Product Manager, North America TecDataHub & OptiCat MCP

We are seeking an entrepreneurial and highly collaborative Product Manager to lead the development, launch, and growth of the North American TecDataHub platform while also owning the OptiCat MCP product initiative.

This role will be responsible for defining product strategy, managing the roadmap, translating market needs into product requirements, coordinating cross-functional delivery teams, and driving commercial success. The Product Manager will serve as the primary business owner for both initiatives and will work closely with customers, data operations, engineering, sales, marketing, and executive leadership.

The ideal candidate combines strong automotive aftermarket expertise with product management discipline, technical curiosity, and the ability to connect customer requirements with scalable solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Product Strategy & Vision

• Own the product vision, roadmap, and business objectives for North American TecDataHub and OptiCat MCP.
• Translate business goals into clear product strategies and executable roadmaps.
• Define product positioning, value propositions, and go-to-market priorities.
• Develop annual and quarterly product plans aligned with company growth objectives.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor offerings, customer feedback, and Auto Care standards developments.

TecDataHub Ownership

• Lead development of the North American TecDataHub platform as the industry's neutral data utility.
• Drive the adoption of TecDoc methodologies while ensuring ACES/PIES interoperability.

· Define the North American customer, supplier, distributor, and data-consumer use cases that differentiate TecDataHub from existing catalog, PIM, data syndication, and aftermarket data solutions.

• Define requirements for:
• Product normalization
• Application mapping
• Asset and image management
• Attribute standardization
• Data quality validation
• API services
• Work with internal and external stakeholders to build a scalable onboarding framework for manufacturers and distributors.

OptiCat MCP Ownership

• Serve as the business owner for the OptiCat MCP initiative.
• Define customer requirements and prioritization for MCP capabilities.
• Partner with development teams to deliver features that improve supplier onboarding, content management, automation, and customer experience.
• Drive utilization, adoption, and commercial success of the platform.
• Ensure alignment between MCP roadmap and broader OptiCat strategic objectives.

Product Development

• Create business requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, and product specifications.
• Prioritize product backlog based on business value and customer impact.
• Participate in Agile planning, sprint reviews, and release management.
• Balance customer requests with long-term platform strategy.
• Manage product lifecycle from concept through launch and ongoing optimization.

Performance & Commercial Accountability

• Define and track product KPIs.
• Measure:
• Customer adoption
• Revenue contribution
• Data quality improvements
• Time-to-onboard
• Platform usage
• Retention and satisfaction metrics
• Support revenue forecasting and growth planning.

· Develop product business cases, pricing and packaging recommendations, revenue models, market sizing, and investment priorities in collaboration with Commercial Operations and executive leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• 5+ years of product management experience.
• Experience managing SaaS, data-driven, or platform products.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycles and Agile methodologies.

• Working knowledge of AI-enabled software platforms, large language models (LLMs), AI agents, Model Context Protocol (MCP), APIs, and related emerging technologies, with the ability to translate business requirements into product requirements for technical and development teams. Hands-on software development or AI model development experience is not required.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with software engineers, data architects, AI/ML teams, and other technical stakeholders without requiring hands-on programming responsibilities.

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional projects.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience translating customer needs into product requirements.

· Demonstrated understanding of automotive product and application data; automotive aftermarket, automotive data, parts cataloging, PIM, or closely related industry experience is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Automotive aftermarket industry experience.
• Knowledge of:
• ACES
• PIES
• TecDoc
• Product information management
• Cataloging solutions
• Product data distribution
• Experience working with APIs and data integration platforms.
• Familiarity with OptiCat, TecDoc, Epicor, WHI, SEMA Data Co-op, or related aftermarket ecosystems.
• Experience launching new products or business ventures.

Success Metrics (First 12 Months)

• Launch and operationalize key phases of the North American TecDataHub roadmap.
• Establish a repeatable supplier onboarding process.
• Deliver agreed OptiCat MCP roadmap commitments.
• Support acquisition of founding TecDataHub customers.
• Improve supplier onboarding efficiency and data quality.
• Achieve adoption and revenue targets established in the annual operating plan.
• Build strong relationships with strategic customers and ecosystem partners.