Sr. Product Manager

Apex Tool Group is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.

Sr. Product Manager - US - Apex, NC

Senior Product Manager

The Blueprint (Role Profile)

As an experienced marketer, the Senior Product Manager manages larger categories &/or product lines. Primary responsibilities include building revenue and profitability through increased distribution/penetration and user demand. They have a deep understanding of the market, category and end user. Senior Product Managers lead innovation, product portfolio management and pricing management and define strategies and priorities. They work collaboratively with cross-functional partners to develop and commercialize new product pipelines and deliver P&L targets. Senior Product Managers lead a team of employees and are responsible for coaching and developing their skills.

The Build (Responsibilities)

Organization and Talent Management:

1. Assigns projects and tasks to direct reports to expand and develop skills. Provides feedback to build competency.
2. Identifies opportunities for simplification, process and efficiency improvements.
3. Acts as a mentor to junior marketing team members. Participates in workstreams to build capabilities and skills. Supports, and may lead, execution of annual learning/training agenda.
4. Completes performance reviews for team and addresses performance gaps.
5. Participates in and helps organize recruiting events and interviews.
6. Manages the ‘day-to-day’ operations of a category &/or product lines.

Insights:

1. Draws conclusions from external data and trends, including macroeconomic data, market and category trends, competitive information, customer insights, as well as formal and informal research.
2. Translates category insight needs into a prioritized research recommendation.
3. Writes research briefs explaining business need and how results will be used. Collaborates with Insights to define research methodology.
4. Links research findings to other insights and data to recommend conclusions and inform strategies and plans.

Brand, Category & Channel Strategy:

1. Recommends category &/or product line long-term vision, strategies and 3-5 year financial targets.
2. Proposes annual plans to deliver brand and business objectives for category &/or product lines.
3. Develops recommendations for product branding and names that align with brand architecture and visual identity.
4. Partners with Graphics to develop product, pack and marketing assets, ensuring consistency with brand communication priorities and style guide.

Innovation and Product Portfolio Management:

1. Proposes category &/or product line innovation strategy, including role of sustaining and breakthrough innovation, new categories, and new market spaces.
2. Provides input into global product portfolio plan, including categories to enter, exit and maintain, based on insights, analytics and trends.
3. Develops new product pipeline for category &/or product lines, validated with appropriate user insights and testing.
4. Recommends product lifecycle management plan for category &/or product lines.
5. Leads development of business case for new products, including revenue, penetration and profitability estimates.
6. Coaches others how to draft clear, compelling new product/pack briefs, including product CTQ’s and pack design, based on insights and market needs.
7. Works with cross-functional team to deliver new products on time, cost and quality.
8. Defines go-to-market launch plan and programming for new products.
9. Recommends post-launch success metrics, monitors results and builds findings into strategies and plans.

Pricing:

1. Proposes pricing strategy, including depth and frequency of promotions, for category &/or product lines.
2. Defines go-to-market pricing for new products based on data analysis and ensures pricing is consistent with brand position and strategy.
3. Reviews business case for pricing exceptions for category &/or product lines.
4. Reviews data and analyses from price audits and recommends action plan from findings.

Trade Management:

1. Works with Channel Management to incorporate category &/or product line priorities into annual channel and customer plans.
2. Recommends distribution/penetration goals for annual plans and new product launches. Monitors results vs targets and makes recommendations for plan adjustments.
3. Develops new product pipeline that considers channel/customer vision and strategies.
4. Integrates customer & shopper insights into category &/or product line strategies and portfolio lifecycle plans.
5. Develops best-in-class selling materials for new products and participates in customer selling presentations.
6. Identifies channel/customer conflicts and works with Channel Management & Sales to find resolutions.

Activation:

1. Partners with Brand Activation on annual situation assessment, analyzes overall category &/or product line performance and trends and recommends implications for category priorities, A&P budget and financial targets.
2. Delivers annual category &/or product line priorities, drawn from situational assessment.
3. Ensures all assets developed to support category &/or product lines are consistent with brand style guide.
4. Leads “test and learn” projects to identify high return activities for expansion.
5. Collaborates with Brand Activation to develop activation plans to support category &/or product line priorities.
6. Measures ROI for marketing initiatives and recommends implications for strategies and plans.

Financial Management:

1. Provides input into annual base and stretch revenue, gross margin, and OI targets for category &/or product lines.
2. Delivers category &/or product line revenue and gross margin targets. Makes recommendations to address financial risks and opportunities, including optimizing pricing/programming, cost reduction and changes to product mix.
3. Monitors gross margin versus targets and recommends actions to close identified gaps.
4. Works with Sourcing and Supply Chain to identify productivity initiatives and assess make vs buy choices. Proactively take action to address unfavorable product cost, including ongoing VAVE ideation.
5. Evaluates ROI of marketing initiatives and recommends A&P spend optimization.
6. Participates in the S&OP process and provides sales forecast and product lifecycle inputs for category &/or product lines, including new products. Provides support of E&O disposition plan.
7. Recommends SKU’s to be eliminated through SKU rationalization process.

The Toolbox (Qualifications)

1. Four-year college/university degree; MBA preferred.
2. 7+ years of marketing and/or general management experience with consumer goods, durable, or professional products companies.
3. Has worked on a business that is global with direct responsibility for a global project. Demonstrates an understanding of differences between countries and cultures.
4. Prior work experience that showcases a progressive increase in size and scope of responsibility.
5. Proven capability to manage the lifecycle of a complex product portfolio.
6. Demonstrated success extract maximum value through setting and managing price.
7. Experience reducing costs, driving productivity, and leading simplification initiatives.
8. Successfully launched new products from concept through commercialization and in-market success.
9. Proven ability to manage and develop direct reports.

At Apex Tool Group ( we’re passionate about innovation. Whether that be products, processes or operations, our associates strive to find new ways each day to help our end-users solve their most complex challenges. By harnessing our global resources, unprecedented insights and spirit for service, we build more than just tools for the job site – we help build the future.

ATG is a global manufacturer of hand and power tools, tool storage and accessories, chain, and electronic soldering solutions with more than $1.4 billion in annual revenues. Our 6,900 global associates have built powerhouse brands like GEARWRENCH, SATA, Crescent, Cleco, Weller and APEX that professional trades and DIY enthusiasts alike can trust to get the job done. With our roots dating back to the 1800s, our tools have driven technological advancements that drive efficiency, speed and end-user safety in a broad range of commercial and consumer markets.

As part of the ATG team, you will move fast, think globally, learn from your colleagues and grow your career. You’ll enjoy competitive benefits, a healthy work/life balance and have opportunities to give back to the communities we serve.

Our six core values – Customers come first, Integrity in all we do, Continuous improvement, Innovation for growth, Passion to succeed and Best talent, one team - drive our daily decisions. Connect with us on social media to learn more – LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

If your goal is to work where finding a better way never ends and your ideas become a reality, join us! #WeBuildATG