Senior Program Manager, Beta

Company Description

Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. is an industry-leading innovation company focused on creating smarter, safer and more beautiful homes and improving lives. Our driving purpose is that we elevate every life by transforming spaces into havens. We believe our work and our brands can have incredibly positive impacts for not just our business and shareholders, but for people and the planet, too. When you join Fortune Brands, you become part of a high-performing team who are empowered to think big, learn fast and make bold decisions. We support an inclusive and diverse culture where everyone is encouraged and empowered to be their authentic selves, and where our differences and unique perspectives are a key strength. Explore life at Fortune Brands here

Job Description

Fortune Brands is hiring for a Senior Program Manager to join our Beta team.

The Senior Program Manager, Beta is an engaging and challenging opportunity that is instrumental in the creation and launch of groundbreaking smart home products. We are looking for a creative, customer-obsessed and results-oriented Senior Program Manager who wants to live on the edge of technologies that bring software and hardware together, within the connected home. We are seeking someone to lead end-to-end consumer validation efforts for new product introductions (NPI) and software releases. This role will design and execute alpha (early concept), beta (pre-release) and delta (post-release enhancement) test programs that validate consumer experience and improve product quality, user satisfaction and speed to market.   

POSITION LOCATION:

This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule (3 days a week) with all work performed in Deerfield, IL or San Francisco, CA offices.

RESPONSIBLIITIES:

• Design and manage consumer validation programs across alpha (early concept), beta (pre-release), and delta (post-release enhancement) stages.
• Collaborate with Product to understand the product roadmap, define test opportunities, and identify participant selection criteria.
• Lead all aspects of alpha, beta, and delta test execution: tester recruitment, communications, logistics, issue tracking, and reporting.
• Develop test strategies and timelines in line with product launch plans and key milestones.
• Coordination of all required software and hardware to ensure readiness for all test phases.
• Engage one-on-one with test participants to gather feedback, resolve issues, and maintain high levels of participation and satisfaction.
• Analyze consumer feedback, test metrics, and issue trends to provide actionable insights to Engineering, QA, Product, and Design teams.
• Identify and manage risks and potential project pitfalls, ensuring that validation activities are completed on time and align with broader launch plans.
• Drive continuous improvement of testing frameworks, support tools, and feedback loops across all stages of consumer validation.
• Serve as the primary advocate for real-world user feedback and the consumer experience across internal teams.
• Focus for this role will be launching new connected products within our Security and Water portfolio.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in program or project management, ideally in new product development or software.
• Knowledge of software development lifecycles, including design, development, test, build, deployment processes and timelines
• Experience designing or managing alpha, beta, and/or delta testing programs with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of software and hardware development cycles and product validation needs at each phase.
• Ability to troubleshoot, interpret technical feedback, and communicate findings clearly to diverse audiences.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple parallel programs.
• Comfortable using agile tools and data metrics to drive communication and improvements.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and presentation skills; a team player with a proactive, problem-solving mindset.
• Proven success influencing product decisions through customer insights.
• Experience with business intelligence tools such as Power BI / Tableau

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with delta testing and post-launch product validation cycles.
• Prior roles in quality assurance, customer support, or community engagement.
• Familiarity with agile methodologies and software/hardware integration.
• Background in connected devices, IoT, or smart home technologies.

Additional Informa