Product Development Manager – Baseball & Softball Bats

Product Development Manager – Baseball & Softball Bats

Position Summary
The Product Development Manager for Baseball & Softball Bats is a hybrid technical role responsible for driving the development and lifecycle of Axe’s alloy and composite bats. This role is built for someone who thinks like an engineer—analytical, curious, mechanically minded—yet thrives in a small team where they can contribute from early technical concepts to product strategy, testing, storytelling, and the final go-to-market execution.

• Own the technical roadmap and lifecycle of Axe alloy and composite bats across baseball and softball categories.
• Develop and maintain detailed product specifications, tolerances, construction notes, and performance targets.
• Evaluate product performance using lab testing, MOI/swing weight analysis, durability data, and competitive benchmarking.
• Ensure each product meets defined performance, quality, and engineering criteria from initial concept to final production.
• Conduct structured player testing, durability checks, competitor bat analysis, and hitter feedback sessions to convert subjective “feel” into measurable requirements.
• Author detailed Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) including ECPs, swing weight/MOI ranges, handle stiffness, layup direction, composite architecture, CAD models, and 2D drawings.
• Evaluate prototypes through lab testing, field testing, and comparative studies; diagnose root causes when performance deviates.
• Guide engineering and factory teams by explaining needed construction changes for different hitter profiles.
• Maintain close working relationships with composite and alloy manufacturers; review tooling drawings, layup sheets, BOMs, and quality-control reports.
• Provide clear, structured feedback on prototype deviations or durability failures and troubleshoot manufacturing issues through data-driven experimentation.
• Ensure production consistently reflects intended performance and aligns with aesthetic and functional targets.
• Support marketing, sales, and customer service teams with accurate technical documentation, performance differentiators, and educational materials.
• Maintain product documentation—including design specs, ECP, BOMs, drawings, certifications, and test results—and enforce disciplined testing standards throughout the development cycle.

• 3–7 years of experience in technical product development, product engineering, or technical product management for hardgoods or performance equipment.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate prototypes, review testing data, and collaborate with engineers on technical iteration.
• Ability to translate user feedback into measurable engineering changes.
• Strong mechanical intuition and comfort working with multiple materials, tolerances, and physical product testing.
• Experience collaborating with international factories (composite or alloy manufacturing preferred).
• Exceptional organizational and documentation skills.
• Strong technical communication skills—ability to speak the language of engineering, manufacturing, and design.

• Hands‑on experience with composite engineering, materials science, or mechanical testing.
• Background in baseball or softball that provides useful context for bat performance and hitter behavior.
• Exposure to FEA, MOI measurement tools, durability testing processes, or bat performance labs (a plus, not required).
• Ability to travel internationally to tour production factory.