Full-Time
Product Line Manager
Posted on 6/18/2025
Knowles Corporation
1,001-5,000 employees
Produces MEMS microphones and micro-acoustic components
No salary listed
No H1B Sponsorship
Santa Clarita, CA, USA
In Person
US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance Required
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- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant Engineering discipline
- Experience in electrical components manufacturing environments preferred, experience in ceramic capacitors a plus
- All applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. without restriction to ITAR documentation and materials
- Must be a U.S. citizen. This position requires the ability to call on customers with ITAR restrictions
- Strong PC skills; competency with Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, and Excel
- Ability to travel up to 25%+ of the time
- Ability to work non-traditional hours
- 2+ years of Product marketing, technical marketing, FAE/AE or technical sales experience; industry experience related to medical and or military market
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant Engineering discipline (already listed)
- Experience in electrical components manufacturing environments preferred (already listed)
- Must be able to read and interpret business strategies/goals and translate into meaningful messages for target audiences
- Work closely with GM of Hi-Rel Capacitors to implement priorities at a site level with operations and engineering
- Determine the value propositions of individual products in the product line
- Drive internal and external resources to support customer product fulfillment and to solve customer issues in a timely manner
- Advocate for excellence in line performance, site voice of customer: + Timely quotations + Line efficiency + On time delivery + Defect-free product
- Feed into marketing strategy and work with the sales team to achieve design wins at target customers.
- Engage with customers, engineering, sales, customer service, and factory for the delivery of quotations, samples, and information in support of new business development
- Work closely with site operations team on production and SIOP planning
- Develop product roadmap that outlines short and long-term strategies for sub-product lines
- Monitor competitive products and capabilities as input to new product/capabilities development
- Coordinate resources to deliver product improvements, new products, and capabilities to meet current and emerging market needs.
- Work with Product Marketing to develop assets and sales tools to facilitate selling of Hi-Rel Capacitor products and capabilities
- Any other duties that may be assigned
Knowles Corporation makes advanced micro-acoustic, audio processing, and precision device components for original equipment manufacturers worldwide. Its products include balanced armature speakers and microphones for hearing health, premium audio, and communications; high-performance capacitors and RF filters for defense, medical, and industrial uses; and MEMS microphones for smartphones, wearables, and IoT devices. The company differentiates itself through deep expertise in acoustics, materials science, and signal processing to deliver small, reliable, high-precision components that meet strict performance standards. Its goal is to help OEMs create smaller, more capable devices by supplying integrated sensing and audio components.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Itasca, Illinois
Founded
1946
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Precision Devices grew 17% in Q1 2026 on defense and $75M energy order.
- Raised 2026 revenue outlook exceeding 6% organic growth target.
- Diamond Hill added Knowles to portfolio in Q1 2026 amid 98% stock gain.
What critics are saying
- Texas Instruments erodes capacitor market share through superior scale.
- Factory inefficiencies from energy order compress margins through Q3 2026.
- Consumer MEMS loses smartphone contracts to Infineon and Goertek.
What makes Knowles Corporation unique
- Knowles specializes in balanced armature speakers for hearing health markets.
- Precision Devices excels in RF filters for defense and medtech applications.
- Leads Consumer MEMS Microphones for smartphones and IoT devices.
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Benefits
Professional Development Budget
Flexible Work Hours
Company News
Knowles shares rose 5.2% this week as investors rotated into technology stocks amid easing geopolitical tensions with Iran and falling oil prices. The move was sector-wide rather than company-specific, highlighting Knowles' sensitivity to broader risk appetite shifts. The electronics manufacturer's investment case centres on steady growth from medtech, industrial and defence electronics, supported by new products like specialty films and inductors. However, key risks remain around factory inefficiencies and unfavourable product mix pressuring gross margins. Knowles has spent $271.5 million on share buybacks since 2020, retiring approximately 16.6% of shares. Analysts project revenue reaching $716.9 million and earnings of $122.3 million by 2029, requiring 6.5% annual revenue growth. The company's narrative suggests a fair value of $28.50, representing 10% upside from current levels.
Knowles (NYSE:KN) is facing structural challenges as prolonged end-market weakness pressures sales and limited scale constrains operational efficiency. The component maker has experienced a 4.9% annual sales decline over five years, making it difficult to spread fixed costs across manufacturing, R&D and distribution compared to larger competitors like Texas Instruments and Analog Devices. Returns on capital remain concerning, raising questions about recent investment decisions and portfolio choices. Whilst the stock has gained 55.8% over one year, closing at $25.35, it has declined 6% in the past month. The company is targeting medtech, industrial and defence sectors with new product lines including specialty films and inductors to broaden its market. However, declining sales and weakening capital returns suggest operational efficiency gains have yet to materialise fully.
Knowles shares have gained 21.3% to $26.26 over the past six months, outperforming the S&P 500 by 15.6 percentage points. However, analysts remain cautious about the company's prospects. The business services firm has shown concerning long-term trends, with revenue declining at a 4.9% annual rate over the past five years. At $593.2 million in trailing 12-month revenue, Knowles remains a relatively small player in its sector. The company's return on invested capital has also deteriorated, averaging 3.6 percentage point decreases annually in recent years, suggesting limited profitable growth opportunities. Despite the recent stock performance, Knowles trades at 22.3× forward price-to-earnings, a valuation analysts believe prices in significant optimism. They recommend investors consider alternative opportunities given the company's fundamental challenges.
Knowles Corporation president and CEO Jeffrey Niew sold 50,000 shares worth approximately $1.2 million on 15 January through a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale, executed at a weighted average price of $24.75, represented 5.62% of his direct holdings and marked his largest single open-market sale since December 2024. The transaction occurred after Knowles shares gained 24% over the previous year. The company reported strong third-quarter results in October, with revenue rising 7% year-over-year to $153 million and earnings per share increasing 22% to $0.33, both at the high end of guidance ranges. Following the sale, Niew retains 839,370 shares valued at approximately $20.9 million. Knowles is scheduled to report fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on 5 February.
Knowles debuts MM60 MEMS AI-centric microphone at EUHA. Summary: Knowles has launched the MM60 MEMS microphone at EUHA 2025, engineered with a new MEMS motor and advanced ASIC to optimize AI chipset performance in hearing aids through enhanced durability, programmability, and acoustic quality. * The MM60 is built with a new MEMS motor and advanced ASIC to deliver robust protection, high electroacoustic performance, and AI-optimized sound input. * It reportedly offers exceptional durability - surviving deep-water immersion, high-pressure air blasts, and fine particle exposure - while reducing distortion and noise. * Designed for next-generation AI-powered hearing aids, the MM60 is designed to enable consistent results, customization, and enhanced user experiences in diverse environments. Knowles Corporation, a manufacturer of specialty electronic components - including high performance capacitors, radio frequency ("RF") filters, advanced medtech microphones, and balanced armature (BA) speakers - announced the launch of its MM60 MEMS microphone at the European Hearing Aid Acousticians Convention (EUHA) in Nuremberg, Germany. For optimal performance of the AI chipset in a hearing aid, high-quality sound input is essential. According to Knowles, the MM60 is designed from the ground up to deliver superior electroacoustic performance and robustness specifically designed to maximize the performance for AI chipsets in hearing aid applications. Dual vectors of innovation. The MM60 is built on two fundamental innovations: an entirely new MEMS motor and an advanced ASIC that the company says together enable hearing aid manufacturers to meet real-world user demands without compromise. As a pioneer of MEMS microphones in hearing aids, Knowles prides itself on striving to consistently deliver reliable, high-performance microphones at a fraction of the cost of electret microphones - continuing with the MM60, which is designed to provide performance specifically tailored to AI-powered hearing solutions. The new MEMS motor is designed to be significantly more reliable than currently available microphones - particularly regarding liquid and particle ingress such as water, dust, or earwax - while simultaneously significantly enhancing electroacoustic performance. Knowles claims the MM60 survives 2-meter deep-water immersion, withstands air blasts exceeding 100 PSI, and protects against fine particles - reducing field return rates while enabling end users to maintain active lifestyles. The advanced ASIC is made to offer superior programmability with dual-stage gain control, precision filters ranging from 25 Hz to 20 kHz, DC offset alignment, and power optimization - all factory-configured according to hearing aid manufacturer specifications. The goal is to enable more consistent results, reduce production variations, and empower hearing aid manufacturers to fully leverage their AI differentiation features with industry-leading microphones. Transforming the user experience. For users, Knowles attests the benefits are clear: lower noise levels, reduced distortion, improved ultrasonic performance, and microphones that sound better and last longer in any environment - from active gym training to loud cocktail parties. The MM60 and its thinner MM61 variant are available immediately and can be integrated into new hearing systems. "The MM60 represents a pivotal advancement in hearing health technology," says Jon Kiachian, president of MedTech and Specialty Audio at Knowles Corporation. "By combining our decades of MEMS microphone expertise with cutting-edge AI optimization, we've created a solution that doesn't just meet today's hearing aid requirements but also enables the next generation of intelligent hearing devices. This microphone sets a new standard for what's possible when durability, performance, and AI-readiness converge in a single, breakthrough product." Performance for ai-powered solutions. According to Knowles, with its combination of robust protection, advanced programmability, and reliable acoustic performance, the MM60 establishes a new benchmark for hearing health technology. The microphone's AI-centric design philosophy aims to deliver industry leading sound quality and enable AI chipsets to perform at their best while maintaining the reliability and performance standards that hearing aid manufacturers and users demand. For technical specifications and integration support, visit https://www.knowles.com/subdepartment/hearing-health-microphones/hearing-health-microphones or contact your Knowles representative.