Product Development Manager Jobs in Maryland
Product Development Manager jobs in Maryland are concentrated in the Baltimore metro, Bethesda, and the Rockville-Gaithersburg corridor, where defense, life sciences, and cybersecurity drive sustained demand for experienced product leaders. Employers like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Leidos maintain large Maryland footprints and regularly hire product development managers across hardware, software, and government systems programs. The most in-demand specialties include systems integration, regulated medical or defense products, and enterprise software development. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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See related jobsProduct Development Engineer
Department: Product
Report to: Director of Engineering
Location: In person Baltimore, MD HQ (with travel to factories/suppliers as needed)
Position Overview
LifeStraw is hiring a Product Development Engineer to own the technical design and engineering execution of new water filtration products, from working concept through mass production. This is a hands-on engineering role centered on creativity, CAD, DFM/DFA, BOM management, and supplier-facing technical problem-solving. The Product Development Engineer owns getting the design right and manufacturable.
The role reports to the Director of Engineering and is based at LifeStraw's Baltimore, MD headquarters. You will work daily with our lab engineer/researcher based in Hanoi, who leads validation and testing on your projects, and will travel to factories domestically and overseas as needed during key project phases such as tooling kickoff, pilot production, and line trials.
What You’ll Be Doing — The Essentials
- Take product concepts from working-principle definition through CAD modeling and sketching (Creo, Catia, SolidWorks, or similar), prototyping, and design validation to production release.
- Own technical design decisions: FEA, material selection, tolerance stack-up, seal calculations, and thread analysis.
- Lead DFM/DFA/DFC reviews and translate findings into manufacturable design changes.
- Create and maintain BOMs, CAD releases, and change control (Promotion Requests, Engineering Change Notices) in Windchill.
- Build and release tooling and production tech packs (2D and 3D) for suppliers.
- Propose and validate technical solutions to concept, design, and manufacturing problems as they arise.
- Partner closely with the Product Manager at every milestone gate, providing technical input and staying tightly aligned on priorities and status.
- Partner closely with the lab engineer/researcher in Hanoi on proof-of-concept testing, validation plans, and design iteration based on lab findings.
- Work directly with domestic and overseas suppliers on RFQs, supplier qualification, tooling timelines, and Alpha/Beta/Golden sample reviews.
- Collaborate with industrial designers, sourcing, and factories to translate concepts into real, manufacturable products.
- Review and sign off on supplier submissions, including dimensional reports, PPAP, control plans, and work instructions.
- Support Quality with traceability requirements, defect definitions, and inspection criteria.
- Travel to factories and supplier sites, up to approximately 30% of the time, concentrated during key project phases (tooling, pilot production, line trials).
- Take on other Product department initiatives and priorities as needed.
- Commit to LifeStraw’s core behaviors: Fighting for Good; Living, Working and Creating with Impact in Mind; Erring on the Side of Action; and Leaving Everything Better.
- Contribute to LifeStraw’s impact on People and Planet, including local volunteering.
What We’re Looking For
- Strong technical instincts, comfortable proposing and defending engineering solutions to concept, design, and production problems.
- Positive, hands-on attitude with an inquisitive, self-directed approach to problem-solving.
- Flexible and collaborative; works well with multiple, competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent communication skills for working closely with a remote lab/research partner and global suppliers.
- Confident self-starter who can drive technical decisions with minimal supervision.
- Cultural awareness and willingness to work across global time zones (Hanoi, Baltimore, and supplier locations).
- Strong data-gathering and analytical skills.
- Good sense of humor.
Experience and Education Profile
- BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field; Master’s a plus.
- 3–5+ years of hands-on product design/development experience, from concept through mass production, ideally on physical/consumer products.
- Strong CAD proficiency (Creo, Catia, SolidWorks, or Fusion 360) including concept sketching and part/assembly modeling; Creo experience a plus.
- Experience with Windchill for BOM management, change control, and PDM workflows is a nice plus.
- Strong experience with plastic part design; hands-on injection molding experience is important.
- Familiarity with other manufacturing processes (extrusion, stamping, bonding, assembly) across materials such as plastic, silicone, steel, and glass is a plus.
- Proven track record working directly with domestic and international suppliers and factories, including supplier qualification and on-site support during tooling and production ramp-up.
- Experience collaborating with industrial designers to bring concepts to production-ready designs.
- Willing to travel to factories/suppliers, domestically and internationally, up to approximately 20 to 30% of the time, concentrated during key project phases.
Product Development Engineer
Department: Product
Report to: Director of Engineering
Location: In person Baltimore, MD HQ (with travel to factories/suppliers as needed)
Position Overview
LifeStraw is hiring a Product Development Engineer to own the technical design and engineering execution of new water filtration products, from working concept through mass production. This is a hands-on engineering role centered on creativity, CAD, DFM/DFA, BOM management, and supplier-facing technical problem-solving. The Product Development Engineer owns getting the design right and manufacturable.
The role reports to the Director of Engineering and is based at LifeStraw's Baltimore, MD headquarters. You will work daily with our lab engineer/researcher based in Hanoi, who leads validation and testing on your projects, and will travel to factories domestically and overseas as needed during key project phases such as tooling kickoff, pilot production, and line trials.
What You’ll Be Doing — The Essentials
- Take product concepts from working-principle definition through CAD modeling and sketching (Creo, Catia, SolidWorks, or similar), prototyping, and design validation to production release.
- Own technical design decisions: FEA, material selection, tolerance stack-up, seal calculations, and thread analysis.
- Lead DFM/DFA/DFC reviews and translate findings into manufacturable design changes.
- Create and maintain BOMs, CAD releases, and change control (Promotion Requests, Engineering Change Notices) in Windchill.
- Build and release tooling and production tech packs (2D and 3D) for suppliers.
- Propose and validate technical solutions to concept, design, and manufacturing problems as they arise.
- Partner closely with the Product Manager at every milestone gate, providing technical input and staying tightly aligned on priorities and status.
- Partner closely with the lab engineer/researcher in Hanoi on proof-of-concept testing, validation plans, and design iteration based on lab findings.
- Work directly with domestic and overseas suppliers on RFQs, supplier qualification, tooling timelines, and Alpha/Beta/Golden sample reviews.
- Collaborate with industrial designers, sourcing, and factories to translate concepts into real, manufacturable products.
- Review and sign off on supplier submissions, including dimensional reports, PPAP, control plans, and work instructions.
- Support Quality with traceability requirements, defect definitions, and inspection criteria.
- Travel to factories and supplier sites, up to approximately 30% of the time, concentrated during key project phases (tooling, pilot production, line trials).
- Take on other Product department initiatives and priorities as needed.
- Commit to LifeStraw’s core behaviors: Fighting for Good; Living, Working and Creating with Impact in Mind; Erring on the Side of Action; and Leaving Everything Better.
- Contribute to LifeStraw’s impact on People and Planet, including local volunteering.
What We’re Looking For
- Strong technical instincts, comfortable proposing and defending engineering solutions to concept, design, and production problems.
- Positive, hands-on attitude with an inquisitive, self-directed approach to problem-solving.
- Flexible and collaborative; works well with multiple, competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent communication skills for working closely with a remote lab/research partner and global suppliers.
- Confident self-starter who can drive technical decisions with minimal supervision.
- Cultural awareness and willingness to work across global time zones (Hanoi, Baltimore, and supplier locations).
- Strong data-gathering and analytical skills.
- Good sense of humor.
Experience and Education Profile
- BS in Mechanical Engineering or related field; Master’s a plus.
- 3–5+ years of hands-on product design/development experience, from concept through mass production, ideally on physical/consumer products.
- Strong CAD proficiency (Creo, Catia, SolidWorks, or Fusion 360) including concept sketching and part/assembly modeling; Creo experience a plus.
- Experience with Windchill for BOM management, change control, and PDM workflows is a nice plus.
- Strong experience with plastic part design; hands-on injection molding experience is important.
- Familiarity with other manufacturing processes (extrusion, stamping, bonding, assembly) across materials such as plastic, silicone, steel, and glass is a plus.
- Proven track record working directly with domestic and international suppliers and factories, including supplier qualification and on-site support during tooling and production ramp-up.
- Experience collaborating with industrial designers to bring concepts to production-ready designs.
- Willing to travel to factories/suppliers, domestically and internationally, up to approximately 20 to 30% of the time, concentrated during key project phases.
See All 5 Product Development Manager Jobs in Maryland
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Find JobsProduct Development Manager Jobs by City in Maryland
Where Maryland roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Product Development Manager Job Market in Maryland
A snapshot from current Maryland openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing
What Maryland Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in product development manager jobs across Maryland.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a related technical field required
- Five or more years of product development or product management experience preferred
- Experience managing cross-functional teams through full product lifecycle development
- Familiarity with agile, scrum, or stage-gate development methodologies in a technical environment
- Strong background in regulated industries such as defense, federal contracting, or life sciences
- PMP certification or equivalent project management credential is frequently requested by Maryland employers
Product Development Manager Jobs in Maryland: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a product development manager in Maryland?
Most Maryland employers expect a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a related technical field, along with several years of hands-on product development experience. Maryland has no state-issued license specifically for product development managers, but candidates targeting defense or federal contractors in the Baltimore and Montgomery County corridors benefit from a Project Management Professional credential and, for many roles, an active federal security clearance. A track of progressively responsible roles moving from individual contributor to team lead is the most common path to a first manager-level hire.
Which companies hire product development managers in Maryland?
Employers hiring product development managers in Maryland right now include Evapco, Lynker, and LifeStraw, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Maryland's concentration of defense contractors, federal health agencies, and life sciences firms means the employer base skews toward organizations that develop regulated, complex products rather than consumer software.
Which Maryland cities have the most product development manager jobs?
Taneytown, Columbia, and Baltimore account for the largest share of product development manager openings in Maryland. The Baltimore metro anchors demand through its hospital systems, cybersecurity firms, and manufacturing base, while the Bethesda and Rockville-Gaithersburg corridor draws heavily from federal contractors and National Institutes of Health-adjacent employers concentrated along the I-270 technology corridor.
Are there remote product development manager jobs in Maryland?
Yes, and more than many technical roles, because a significant share of product development manager work involves planning, stakeholder alignment, and documentation that translates well to remote settings. About 50% of product development manager openings tied to Maryland are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, though roles tied to classified federal contracts or hardware programs are more likely to require on-site presence in Maryland facilities. Program management and software-focused product roles tend to offer the most scheduling flexibility.
How can I get hired as a product development manager in Maryland with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is securing a product associate, junior program analyst, or systems engineer role at one of Maryland's large defense or health technology employers and building toward a manager title from within. Northrop Grumman, Leidos, and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield all run rotational or associate programs that feed into product and program leadership tracks. Candidates from adjacent roles like technical project coordinator, business analyst, or quality assurance engineer make strong lateral moves, especially when they add a Certified Associate in Project Management credential before applying.
Where can I find and apply to product development manager jobs in Maryland?
You can find and apply to product development manager jobs in Maryland on Migrate Mate, which lists current Maryland openings updated regularly. Search for roles that fit your background and apply directly to the ones that match your experience level and specialty area.
See All 5 Product Development Manager Jobs in Maryland
Find roles in Maryland that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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