V-Guard - Deputy Manager - Product Planning - Kitchen Appliances Segment

Department: New Product Development (NPD)/ Product Planning

Location: India

Role Purpose:

Drive category growth and portfolio strategy for kitchen appliances by developing consumer-centric product roadmaps, differentiated propositions, and profitable SKU portfolios across channels. Work cross-functionally with R&D, Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, and Service teams to ensure successful product planning, launch execution, and lifecycle management for V-Guard and Sunflame brands.

Key Responsibilities:

- Build periodic intelligence on category trends, competition, consumer behaviour, pricing, and channel dynamics.

- Translate insights into strategic inputs for segmentation, positioning, PRM development, GTM strategy, and marketing planning.

- Develop short-term, mid-term, and long-term product roadmaps for key kitchen appliance categories.

- Ensure clear product differentiation across price tiers and channels.

- Manage SKU portfolio planning, lifecycle management, and phase-outs.

- Develop target consumer propositions and channel-specific variants to maximize market reach and minimize trade conflict.

- Collaborate with Key Account Managers and Sales teams on product positioning, targets, pricing, and schemes.

- Work closely with R&D and Manufacturing teams to convert product concepts into commercially viable SKUs.

- Ensure timely product development milestones and launch execution.

- Work with Commercial, Costing, and Sales teams to finalize pricing strategies, trade payouts, and schemes.

- Monitor SKU-level profitability and recommend corrective actions.

- Enable Product Marketing and Digital Marketing teams with insights for marketing campaigns and customer engagement.

- Support product launch planning and sales enablement.

- Identify emerging consumer needs, technology trends, and new business opportunities.

- Collaborate with startups and ecosystem partners to explore IoT-enabled and next-generation appliance solutions.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Engineering / Technology / Business

- MBA (Tier 1 / Tier 2) Required

Experience:

- 4-6 years of experience in Product Planning, Product Management, or Category Management in the consumer appliances or consumer durables industry. Experience in multinational or reputed consumer brands preferred.

Key Skills:

- Product Strategy & Road Map

- Market & Consumer Insights

- Pricing & Profitability Management

- Cross-functional Stakeholder Management

- Strong Communication & Business Writing Skills

- Analytical and Strategic Thinking