Global Director of Product Line Management

Valvoline•Cincinnati, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Global Director of Product Line Management leads Valvoline Global Operations’ Product Line Management team and builds a global team that connects business units with the supply chain. The role establishes clear roles and responsibilities, promotes collaboration, and implements consistent global processes across four pillars: product and portfolio costing, product profitability, profit improvement opportunities, and product rationalization. The director is also the subject matter expert for how PLM teams and processes interact with SAP and continually improves processes to increase global efficiency, margins, and growth. The position works regularly with the Valvoline Leadership Team—including the CEO, regional leaders, COO, CFO, and Chief Digital & Brand Officer—and collaborates with regional Marketing Directors, Supply Chain, R&D, Global Equity, and Global Pricing. Responsibilities span product costing and high-impact bids, profitability and margin management, supply-chain improvement, SKU rationalization and product lifecycle management, and governance of New Solutions Development projects. The role also manages and develops international direct reports, sets annual goals and development plans, and helps resolve issues affecting project delivery. This position is on-site four days per week, Monday through Thursday, at the company’s Cincinnati location. Valvoline Global’s new corporate headquarters is expected to open in downtown Cincinnati in spring 2027.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Marketing, or a related field.
5–10 years of experience in product line management, product costing, pricing, profitability, supply chain, finance, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing product costing, profitability, margin management, or portfolio management processes.
Strong understanding of product costs, supplier inputs, sourcing decisions, inventory, COGS, supply-chain tradeoffs, and profitability drivers.
Experience partnering with Finance, Procurement, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, and regional or global leadership teams.
Ability to analyze complex data, identify cost and margin opportunities, and translate findings into clear recommendations and corrective actions.
Experience managing product portfolios, including SKU rationalization, product lifecycle management, obsolete inventory, and portfolio optimization.
Strategic thinking and ability to connect product, supply-chain, financial, and commercial decisions to broader business objectives.
Ability to lead through influence and build alignment across global, regional, and cross-functional teams.
Ability to understand broader business context, consider long-term opportunities, risks, and implications, and connect priorities to organizational goals and sustainable growth.
Experience managing, coaching, and developing direct reports or project team members, including setting goals and creating development plans.
Humility, a strong work ethic, sound judgment, and commitment to continuous learning.
Ability to evaluate information, identify trends and insights, and use data to understand issues and develop practical solutions.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or professional certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Build and lead the global Product Line Management team as a collaborative link between business units and the supply chain, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
Implement consistent global processes for product and portfolio costing, product profitability, profit improvement opportunities, and product rationalization.
Serve as the subject matter expert for the team’s and processes’ interaction with SAP, and continuously improve processes to increase efficiency, margins, and growth.
Implement a product and portfolio costing process that gives regional leadership clear visibility into product costs; work with Procurement and Operations to assess supplier cost changes and supply-chain shifts.
Create a global LE process with the PS&M Analyst and Finance team.
Own global product costing, including high-impact bids and new materials, and implement a regional high-impact bid process with timely, complete documentation and cross-functional coordination.
Support the global strategy team in developing product-line innovation master plans; determine new-material costs and effective supply-chain approaches that balance fill rates, inventory, and COGS.
Work with global strategy and pricing teams to implement product profitability processes incorporating supply-chain and margin optimization.
Help set target margins by product line and region; monitor and report portfolio margin changes and alert regional leadership monthly to items outside target margins with recommended corrective actions.
Develop the Margin Council to strengthen business-unit connections and facilitate monthly margin improvement.
Identify supply-chain opportunities to reduce costs, improve service levels, and increase profitability.
Implement the global SKU rationalization and product lifecycle management process; monitor and recommend product lifecycles, conduct annual SKU rationalization, track obsolete products, and develop data-led plans to improve underperforming SKUs.
Partner with Supply Chain, Procurement, and Channel Marketing to manage product lifecycles, reduce inventory, and improve profitability.
Champion the regional New Solutions Development process, establish disciplined collaboration and clear leadership communication, and apply project-management best practices to keep projects and products on strategy.
Support regional governance, project prioritization, and post-audit analysis in accordance with global processes.
Coach and develop team members, manage international direct reports, and create annual goals and development plans.
Ensure the global team follows project-management processes and provides clear agendas, project timelines, and meeting recaps.
Address escalated project issues that impede delivery and coordinate solutions.