Principal Digital Product Manager - Formulation AI Activation

PPG is scaling Formulation AI to transform how we design, validate, and commercialize coatings. As Principal Digital Product Manager - Formulation AI Activation, you will set the enterprise activation strategy, influence functional direction, and drive adoption across S&T labs, manufacturing plants, and adjacent commercial workflows. You will operate with substantial latitude on broad, complex, and high-impact initiatives. It requires advanced judgment, cross-functional influence, and the ability to create scalable solutions. These solutions shape our AI-enabled future.

Key Responsibilities

Activation Strategy & Vision

• Define the enterprise activation strategy and roadmap for Formulation AI; set quarterly OKRs and success metrics for awareness, onboarding, enablement, expansion, and realized value.
• Translate scientific, operational, and commercial needs into activation requirements; articulate value propositions by persona and business context, including formulators, lab managers, process engineers, product managers, and senior functional leaders.
• Apply deep understanding of coatings technology, AI/ML, data ecosystems, and product activation to guide priorities, resolve unusually complex issues, and contribute thought leadership that advances the AI product discipline.

Discovery, Product-Led & Change Management

• Lead product discovery for broad and ambiguous adoption challenges; prioritize hypotheses and run experiments, pilots, and lighthouse deployments to de-risk adoption and maximize value delivery to internal customers.
• Build and iterate activation playbooks (pilot designs, lighthouse labs, cohort rollouts), including training curricula, office hours, “champions” networks, and in-product guidance.
• Anticipate internal and external business trends, identify process changes needed for organization-wide adoption, and partner with HR/L&D, Communications, Legal, Compliance, and business leaders on enablement and change narratives.

Data, Integrations & Governance

• Use analytics and advanced judgment to inform decisions across master data sources, data quality, integrations, and automation opportunities; establish telemetry for activation funnels, feature usage, value capture, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure model governance, compliance, safety, data access controls, provenance, auditability, and human-in-the-loop controls are embedded in activation motions and scalable operating procedures.

Delivery & Backlog Leadership

• Define and prioritize user stories across multiple team backlogs aligned to the activation roadmap; determine methods and procedures for new or special assignments and maintain features/components that enable scale, including onboarding, guidance, feedback loops, and reusable activation assets.
• Review completed work and accept stories; exercise independent judgment in resolving delivery tradeoffs and ensure cross-functional testing plans and UAT for new features that impact activation.

Stakeholder, Financials & Operating Model

• Build and manage senior stakeholder networks across S&T, IT, Data/ML, manufacturing, commercial, legal/compliance, and external partners; provide clear updates, manage expectations, and influence decisions throughout the lifecycle of activation initiatives.
• Own financial planning and value realization for activation programs, including capital requests, OPEX planning, spend-rate monitoring, partner SOWs, vendor performance, budget tradeoffs, and quantified ROI.
• Coordinate across IT, Data, ML platform, business, and vendor teams; identify and resolve dependencies spanning data scientists, ML engineers, developers, product teams, and business users.
• Coach, mentor, and formally uplevel employees with less experience; develop playbooks, training materials, and best practices that strengthen PPG's AI product and activation discipline.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or global equivalent in a related discipline required; Master's degree, MBA, PhD, or global equivalent preferred.
• 10+ years of increasing responsibility and complexity in digital product management, AI/ML product activation or coatings development.
• Background in formulations, materials science, chemistry, or process engineering.
• Experience leading scaled activation, change management, AI/ML adoption, and complex cross-functional transformation initiatives.
• Strong Agile/SAFe expertise.
• Willingness to travel 20–30%.

How we work: At PPG, we bring teams together to accelerate collaboration and career development, with in-person work Monday through Thursday and the opportunity to work remotely on Flexible Fridays. Schedules may vary by location.

About us: 

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD™ 

Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com and follow @PPG on X. 

The PPG Way 2030  

We are customer champions 

Proactive. Bold. Trustworthy. Everything we do starts with our customers. We listen, move fast and don’t stop until we solve their biggest challenges. When our customers win, we all grow. 

We act with purpose and speed 

Agile. Data-driven. Empowered. We take smart risks to stay ahead of the competition. We work proactively with agility, using quality data to develop solutions that create value.  

We are excellent operators 

Productive. Collaborative. Accountable. No matter our role, we identify problems, take ownership and always bring solutions. We are both proactive and responsive to drive continuous improvement and deliver results. We support our frontline, the faces of PPG to our customers.   

We compete to win 

Future-focused. Driven. Ambitious. We are passionate about growing our business and winning with our customers. We deliver results, embrace new technologies and leverage agility and speed as strengths. 

We are PPG proud 

Strong. United. Passionate. We work safely, act with integrity and value our diverse perspectives. We celebrate achievements and take pride in the positive impact we create together to protect and beautify the world. 

At PPG we use AI in the hiring process to make the process more efficient. AI tools do not make hiring decisions. You can learn more by going to  https://careers.ppg.com/us/en/candidate-resources.  

PPG provides equal opportunity to all candidates and employees. We offer an opportunity to grow and develop your career in an environment that provides a fulfilling workplace for employees, creates an environment for continuous learning, and embraces the ideas and diversity of others. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, pregnancy, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability status, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.  

If you need an adjustment due to a disability, please email recruiting@ppg.com. 

PPG pay ranges and benefits can vary by location which allows us to compensate employees competitively in different geographic markets. PPG considers several factors in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, qualifications and education, licensure and certifications, and other organizational needs. Other incentives may apply.  
Our employee benefits programs are designed to support the health and well-being of our employees. Any insurance coverages and benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.  Benefits will be discussed with you by your recruiter during the hiring process. 

PPG values your feedback on our recruiting process. We encourage you to visit Glassdoor.com and provide feedback on the process, so that we can do better today than yesterday.