Vice President, Product Management and R&D – Walter

Vice President, Product Management and R&D – Walter

Do you want to take on a position where you get to shape a premium portfolio of products and solutions that drive sustainable, profitable growth above the market?

At Walter, part of Sandvik and Business Area Machining, we’re now seeking a Vice President for Product Management and R&D – a role where your decisions influence strategy, technology, and long-term value creation across the business.

Your mission

You take full responsibility and accountability for developing and managing the total portfolio of standard and custom products and solutions. Reporting directly to the Walter President, you lead corporate product management and R&D, ensuring that strategy, technology, and execution align with customer needs, business objectives, and defined KPIs. You also shape and execute the company strategy while representing us externally and acting as a true role model.

Your job responsibilities include:

• Govern the strategy and development of the complete portfolio of offers, ensuring competitiveness, performance, and profitability.
• Lead product steering to secure a balanced portfolio of standard and custom products with strong return on investment.
• Drive research, technology, and product development, including technology platforms, concepts, geometries, grades, and knowledge.
• Ensure R&D processes follow best practices and are executed efficiently and effectively.
• Develop and support methodologies, methods, and tools that enable world-class products.
• Drive efficiency, quality, and technology excellence across R&D and engineering processes.
• Secure high-quality, state-of-the-art product data for multiple consumers and channels.
• Lead industry segment and component planning aligned with business objectives.
• Propose, drive, and follow through on collaboration initiatives across divisions within Machining.
• Provide strong leadership by building succession plans, developing capabilities, and ensuring motivation and skills within the organization.
• Actively contribute as a board member by executing board priorities, monitoring KPIs, ensuring corrective actions, and upholding governance and ethical standards.

Location and flexibility

The location for this position is Tübingen, Germany where you’re an active and present leader.

Your profile

You bring a strong academic foundation and broad leadership experience in product management, product development, and R&D. Your solid business mindset and strategic leadership capabilities allow you to translate strategy into action and results.

To be successful in this position, you need:

• A university degree, preferably a Master of Science, or equivalent.
• Strong general management background and solid business acumen.
• Deep understanding of product management and product development processes and methods.
• Knowledge of applications and production technology within the machining industry.
• Proven ability in stakeholder management, communication, and motivation.

You’re comfortable challenging the status quo when needed and combine perseverance with conviction to move initiatives forward. You lead through collaboration, inclusivity, and clear targets, while maintaining a holistic view across the company. Your customer‑centric approach guides your decisions, and your communication style builds trust, engagement, and alignment across functions and levels.

Some words about your new team

Product Management and R&D cover Product Development & Information, R&D, and Pricing & Profitability. Together, the team ensures that the company’s offer portfolio, technologies, and processes support strategic objectives, customer value, and long‑term, profitable growth through close cross‑functional collaboration.