Product Manager

Overview SUMMARY OF POSITION The Product Manager (PM) position within the company is responsible for leading the profitable growth and direction of a product category (or multiple categories). The role involves the management of the full product portfolio and helps to define and implement successful sales and distribution strategies. The Product Manager works closely with the Sr. Product Manager/Director, as well as Sales, Innovation, and Manufacturing to optimize efficiency and deliver profitable growth. In some cases, the role includes worldwide brand ownership and responsibility for planning, investment and execution of communication strategies and brand guidelines. The product marketing manager exhibits a deep understanding of markets and buyers in order to devise and lead a category’s go-to-market strategy. He or she must work cross-functionally, unifying and motivating peers from different teams (. product management, R&D, marketing communications, market development, insights and innovation, and sales). The product marketing manager must have an expert understanding of the product’s buying audiences and their needs and often acts as a subject matter expert (SME) who transfers knowledge about markets, buyers and product across marketing and sales functions. Qualifications QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. JOB REQUIREMENTS Education: BS/BA in Business, Marketing or related major Skills: Strong computer skills including MS Office and Analytic tools Strong presentation skills, verbal and written Strong financial acumen Abilities: Demonstrated creativity in developing products and programs Demonstrated success in managing teams of people Understanding of corporate strategic planning process Motivation to get the job done to exceed performance standards Ability to travel overnight 10-20% of the time Experience: 3 - 5 years in a management/marketing role, preferably with product marketing and/or consumer products experience PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. WORK ENVIRONMENT This is a fast-paced work environment with consistent pressure to complete duties as outlined above which requires ability to manage multiple projects at a detailed level and provide support to many internal departments in a fast-changing environment. Many duties listed above are time-sensitive and have strict deadlines for completion. We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Responsibilities ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned. P&L - P&L ownership for the category, including identifying key issues and managing tactics for long term top line and bottom-line growth. Sales Growth – Collaborates with the Sales team and Marketing Communications support functions to ensure that new items and product plans are communicated effectively and executed at the customer level to drive the sales and profits of the category according to the company plan Brand Ownership (where applicable) – Set the vision and priorities for holistic brand plans on a worldwide basis. Develop brand guidelines and enforce across packaging, communications, and presentations. Work with communications team to prioritize investment and execute key marketing campaigns. New Products – Define the market opportunity for a product; perform segmentation and targeting exercises that identify the segments with the highest propensity to buy. Develop portfolio strategy and product roadmaps. In partnership with Insights and Innovation team, conduct market and customer research to gather data and insight about target personas, buyer needs and the purchasing decision process for the product, including key buyer roles. Leads product development through well-defined market requirements. Write and socialize the following product-level documents: marketing plan, sales enablement plan, launch plan, solution guides. Develop product positioning, value propositions and messaging that resonate with the buying audience and produce the source messaging blueprint. Assist in product naming and brand strategy by providing market, competitive and customer context. Manage launch planning and orchestrate execution of the commercial release of a product. Participate in product development efforts and manage cross-functional NPI/NPD projects relative to product line extensions, quality enhancement and cost reduction initiatives. Work with the Innovation team to help identify needs, prioritize projects and inform key parameters on Track 1 innovation efforts. Category Management – Manage the product life cycle of the full category portfolio to maximize growth while balancing manufacturing efficiency, profitability and inventory optimization. Exercise regular process to review portfolio and discontinue items that do not meet category goals. Develop annual category plans which include current situation analysis, vision and strategy and specific category plans. Conduct business analysis to manage, improve and recommend the product assortment for the company. Merchandising - Integrate merchandising as part of a full plan to achieve category goals. Packaging – Oversee the development and implementation of all category packaging. Works with Packaging Engineering, Graphics Designers and Regulatory to evaluate the quality of packaging form and messaging, as well as ensuring regulatory compliance. Item/Category Management – Works with the marketing operations team to oversee the new item setup process to obtain new quotes, vet cost accuracy, and manage timelines to meet ship dates. Provide market pricing guidance and work with pricing manager to set internal net pricing. Collaborate with marketing peers and resources to produce relevant content for target buyers. Collaborate with a sales enablement and/or sales operations manager to produce a sales enablement plan and content. Provide market and buyer insights to drive the development of campaign strategies including demand creation and reputation building. Serve as market-facing SME/thought leader for the product and interface with industry influencers and associations as company representative. Develop customer references, testimonials and case studies for external and internal use, or assist a formalized customer marketing function in doing so. Drive product retention and upsell/cross-sell strategies or assist a formalized customer marketing function in doing so. Conduct win/loss interviews and perform ongoing analysis to determine the level of customer product adoption and provide feedback to the product team. Monitor and report on the performance of products in the market and communicate the results of related sales and marketing efforts Intelligence – Employ business and market analysis as the “subject matter expert” as it relates to all facets of the category, including technical, market and competitive expertise. Verify plans and provide explanations for variances in forecasted sales. Supply – Work with manufacturing/sourcing to optimize supply chain opportunities and cultivate high quality sources of supply and building of long-term relationships with our vendor partners. Drive category development in a joint effort with the category buyer and . to meet product performance, timing and logistics needs. Narrow categories and work with suppliers to narrow products supplied to the company. Identify leverage opportunities, work with procurement, negotiate contracts, supply agreements and programs. Quality - Proactively work with technical and QA team to eliminate quality failures and minimize impact when situations arise. Fully OWN the resolution of the quality solution within the organization when issues occur.