Job Summary
Product and Portfolio Management at SWF is a growing, dynamic, and fast-paced department providing a vital bridge between the innovators and the marketplace. The role of technical product management spans many activities from strategic to tactical and those in this role regularly interact with nearly every other functional area within the organization. There is plenty of opportunity for cross-training and growth within the department and greater organization, with a strong track record of internal promotions.
The Technical Product Manager will own strategy, roadmap, and lifecycle management for the Commercial Business Unit, while partnering closely with sales, engineering, operations, and marketing to deliver profitable growth, solve customer needs, and drive successful product launches.
Job Duties
- Develop the roadmap for the Commercial Business Unit line of products to drive growth
- Identify gaps and opportunities through an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape including product and price benchmarking
- Translate unmet customer and market needs into product requirements and technical specifications
- Drive P&L performance for the Commercial segment within this category
- Ensure successful product launches
- Follow New Product Development stage gate process
- Proactively identify roadblocks, communicate outward, and resolve issues
- Partner with engineering and operations to evaluate feasibility and tradeoffs
- Actively eliminate unproductive SKUs and manage Excess & Obsolete inventory
- Maintain accurate and reliable product master data for manual, motorized and automated window coverings
- Continuously improve day-to-day processes and product line performance
- Address customer and operational issues (service, quality, inventory, etc.)
- Proactively identify sales and margin improvements through analysis of pricing and cost trends
- Coordinate with Marketing and Sales to develop and maintain effective sampling and communication strategies for the category
Requirements
Education and Experience
- 2+ years of experience in product management or a related cross-functional role required
- Bachelor's Degree with emphasis in Engineering is preferred
- Experience working with architectural products or consumer durables is highly desired
- Given the focus on the Commercial Business Unit, strong technical acumen is required
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
We are looking for problem solvers, efficiency advocates, and leaders who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves. This person must be in tune with market trends, technologies, and competitive dynamics, and be able to form compelling strategies that lead to successful outcomes. This person must have keen analytical skills, as they are responsible for understanding the business and communicating progress throughout the organization.
- Strong consumer and market focus; adept at defining and evaluating consumer unmet needs to gain market position
- Track record in delivering products on time, on budget, that meet financial goals
- Ability to execute a strategic innovation vision that includes both new and existing product upgrades
- Solid financial analysis and management skills; knows how to achieve profitable growth
- Strong ability to lead a team
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and an ability to simplify complex concepts and communicate to all levels of the organization
- Critical thinking skills
- Ability to create compelling rationale for ideas and develop thorough and thoughtful business cases
