Manager, Margin Strategy & Business Optimization

Job Description

Responsible for driving profitable growth across the business by identifying, quantifying, prioritizing, and executing gross margin improvement opportunities.

This role serves as a strategic business partner to Product Line Leadership and is accountable for developing actionable insights from complex financial, operational, supply chain, and product data.

The successful candidate will translate analysis into measurable business actions and lead the execution of margin improvement initiatives across pricing, product cost, organizational initiatives and product strategy.

This unique and highly visible role combines the analytical rigor of a business strategist with the ownership mindset of a product manager. The individual must be capable of independently investigating complex business issues, developing recommendations, influencing cross-functional teams, and driving initiatives to completion.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

Gross Margin Strategy & Opportunity Identification

• Identify and quantify gross margin improvement opportunities across the Vacuum Automation business.

• Analyze pricing, cost structure, factory performance, product mix, supply chain costs, inventory reserves, MRB, OSP, E&O exposure, warranty costs, and strategic investment decisions.

• Build financial models and business cases to support decision making.

• Develop recommendations backed by data, financial analysis, and operational understanding.

Business Analytics & Insights

• Consolidate and analyze information from multiple systems and data sources.

• Explain margin drivers in a clear and actionable manner for executive and operational audiences.

• Identify trends, root causes, risks, and emerging opportunities.

• Develop dashboards, KPIs, and management reporting to track improvement progress.

Execution Leadership

• Drive execution of approved margin initiatives from opportunity identification through realization.

• Partner with Product Management, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Engineering, Quality, and Commercial teams.

• Establish project milestones, track commitments, remove roadblocks, and ensure accountability.

• Maintain visibility of initiative status and escalate risks when necessary.

Business Ownership

• Serve as the primary coordinator and advocate for gross margin improvement within the Vacuum Automation business.

• Challenge assumptions and drive fact-based decision making.

• Ensure projected savings and margin improvements are achieved and sustained.

• Support strategic planning, annual operating plans, and executive reviews.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Finance, or a related discipline.

• 5+ years of experience in product management, data analytics, operations, finance, engineering, supply chain, or a related function.

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

• Strong understanding of financial concepts including gross margin, pricing, cost structures, inventory valuation, and profitability analysis.

• Demonstrated ability to work with complex datasets and translate findings into business actions.

• Strong communication and executive presentation skills.

• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.

• Self-starter who proactively seeks answers and drives issues to closure with minimal supervision.

Preferred

• Semiconductor, semiconductor equipment, industrial automation, robotics, or advanced manufacturing experience.

• Product management or business ownership experience.

• Experience leading cross-functional improvement initiatives.

• Knowledge of ERP, BI, and analytics tools such as SAP, Oracle, Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent.

Compensation

Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.

Benefits

At Brooks, we offer the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical, Dental, Vision and Disability Insurance

• 401(k) Plan

• Exempt employees are provided company paid holidays and Flexible Vacation to enjoy personal time off and incidental sickness.

Have a question about our benefits and compensation package? Your recruiter can share more with you during the hiring process.

Work Location & Flexibility
At Brooks, we aim to foster a collaborative and engaging environment while offering flexibility where possible. Work arrangements may include a mix of in-office and remote work, depending on the nature of the role and business needs. Specific expectations will be shared during the interview process.