Product Manager (E-Lights)

About this role

The Role (also the Mission)

We are looking for a Senior Product Manager to own Hexmodal's E-Lights emergency lighting suite end to end. At Hexmodal, the product doesn't stop when the device ships from the warehouse: you are responsible for an A+ customer experience across the full lifecycle, from hardware & firmware requirements and release stages through pilots, deployment, and the feedback loops that shape what we build next. Emergency lighting is life-safety equipment and the device you own is what a facility manager relies on to prove a building is code-compliant, and what an inspector trusts when they walk the floor. You will be the subject matter expert for the suite and the person everyone in the company turns to with questions about it. You put customers first, turn touchpoints into metrics instead of anecdotes, and build proactive processes instead of reacting to issues. Over time, you will grow from managing the product to owning its discovery, strategy, and P&L.

This role reports to the Director of Product and is based out of our NYC office.

Here are some ways you'll make an impact (also Outcomes of the role)

Own the E-Lights release process end to end, from Alpha and Beta through First Launch and Mass Production, including documented hardware and firmware requirements, release criteria, and stakeholder sign-off at each stage. Drive the product's certification and compliance posture: own the UL 924 certification package across the suite, keep NFPA 101 and NFPA 70 requirements reflected in product requirements, and be the internal owner of what we can and can't claim. Own the testing story that makes the product worth buying: monthly 30-second functional tests and annual 90-minute duration tests, illuminance verification, and the SOPs and test evidence that turn a manual inspection ritual into an automated compliance record. Translate customer feedback into defined PRDs for engineering & stay involved in the entire development process to ensure that what we build meets customer needs. Build and run a systematic customer feedback practice: needfinding, structured interviews, defined touchpoint cadences, and a customer advisory board, turning every touchpoint into metrics. Run pilots and demos against a defined SOP with clear success criteria, and drive them to formal sign-off. Own the post-ship customer experience: install and deployment quality, product health, compliance reporting, and rapid triage of new issues and bugs. Be the SME for the suite: payloads, certification, materials, product documentation, LED indicator logic, button presses, firmware versions, downlinks/uplinks, configurations, supply chain, battery chemistry and runtime…everything that makes you the expert of your product. Deeply understand your primary customer (Facility Managers) and your tangential customers (electrical contractors and installers, AHJs and third-party inspectors, internal project management and support teams), and represent their needs in every decision. Own the product roadmap: state and priorities visible and shareable in Jira, documentation in Confluence, and a clear answer to "what are we building next" grounded in customer interviews and revenue. Run structured product syncs and ensure information transfer Work in an agile model day to day while navigating the waterfall constraints inherent to hardware. Grow into ownership of the product's P&L: unit economics and margin improvement, TAM and % capture, and evaluating new markets and jurisdictions with clear decision-making criteria, including building the pitch for the Sales team.

Competencies we are looking for in the right candidate:

6+ years of product management experience, specifically with hardware & IoT or connected devices Prior hardware start-up experience required at a Series A/B/C hardware or IoT company. Owned a product that has shipped at scale. Tens/hundreds of customers and thousands of devices. Judgment under pressure. Makes and defends decisions based on evidence and strategy rather than the loudest voice in the room, including when that means declining requests from sales, engineering, or leadership. Changes position when the evidence changes, not when the pressure does. Has owned a product governed by a prescriptive code or standard with an enforcement body — fire alarm, sprinkler, elevator, gas detection, electrical, building automation, or medical devices. You have worked to a requirement you don't get to argue with, and been in front of someone who could fail you on site. Genuine technical fluency: comfortable discussing firmware versions, device configurations, uplinks/downlinks, sensors, and battery behavior with engineers, and comfortable being wrong and learning fast Hands-on data skills and AI fluency: you can pull your own numbers, build dashboards, and use BI tools, Git, and AI assistants (e.g., Claude) as part of your daily workflow, but don’t defer your thinking to AI Strong customer discovery instincts: you know how to run a needfinding interview, synthesize what you heard, and convert it into prioritized roadmap decisions Proven ability to design clear processes while remaining agile: you build the SOP, then improve it Exceptional written communication: PRDs, release documentation, and meeting notes that others can actually act on Strong prioritization and project management skills; you can defend how you and your team spend time An ownership mindset: you don't hand problems off at the warehouse door, the demo, or the escalation; you see them through to customer outcome Ability to work through ambiguity, think creatively, and roll up your sleeves BA / BS degree or equivalent practical experience

Bonus Points: (Some nice to haves for this role)

Experience in life-safety or regulated industries, and familiarity with NFPA 101, NFPA 70, UL 924, Joint Commission, or local AHJ inspection regimes Lighting fundamentals: illuminance and foot-candle measurement, luxmeter use, path-of-egress spacing and coverage, luminaire types, and emergency ballast/driver behavior Experience with self-testing or self-diagnostic emergency lighting, or with replacing manual inspection workflows with connected monitoring Exposure to LoRaWAN or other LPWAN connectivity, embedded systems, or hardware manufacturing (DFM, injection molding, supply chain) Has managed other PMs directly or wants to manage PMs.