Product Manager

The Blueprint (Role Profile)

Are you ready to challenge the status quo? Are you one who relentlessly pursuit excellence? Are you ready to revolutionize the mechanics hand tool world? If you answered “YES!”, then you are ready to join GEARWRENCH’s high-performing team of product managers as a Product Manager. Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Product Marketing and based in Sparks, MD, the PM is responsible for supporting the planning and execution of strategic product road mapping for GEARWRENCH branded products. This work includes collecting quantitative product data and metrics, synthesizing customer research, gathering requirements, and coordinating with stakeholders. To sum it up, you get to make the tool world! 

The Build (Responsibilities)

• Manages the day-to-day operations of a category &/or product lines.
• Supports simplification, process and efficiency improvements.
• Assists with the development of learning / training agenda to build capabilities and skills.
• Tracks external data and trends, including macroeconomic data, market and category trends, competitive information, customer insights and suggests conclusions and recommendations.
• Measures market data, including share/POS, distribution, competitive activity and pricing, and uses data to make recommendations.
• Proposes category & / or product line long-term vision, strategies, and 3 to 5 year financial targets.
• Assesses category &/or product line performance and provides input into annual plan to deliver brand and business objectives.
• Analyzes category, end user and competitive activity to identify trends and future sources of growth.  
• Assesses product portfolio choices to determine product classes to enter, exit, or maintain. Proposes inputs to new product pipeline
• Provides recommendation for go-to-market launch plan and programming for new products. Analyzes post-launch success metrics
• Participate in price strategy discussions.  Understands the principle of extracting maximum value via pricing and recommends promotional guardrails for products
• Proposes go-to-market pricing for new products based on data analysis and ensures price is consistent with brand strategy and priorities.
• Recommend category &/or product line strategies that support long-term channel & customer strategies and financial targets.
• Proposes distribution/penetration goals for new product launches.  Monitors results vs targets and recommend adjustments to ensure success.
• Provides input into new product pipeline that reflect channel and customer strategies and priorities.
• Collaborates with Brand Activation to develop selling materials for new products 
• Participates in annual situation assessment and provides analysis of user, category and competitive activity and trends, including key conclusions and implications.
• Partners with Channel Management to align annual category and product line plans with annual channel and customer plans. 
• Prepares, and may present, user and category insights for customer and internal sales 
• Provides input into annual base and stretch revenue and gross margin targets for category &/or product lines.
• Delivers category &/or product line revenue and gross margin targets.  
• Monitors gross margin vs targets and takes action to close identified gaps. 
• Collaborates with Sourcing and Supply Chain to identify and execute VAVE initiatives.
• Reviews, analyzes and identifies SKU’s to be eliminated through SKU rationalization process.
   

The Toolbox (Qualifications)

• Four-year college/university degree; MBA preferred.
• 4+ years of marketing and/or general management experience with consumer goods, durable, or professional products companies.
• Demonstrated success in developing new products from concept through to commercialization and in-market success.
• Proven ability to work in cross-functional teams to complete initiatives and deliver business results.
• Proven communication, collaboration and influencing skills.