Upstream Product Manager – Advanced Surgical

Role Overview

• Conduct market and customer research to identify trends, unmet needs, and whitespace opportunities that guide long-term product strategy.
• Segment markets and define target user groups to inform portfolio prioritization and roadmap planning.
• Lead VOC and field immersion programs to capture clinical pain points and workflow insights.
• Track, analyze, and translate VOC findings into clear, actionable product development requirements and design inputs.
• Rationalization and optimization of portfolio to align with business strategic direction and evolving customer needs.
• Partner with cross-functional teams—including R&D, Clinical, Regulatory, and Quality—to lead product development efforts and ensure alignment from concept through feasibility.
• Validate early concepts and prototypes with key opinion leaders (KOLs), clinicians, and strategic partners to refine design direction and value proposition.
• Build and manage the front end of the new product pipeline, ensuring concepts are well-defined and aligned with strategic priorities.
• Develop business cases with market sizing, financial modeling, cost modeling, and ROI analysis to support investment and resource allocation decisions.
• Ability to outline data driven recommendations.
• Evaluate Build, Buy, or Partner opportunities to accelerate innovation and strengthen the product portfolio.
• Collaborate with downstream marketing and commercial teams to ensure seamless transition from concept to launch readiness.
• Align upstream strategies globally, adapting for regional market needs, customer dynamics, and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor competitive intelligence and emerging technologies to maintain differentiation and identify disruptive trends.
• Represent the business at industry events and professional forums to capture insights and reinforce brand presence.
• Define and track KPIs such as pipeline health, VOC conversion rate, and time-to-concept to guide innovation and portfolio decisions.
• Champion a data-driven, customer-centered approach to ensure the voice of the customer remains at the core of all product decisions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent
• 3+ years’ experience in upstream marketing within the medical device industry
• 3+ years of experience utilizing Microsoft Office including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience operating in highly regulated environments set by governmental agencies, independent regulatory bodies, medical associations, and patient advocacy organizations throughout the product lifecycle.
• Ability to meet with customers at hospitals and to be a member of a credentialing agency.
• Ability to lead and contribute to interdisciplinary teams with demonstrated results.
• Proven ability to execute and lead upstream projects within timeline and budget.
• Demonstrated strong organizational and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships with sales teams and physicians.
• Thorough knowledge of relevant anatomy, surgical procedures, and clinical needs.
• Thorough knowledge of surgeon and sales education process.
• Strong knowledge of laparoscopic procedures preferred.
• Preferred knowledge of insufflation market.
• Prior background in marketing roles focused on general surgeries is a plus

Benefits

• Excellent healthcare including medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage
• Short & long term disability plus life insurance -
• cost paid fully by CONMED
• Retirement Savings Plan (401K) -
• CONMED matches your contributions dollar for dollar, with the potential for up to 7% per pay period
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan -
• allows stock purchases at discounted price
• Tuition assistance for undergraduate and graduate level courses