Product Line Director

Xylem•Morton Grove, IL

3d•$170,000 - $210,000

About The Position

Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions. The Product Line Director is responsible for managing, growing and driving profitability within the North America region circulators & centrifugal pump product line in the CBS business. This role will be a key leadership position in the product management team, leading a team of 4 product managers, and owning and driving the results of a >$200M product portfolio.

Requirements

B.S./B.A. degree with 15+ years of field sales/product engineering/customer applications experience in the required market.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, written and verbal
A minimum of 10 years previous experience in product management in an industrial equipment environment (specific pump industry experience is preferred) with at least $100M responsibility.
Demonstrated experience working in an international environment and in a matrix organization
Demonstrate excellent computer, executive communication, presentation, management and analytical skills.
Be able to resolve difficult technical and business issues.
Be a self-starter with high motivation to achieve goals.
Strong interpersonal, teamwork and problem-solving skills in order to effectively work with customers, business partners, staff and management from a variety of skill levels as well as different authority levels.
Ability to understand technical issues and understand impact on projects, and effectively communicate these issues and impact to key stakeholders.
Flexibility in terms of dealing with changing priorities and dealing with multiple projects simultaneously.

Nice To Haves

Green Belt Certification
MBA
Fluent in English; multi-lingual capabilities desirable
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong project management skills with proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without formal authority

Responsibilities

Defining the product strategy
Understands and specifies market requirements and market and technology trends for current and future products by conducting product related market research supported by Voice of Customer received through on-going visits to customers and other stakeholders
Develops product, technology, and NPD plans - market, sales forecast, customer needs, etc.
Collaborates with vertical marketing teams to develop local launch plans that will empower sales (product launches and application areas) by contributing to content development, conducting training, customer presentations and framing local value propositions.
Monitors regional competition with respect to technology, trends, market, and product performance.
Manages the execution of the portfolio including; new product development, value improvements, product introductions, product lifecycle management, ongoing marketing, product support and services.
Provides inputs to M&A team on potential partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions that would provide synergy to the business.
Responsible for meeting annual and long-term revenue and profitability targets for the product lines
Accountable for overall results of product line performance beyond sales and profitability (i.e. delivery performance, supply chain, inventory strategy, customer service, etc)
Ownership of product sales, forecast and margin plan by driving to close the revenue and margin gaps.
Understanding of the sales funnel to be able to drive and understand losses and market trends.
Identify countermeasures to reach the set targets.
Provide product sales forecasts, as appropriate, to operations.
Develop and conduct product presentations to sales personnel and customers
Ensure that after-market and service are an integral part of the regional product’s value proposition
Participates in technical meetings, conferences, workshops, industry days, trade shows and association events
Driving the 80/20 strategy for the product line, providing input and direction to PM operations team to implement.
Regional execution of obsoleting products including appropriate pricing, communication to CTs, customers, etc.
Having a broad understating of the competitors in the industry on a high level financial level as well as product offering
Support analysis of product problems and failures
Propose cost improvements and coordinate costing recommendations with both Engineering and Operations.
Conduct annual pricing and product rationalization activities.
Brings regional voice of customer for global product branding decisions
Ensure the product offering mirrors the product brand values within the region
Development of an employee-oriented company culture that emphasizes quality, continuous improvement, key employee retention and development, and high performance.
Be a model of the Xylem high impact culture throughout the organization
Hiring the right team, providing development opportunities
Develop and execute on robust succession and development plans for team members.
Role model, superior coaching & mentoring capabilities
Health and safety of the workforce.
Develop a culture customer centric organization and behavior
Personal ongoing development.