Product Director

Whirlpool•Benton Harbor, MI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Product Director to serve as the strategic engine for an assigned product category within our matrixed organization. This is not a traditional product management role; you will operate with a General Manager mindset, extending your leadership beyond the roadmap to the development and execution of a comprehensive business strategy. Central to this role is the ability to lead and develop a diverse team, fostering an environment of continuous growth and accountability. As the primary connector across the business unit, you will ensure every commercial decision and trade-off is anchored in consumer insights and specific use cases. At its core, this role is directly tied to our mission to “improve life at home.” You are the end-to-end owner of the category, responsible for the strategic roadmap, go-to-market planning, and marketing activation. This position demands a leader who can influence cross-functional partners and translate user needs into market reality. From consumer innovation, verticalization, cost optimization, and factory investments you will manage the levers that drive profitability and growth. If you are ready for significant accountability in a high-visibility environment, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree
10+ years of professional experience particularly in consumer facing brands
5+ years of experience leading and influencing people, projects, or programs at scale, in a matrixed environment
5+ years leading end-to-end category strategy with P&L or budget ownership of comparable complexity and organizational impact
Demonstrated success translating user insights into large-scale consumer strategy and commercial initiatives

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or related certifications such as Six Sigma
Experience driving transformational growth and launching innovative products that shift consumer behavior
Direct P&L ownership experience with a history of delivering both top-line growth and bottom-line profit

Responsibilities

Define and lead the end-to-end category strategy, prioritizing projects that maximize ROI while balancing immediate launches with long-term roadmaps.
Own the category P&L, balancing market share goals, cost targets, and profit margins to drive sustained commercial success.
Align commercial strategy with manufacturing excellence by embedding World Class Manufacturing (WCM) principles into category roadmaps, ensuring capital investments directly optimize production efficiency and drive maximum net profitability.
Serve as a strategic steward of the brand portfolio, ensuring clear differentiation and a cohesive architecture that effectively captures defined segmentation targets while driving total portfolio growth.
Drive performance and internal talent development within your direct team while managing the quality and delivery of project teams, external partners, and contractors.
Lead and influence diverse cross-functional teams to align technical development with commercial go-to-market execution.
Cultivate deep consumer and shopper intimacy by translating qualitative and quantitative insights into actionable strategies, ensuring the voice of the customer drives innovation priorities and enhances the path to purchase.
Interpret market trends, research, and purchase behaviors to identify growth opportunities and establish brand portfolio differentiation through high-impact consumer claims.
Drive the merchandising strategy for pricing and promotional frameworks, providing data-driven support to empower sales teams.
Oversee the shopper journey and launch lifecycle to ensure operational readiness and a consistent consumer experience from concept to shelf.
Collaborate with global design and product teams to ensure innovation, technology, and aesthetics align with brand architecture, cost constraints, and global requirements.