Sr. Upstream Product Manager - Shoulder Sports Medicine

We are seeking an experienced medical device Senior Product Manager who will have responsibility for the global upstream strategy, product development, and lifecycle management of an assigned Shoulder Sports Medicine portfolio.

In this critical position, you will have primary global upstream responsibility for driving product strategy, new product development (NPD), and long-range portfolio planning within Shoulder Sports Medicine. Your focus will be identifying unmet customer needs, translating insights into differentiated product concepts, and partnering cross-functionally to deliver profitable, clinically meaningful innovation across implants, instrumentation, biologics, and enabling technologies relevant to shoulder repair and reconstruction. You will have significant latitude to shape portfolio direction, influence investment decisions, and define multigenerational product roadmaps. Close collaboration with downstream marketing, R&D, Clinical, Quality, Regulatory, Operations, Finance, and Sales is essential to success.

Your day-to-day activities in this role will include, but are not limited to, market and customer insights generation, product strategy development, NPD core team leadership, product lifecycle management, competitive intelligence, and portfolio optimization. You should have a strong understanding of upstream marketing principles, demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives, and excellent communication and project management skills. A strong understanding of shoulder procedures, surgeon needs, site-of-care dynamics, and competitive trends in sports medicine is highly desirable.

CONMED is a leader in medical technology.  We empower healthcare providers worldwide to deliver exceptional outcomes for patients. If you are committed to making a difference and delivering exceptional results, you’ll find a group of people here that shares your passion for meaningful work. You’ll be supported by a leadership team that promotes engagement through professional development, new challenges, and growth opportunities over the course of your career. Come inspire us through your dedication, creativity, and exceptional performance — we’ll do the same for you.

What You’ll Do

Global Upstream Marketing Responsibilities

• Serve as the upstream marketing lead and core team member for New Product Development (NPD), owning key marketing deliverables required for internal governance and external regulatory bodies (e.g., MRD, value proposition, claims strategy, launch readiness inputs).

• Lead market assessment and opportunity identification through Voice of Customer (VOC), market research, competitive analysis, and trend evaluation to identify unmet needs and growth opportunities across Shoulder Sports Medicine.

• Develop and maintain product strategy, positioning, and multigenerational product roadmaps aligned with business objectives and long-term portfolio strategy.

• Drive product portfolio optimization initiatives, including lifecycle management decisions, investment prioritization, and rationalization activities.

• Define product requirements and collaborate closely with R&D to ensure customer needs are translated into clinically meaningful, differentiated solutions for shoulder repair, reconstruction, and adjacent sports medicine procedures.

• Serve as the market and customer expert for the assigned portfolio, maintaining deep understanding of surgeon workflows, procedural trends, competitive offerings, and emerging technologies.

• Partner with Clinical, Regulatory, Quality, and R&D teams to support evidence generation strategies, clinical evaluations, and safe and effective product use.

• Develop and maintain competitive intelligence, including competitive benchmarking, positioning, and differentiation strategies.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) to support product development, clinical insight, and innovation initiatives.

• Collaborate with downstream marketing, sales, and clinical education teams to ensure strong upstream-to-downstream handoff, supporting launch readiness, messaging alignment, and long-term growth plans.

• On occasion, work with surgeons and sales representatives in operating room or laboratory environments to support product evaluations and development activities.

• Attend major industry conventions and internal meetings to engage with customers, faculty, and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Manage assigned upstream project budgets and deliverables in alignment with business plans.

What You’ll Bring