Group Manager, Global Upstream Marketing

This role is responsible for leading the global upstream marketing team tasked with bringing new products into the Product Development Process. This position works closely with cross-functional partners based in Minneapolis, France, Denmark, and other locations worldwide. This role is global in scope and is responsible for developing and executing long-term product and portfolio strategies for the Interventional Urology (IU) business. This individual will lead a team of Global Upstream Product Managers and serve as a key product management interface with customers, key opinion leaders, internal stakeholders, and external partners. The role will also be a key partner to the Business Development group in evaluating M&A, equity investment, licensing, and distribution partnership opportunities.

 

Major Areas of Accountability
Global Portfolio Strategy & Roadmap Leadership

• Develop and maintain global product portfolio strategies and roadmaps for the Interventional Urology business.
• Partner with the Sr. Director, Business Development and Portfolio Strategy to support the development and execution of the long-range portfolio strategy.
• Define and update global product roadmaps, target physician segments, patient populations, and care settings.
• Support long-range planning, annual operating planning, and strategic portfolio reviews.
• Leadership of portfolio review discussions and product prioritization forums.

 

Customer Insights, Market Intelligence & Opportunity Identification

• Identify unmet customer needs and translate insights into actionable product concepts, business cases, and development opportunities.
• Acquire and analyze feedback from key opinion leaders, current and potential customers, third-party market research, and internal stakeholders to inform product strategy and portfolio decisions.
• Make data-driven recommendations through analysis of market dynamics, customer insights, reimbursement trends, competitive intelligence, and business performance metrics.
• Lead Voice of Customer activities and partner with internal teams or external vendors to execute primary and secondary market research initiatives.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the global market by monitoring competitive products, emerging technologies, market trends, reimbursement developments, and changes in clinical practice.
• Support interactions with physicians, healthcare systems, key opinion leaders, and potential partner companies while building and maintaining strong professional relationships.

 

Product Development & Cross-Functional Innovation Leadership

• Collaborate with a global, cross-functional team to deliver innovative product concepts and product enhancements that address customer and business needs.
• Work closely with R&D, Clinical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, Medical Affairs, Operations, and other functional groups to ensure products are aligned with customer needs and business objectives.
• Lead the marketing function within the Product Development Process by defining customer requirements, commercial requirements, and business justification for development programs.
• Support product development trade-off decisions to optimize customer value, technical feasibility, risk, cost, and time-to-market considerations.
• Develop compelling value propositions and strategic product positioning for future product offerings.

 

Commercialization, Lifecycle Management & Business Development Support

• Partner closely with Downstream Marketing teams to support commercialization planning, launch readiness activities, and lifecycle management initiatives.
• Collaborate with global and regional commercial leaders to understand market needs and improve adoption of new product innovations.
• Partner with the Business Development team to evaluate acquisition, licensing, distribution, and investment opportunities by conducting market assessments, customer diligence, and strategic fit analyses.
• Support integration planning and portfolio strategy development for acquired products and technologies when applicable.

 

Team Lea