What skills, qualifications, characteristics do I need to be a Product Manager (technical)

I think it really depends on the industry and the company.

Many small to medium sized companies have 1-3 product managers and they are/may be responsible for everything from requirements gathering (technical and business), technical/functional specs, product design, packaging (meaning, how you take the product to market), project management (actually managing implementation teams), etc.

Other, larger, companies may have product managers are various levels for each and every aspect of their business.

MBA-type product managers are generally higher-level, go to market type people. They set general company direction, in conjunction with management, and tend not to get into the weeds of writing detailed specifications. It's unlikely you can jump straight to that role.

Consider starting as a project manager or sales engineer. You'll get a deeper understanding of the product and be better positioned to manage the product later. Or, consider finding a company that can absorb the cost of hiring lower-level product managers, get your hands dirty, etc.

At the right company, entry level is probably 3-5 years of related experience, you must be organized and able to see the details through the big picture. I also think it's really important that you're the type of person that can speak and write about technical issues in lay terms.

A good product manager has a healthy mix of project management, sales, marketing, technical writing and (technical) development.

Good luck - with the right supporting structure, product management is a very rewarding and challenging role.

Andrew

Consider looking for Associate Product Manager positions - these are few and far between, but are tailored specifically to entry-level. Business Analyst can also involve similar tasks (but can also be completely different).

You need to be extremely persuasive and able to work equally well with developers, sales, marketing and customers.