Head of AI Product Validation & MVP Scale-Up

The Head of AI Product Validation & MVP Scale-Up, Early Adopter Validation & MVP Scale-Up is a highly seasoned product leader who validates enterprise product value propositions with early adopters, converts real-world learning into product direction, and prepares successful MVPs for repeatable scale across the enterprise.Operating with significant autonomy, you will address highly complex, ambiguous, and cross-functional product challenges by testing assumptions with real users, clarifying what drives adoption, and surfacing the business, process, data, and change requirements needed to expand an MVP beyond a pilot. You will influence senior stakeholders through insight, judgment, and demonstrated evidence of market and business value.Key ResponsibilitiesValue Proposition Validation & Product StrategyDefine and own the validation strategy for new digital or AI-enabled products, ensuring the value proposition is tested with the right early adopter segments.Translate customer, user, and workflow insights into a clear product direction that sharpens differentiation and business relevance.Guide prioritization decisions based on evidence of desirability, feasibility, and business value rather than internal assumptions alone.Early Adopter Engagement & Learning LoopsLead structured engagement with early adopters to test assumptions, gather feedback, and understand what drives willingness to adopt, expand, and advocate.Design and run iterative learning cycles that convert interviews, pilots, usage data, and stakeholder feedback into concrete product and commercialization decisions.Distinguish signal from noise by identifying the patterns that are relevant for broader enterprise adoption versus one-off requests from pilot users.Evidence, Metrics & Scale ReadinessEstablish and monitor validation metrics that demonstrate value realization, user traction, process fit, and readiness for broader rollout.Surface the product, process, data, integration, support, and change management requirements required to move from MVP to enterprise scale.Create evidence-based recommendations on whether to persevere, refine, reposition, or stop an MVP based on observed outcomes and scaling potential.Cross-Functional Stakeholder LeadershipPartner closely with business leaders, product teams, data scientists, engineers, IT, operations, and change leaders to ensure early adopter feedback informs the right enterprise decisions.Act as a consultant, aligning stakeholders around what has been validated, what remains uncertain, and what must be true to scale successfully.Communicate trade-offs, learning, adoption barriers, and scale implications to senior stakeholders and sponsors.MVP Shaping & Development GovernanceDefine, prioritize, and refine epics, experiments, and user stories required to validate the core value proposition and remove barriers to adoption.Ensure delivered MVP capabilities are fit for learning, measurable in use, and aligned to the questions the business needs answered before scaling.Review outcomes from each release and translate them into backlog decisions that improve both product value and scale readiness.Commercialization & Scale TransitionBuild the scale-up case for successful MVPs by clarifying repeatable value, implementation requirements, support needs, and operating model implications.Balance scope, timeline, cost, and learning objectives to maximize both near-term validation and long-term enterprise viability.Identify opportunities to accelerate adoption by removing friction in onboarding, integration, governance, training, and stakeholder ownership.People Leadership & Team ManagementLead, manage, and develop product managers or cross-functional product resources, setting clear expectations for customer validation, learning velocity, and business impact.Provide coaching, mentorship, and performance feedback to strengthen product judgment, discovery practices, and stakeholder effectiveness.Assign work based on capability and experience while enabling team members to operate with appropriate autonomy.Serve as an escalation point for complex product, adoption, and scale-readiness decisions.Foster a culture of accountability, evidence-based decision-making, collaboration, and continuous improvement.Qualifications10+ years of progressively increasing responsibility in product management, product strategy, innovation, venture incubation, digital transformation, or related enterprise roles.Bachelor's degree required in business, technology, engineering, computer science, chemistry, or a related field.Advanced degree preferred; master's or Ph.D. in chemistry or a related scientific disciplineDemonstrated success validating AI system value propositions across enterprise functions, with particular depth in science- and technology-oriented domains.Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing stakeholders through ambiguity to move complex AI systems from MVP to broader enterprise adoption; strong familiarity with R&D, applied science, or adjacent technical environments preferred.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