Product Category Director

About the position

The Direct and Digital Marketing Group, a division of Taylor Corporation, is looking for an experienced individual to lead the development and growth of our product lines within the branded merchandise, souvenir, education, and print on demand industries. This role requires a blend of product management expertise and product strategy, ensuring each product category and the products within them align with our company's vision and meet and exceed customer needs. The ideal candidate will drive new product launches, oversee product lifecycle, and be responsible for product category growth and profitability.

Responsibilities

• Direct product line development from conceptual stages through product life cycles to optimize profit and meet marketing, financial and corporate growth objectives.
• Identify opportunities, build product vision and understand market needs, roadmap and strategy.
• Direct overall product strategy, generate innovative product ideas, define development requirements, and oversee design and manufacturing of new products.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., sales, manufacturing, customer service) to identify and prioritize product opportunities and decoration methods.
• Define product specifications, collaborate with leadership and estimating teams to set pricing strategies.
• Conduct market research, competitive analysis and environmental scanning to identify and track relevant industry trends.
• Collect and analyze customer feedback, addressing issues proactively and using insights to guide product improvements.
• Partner with the sales and marketing teams to provide product training and support, ensuring clear product value propositions and messaging.
• Collaborate with finance and analytics teams on category profitability, including forecasting, tracking product performance metrics and ROI.
• Prepare reports for leadership to highlight successes and suggest areas for further growth and investment.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in product and brand management, preferably within the promotional product space, retail or a similar industry (souvenir).
• Strong project management skills and the ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a talent for cross-functional collaboration.
• Proficiency in data analysis and experience with project management tools.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package with opportunities for career advancement.
• Comprehensive benefit package including several health plans to choose from, dental, vision, wellness programs, life and disability coverage, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, 401(k) plan with company match, paid time off (PTO) and 64 hours of annual holiday pay.