, I faced significant ambiguity regarding customer needs due to evolving market conditions. By actively seeking out customer feedback and aligning cross-functional teams towards a shared goal, we were able to define a clear product direction and successfully launch a robust solution.

I stay updated with the latest trends in IIoT and Edge computing by regularly reading industry publications, participating in webinars, and engaging with online communities. Networking with other professionals in the field also helps me gain fresh insights and varied perspectives.

I believe the most important quality for a Product Steward is adaptability. The tech landscape, particularly with IIoT and Edge computing, changes rapidly, and being open to change while guiding product development is crucial for success.

I'm drawn to Portainer’s mission of simplifying complex challenges in edge computing. The opportunity to work with a talented team and shape a product that has a real-world impact excites me and aligns perfectly with my skills and aspirations.