Ruger is hiring for a Vice President of Product & Design to establish and lead an end-to-end product and engineering organization across product management, program/project management, design engineering, advanced R&D, and new product development.
To apply, visit www.Ruger.com/Careers
Vice President of Product & Design
Role Summary
The Vice President of Product & Design is a newly created executive role responsible for establishing and leading an end-to-end product and engineering organization across product management, program/project management, design engineering, advanced R&D, and new product development.
This leader will architect and institutionalize a Product Management Lifecycle (PMLC) framework and drive the transformation from an ad hoc product development approach to a disciplined, market-driven, and metrics-oriented system. The role owns the full lifecycle—from concept through commercialization and in-market performance—ensuring alignment with corporate strategy, revenue growth, margin expansion, and sustained product leadership.
A critical mandate of this role is to build a market-backed innovation engine—ensuring the company consistently identifies emerging customer needs and remains at the forefront of product innovation across firearms, accessories, and law enforcement product segments—while simultaneously elevating engineering rigor, technical excellence, and execution predictability.
Key Responsibilities
- Build and Lead the Product & Engineering Organization
- Market Insight & Innovation Leadership
- Product & Technology Strategy
- Design Engineering Leadership & Technical Excellence
- Product Management Lifecycle (PMLC) & Product Development Execution Discipline Across the Enterprise
- End-to-End Product Lifecycle Ownership
- New Product Development (NPD) Excellence
- Engineering Execution & Manufacturing Integration
- Commercial Performance & Financial Ownership
- KPI & Performance Management System
- Advanced Product R&D and Technology Development
- Transformation Leadership
Required Experience & Qualifications
Core Experience
- 15+ years of progressive leadership across product management, engineering and product development.
- Proven success leading end-to-end product lifecycle in a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated experience building or transforming product and engineering organizations.
- Track record of implementing PMLC / stage-gate systems at scale.
- Experience owning or influencing P&L, revenue, and margin performance.
Industry Experience (Required)
- Direct experience in firearms, firearm accessories, or law enforcement / tactical product development,
OR
- Significant experience in adjacent, highly engineered and regulated industries (e.g., defense, aerospace, military equipment, industrial products) with strong transferability,
OR
- Significant experience in adjacent commercial environments (e.g., outdoor products, etc.).
Engineering Leadership Depth
- Significant experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering organizations.
- Demonstrated ability to elevate engineering rigor, standards, and technical processes.
- Proven track record of delivering complex, high-performance physical products to market.
- Ability to operate as both a strategic leader and hands-on technical reviewer.
Functional Expertise
- Deep expertise across:
- Product management and portfolio strategy
- New product development (NPD)
- Engineering leadership
- Program/project management disciplines
- Strong financial acumen (business cases, pricing, margin management)
- Demonstrated ability to translate market insights into commercially successful products
Leadership & Transformation Capabilities
- Proven ability to lead through ambiguity and build structure where none exists.
- Strong cross-functional leadership across engineering, operations, finance, sales, and strategy.
- Experience driving change in a mid-sized or scaling public company.
- Ability to balance innovation, speed, and operational discipline.
Key Success Outcomes (First 24–36 Months)
- Fully implemented and adopted PMLC framework across the organization.
- Established market insight engine driving product strategy and prioritization.
- Measurable improvements in:
- Time-to-market
- New product revenue contribution
- Forecast accuracy and launch success rates
- Elevated engineering performance, including improved product quality, reliability, and manufacturability.
- Clear, strategy-aligned product and technology roadmap.
- Stronger competitive positioning through differentiated, innovation-led product offerings.
Profile of the Ideal Candidate
- A product + engineering hybrid leader with equal strength in commercial and technical domains.
- A market-back innovator with deep customer and end-user orientation.
- A builder and systems thinker capable of creating scalable processes and organizations.
- A change agent who can lead transformation in an established business.
- Credible with executive leadership, engineering teams, customers, and manufacturing operations.
Reporting Structure
- Reports to: CEO
- Key stakeholders:
- CFO
- Head of Sales
- Head of Marketing
- Head of Operations
- Head of Corporate Strategy
Additional Requirements:
Must be able to successfully pass a drug and background screen.
Must be eligible to handle firearms per the Federal Firearms Act.
To apply, visit www.Ruger.com/Careers
About Ruger: Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. is one of the nation's leading manufacturers of rugged, reliable firearms for the commercial sporting market. With products made in America, Ruger offers consumers almost 800 variations of more than 40 product lines, across the Ruger, Marlin and Glenfield brands. For over 75 years, Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. has been a model of corporate and community responsibility. Our motto, "Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens®," echoes our commitment to these principles as we work hard to deliver quality and innovative firearms.