Regional Product Manager

Product: Wood coatings

Job Purpose:

• Manage and strengthen the regional product portfolio in line with the segment strategy and market trends (South APAC).

• Ensures that the product group matches customer expectations and needs through the life cycle and supports the development of new or replacement products and manages their launch in the market; manages the withdrawal of unwanted or obsolete products.

• Owns the NPI roadmap.

• Responsible for “unlock” at Region or PCU level; focal point of the “bowtie”.

Key Accountabilities

1. Market Research:

• Utilize and interpret internal/ external market information related to products to understand customer needs and presents conclusions and recommendations.

2. Product Portfolio:

• Lead the product line management and efforts in defining the strategy for new category/product opportunities.

• Create business cases and strategies for new products, segments, countries. Develop, communicate, and implements strategic portfolio plans.

• Gather and analyze data, prioritize market and customer trends and direction, analyze and maintain key performance indicators to measure overall health of the product line.

• Closely monitor marketplace for competitive moves. Work with cross functional teams to develop internal and external competitive analysis and selling-against guides.

• Manage portfolio consistency including branding and support the region to do the them within the regions

• Responsible to manage the life cycle of the product portfolio by bridging the organizations commercial and RD&I teams, ensuring market needs are fully defined and communicated into the product development processes.

• Develop and implement portfolio plans that provide clarity and guidance to new product development; availability, global development or local optimization.

• Execute on product portfolio plans to initiate product development and timely rationalization.

• Coordinate project development by ensuring alignment of the Stage Gate process with market inputs and business strategy. Provide Stage Gate projects with outward focused inputs. Maintain active product profiles aligned with current market inputs.

3. Product Positioning & Commercialization:

• Responsible for launch of new products through coordination with multi-disciplinary teams. Drive product launch planning and provide guidance to the cross-functional product launch team to complete all required preparation and launch activities.

• Coordinate product introduction and market exploitation with the Marketing and Sales organizations to ensure maximum penetration of marketing segments.

• Guide new product development and/or modifications of a product or product line to achieve the goals set by Sales/Marketing and in line with the budget.

• Support the commercial team with guidance on specific product selection versus customer requirements.

• Ensure market potential by working with Regional Marketing Managers to establish pricing targets and market strategies, estimate potential sales, introduce market and distribution/channel issues.

4. Communication:

• Develop & implement high impact / differentiated product positioning and messaging to the internal organization and external customers; message strategy, planning and deliverables.

• Ensures creation of high-impact sales tools and customer retention tools such as white papers, newsletters, presentations, product demos.

5. Compliance & HSE:

• Be familiar with and ensure compliance with applicable policies and procedures related to personal conduct and HSE standards.

• Experience of 5+ years in either R&D, Manufacturing, Marketing with additional experience as a Product Manager for at least 3 years

• University qualification in business management, marketing; engineering or chemistry

• Sound understanding of Project Management & Program Management and Customer and Supplier relationships

• Excellent written and verbal communication

• Proven ability to develop product and marketing strategies and effectively communicate recommendations to executive management

• Developed business acumen and strong analytical and problem-solving skills

• Skilled at working effectively with cross functional teams in a matrix organization

• Comfortable executing product plans and in engaging key internal and external customers

• Commercially astute and technically strong with excellent business analysis skills too.

• Results focused, excellent communicator who enjoys a collaborative working style.