Product Category Manager - Senior

ALL REALTRUCK Career•Ann Arbor, MI

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Senior Product Category Manager will lead the end-to-end marketing development of critical product categories within our Truck Accessories business. This role will focus on creating robust category strategies and roadmaps, launching new innovative products that address consumer needs and drive business growth. This position will utilize skillsets and expertise in understanding our consumers to transform insights into actionable strategies. Core functions include developing robust product roadmaps, crafting business cases, project scoping, and making trade-off decisions. The role involves leading the development of short/mid/long-term product strategies for complex and large categories, leveraging sound, fact-based analysis and compelling storytelling. It also entails taking ownership of ongoing portfolio management, transforming consumer learnings and insights from various sources into new product concepts, and delivering sound engineering requirements aligned with consumer expectations. The manager will incorporate insights from various research sources into product development and strategy, drive innovation acceleration through effective engagement with advanced development on key innovation spaces, ensuring timely delivery of breakthrough products. Cross-functional collaboration is essential, gathering and aligning teams to deliver product innovations that meet consumer needs. Close collaboration with the brand organization is required to ensure new product ideas and features fit seamlessly within brand consumer strategies. Developing and maintaining strong, trust-based relationships with all functional process partners (engineering, sales, brand, and procurement) is key. The role also involves assisting in creating research plans and discussion guides, collaborating on necessary physical stimuli for research, and leveraging research output for informed decision-making and continuous process improvement. Finally, the manager will be present in all cross-functional engagements, providing thought leadership and driving towards consumer-centric solutions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
9 + years of experience in marketing, product management, industrial design, engineering, brand, or category management
2+ years of experience communicating, collaborating, and presenting to executive leadership
Proven product development and global business experience
Strong organizational skills
Expertise in applying consumer insights to product roadmap and strategy
Success in fast-paced environments
Team player with a strategic and tactical mindset
Familiarity with Agile methodologies
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
Self-starter with minimal oversight
Comfort with ambiguity and adaptability in project outcomes
Occasional travel (15-20%)

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred

Responsibilities

Develop robust product roadmaps, crafting business cases, project scoping, and making trade-off decisions
Lead the development of short/mid/long-term product strategies for complex and large categories
Leverage sound, fact-based analysis and compelling storytelling that resonates with internal stakeholders
Take ownership of on-going portfolio management as it relates to assigned products
Transform consumer learnings and insights from various sources into new product concepts
Deliver sound engineering requirements, ensuring solutions are aligned with consumer expectations
Incorporate insights from various research sources into product development and strategy
Drive innovation acceleration, through effective engagement with advanced development on key innovation spaces, ensuring timely delivery of breakthrough products
Enable cross-functional collaboration
Gather and align cross-functional teams to deliver product innovations that meet consumer needs
Collaborate closely with the brand organization to ensure new product ideas and features fit seamlessly within brand consumer strategies
Develop and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with all functional process partners (i.e. engineering, sales, brand and procurement)
Assist in creating research plans and discussion guides
Collaborate on necessary physical stimuli for research
Leverage research output for informed decision-making and continuous process improvement
Be present in all cross functional engagements, providing thought leadership and driving towards consumer centric solutions