Product Manager - Building Materials Firm

Position: Product Manager (Leading Building Materials Company)

Role:

- Responsible for overall sales for the category and meet target budget numbers through the following practices:

- Product & Customer: Conduct active market sensing and understand customer needs to generate ideas; Manage and co-ordinate for new product and application development along with R&D / Innovation teams, Production, Testing & Certification team, Marketing & Communications, Regional Sales organization. Position has responsibility of identifying new market segments and fields of application to launch the product, screening with top management on the new ideas, testing the product category, collecting product viability from influencers, post- launch activities etc. Devising strategy for effective communication for product leadership & segmentation

- Price Management: Devise & manage product pricing / schemes to achieve category profit based on competitor's price positioning & competiveness by segment. Analyse monthly profit/loss by model & prepare analysis to appraise top mgmt. Forecasting of stocks and order management process. Key vendor relationship management (profiles, hardware, accessories, etc.) and supplier price list management. Work with production teams to understand cost drivers and contribute to improved manufacturing efficiencies.

- Promotion: Manage the development of product catalogue, Sales guide book, installation guidelines & tutorials, website strategy and content management for product category and BTL related activities & queries, POS, Product USP communication, TVCF & Print campaign (if practical). Support in Product line up launch events in various cities. Interaction with agencies on launch plans, addressing print plans, creative brief with respect to product life cycle plans.

- Planning creative brief for product brand, evaluating them with respect to product life cycle plans and evaluating agency creative plans. Reaching out to end consumers and brand influencers at various levels to best represent "Voice of the Customer" and mapping of the customer journey and definition of the key Customer / Stakeholder personas (consultants, architects, direct customer, etc.). Introduce loyalty programs and establishing direct contacts with stakeholders.

- Market Analysis: and work with R&D, Systems & Application Development specialists (internal or external), T&C team and other departments to introduce the expansions. Conduct sales analysis for growth opportunity & monitoring the trend by segment. Annual strategy planning for the VDS range by segment and category. Involve in market mapping, competition strength and weakness and tracking channel for product ranges.

- Strategy: Develop Product roadmap for the category based on company vision, market situation, technology trend, competition analysis, and consumer trend / behaviour analysis, Analysing market trend and competitive landscape by segment for Product competitiveness & price positioning. Explore opportunities for product range expansion and system localization to specific local market trends. Plan to manage & improve market share of the product category, Develop & prepare business plan in consensus with HQ team. Budget plan for the products, tracking sales pattern for the products and identify the lifespan.

Requirements:

- Qualifications: B.E with good academics (CGPA above 8.5) & MBA from Tier 1 or Tier 2 Management Institutes

- Overall 6-8 Years of experience in which minimum 2-4 Years in Product Management role in the Building Material Industry will be preferred

- Hardware, Paints, Sanitarywares, UPVC windows, Open to look at candidates with product Manager experience from other Mfg Inductries.

- Good communication skills in English and local language both oral & written.

- Good analytical skills & creative skills.

- Excellent negotiation skills

- Proficiency in Microsoft office suite, comfort with Technology

- Good in leading & managing cross functional teams

- Ability to detail out the opportunities, plans and outcomes

Location: Chennai

This position is for a Client of Vertex Corporate Services which is a Leading Building Materials Company