Product Manager - Commercial

Springs Window Fashions•Middleton, WI

About The Position

The Best Experience Company Our tagline is “The Best Experience Company.” More than just a set of words, it represents the essence of who we are at Springs Window Fashions. As North America’s premier window covering company, we’re committed to creating the Best Experience for our associates, consumers and end users, business partners, and communities. We want you to join our team of passionate self-starters who believe the world is full of Best Experience opportunities. So, if you’re excited about the thought of a Best Experience career with a team focused on creating Best Experiences for all, we want to hear from you! Job Summary Product and Portfolio Management at SWF is a growing, dynamic, and fast-paced department providing a vital bridge between the innovators and the marketplace. The role of technical product management spans many activities from strategic to tactical and those in this role regularly interact with nearly every other functional area within the organization. There is plenty of opportunity for cross-training and growth within the department and greater organization, with a strong track record of internal promotions. The Technical Product Manager will own strategy, roadmap, and lifecycle management for the Commercial Business Unit, while partnering closely with sales, engineering, operations, and marketing to deliver profitable growth, solve customer needs, and drive successful product launches.

Requirements

2+ years of experience in product management or a related cross-functional role required
Bachelor's Degree with emphasis in Engineering is preferred
Experience working with architectural products or consumer durables is highly desired
Given the focus on the Commercial Business Unit, strong technical acumen is required
We are looking for problem solvers, efficiency advocates, and leaders who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves.
This person must be in tune with market trends, technologies, and competitive dynamics, and be able to form compelling strategies that lead to successful outcomes.
This person must have keen analytical skills, as they are responsible for understanding the business and communicating progress throughout the organization.
Strong consumer and market focus; adept at defining and evaluating consumer unmet needs to gain market position
Track record in delivering products on time, on budget, that meet financial goals
Ability to execute a strategic innovation vision that includes both new and existing product upgrades
Solid financial analysis and management skills; knows how to achieve profitable growth
Strong ability to lead a team
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and an ability to simplify complex concepts and communicate to all levels of the organization
Critical thinking skills
Ability to create compelling rationale for ideas and develop thorough and thoughtful business cases

Responsibilities

Develop the roadmap for the Commercial Business Unit line of products to drive growth
Identify gaps and opportunities through an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape including product and price benchmarking
Translate unmet customer and market needs into product requirements and technical specifications
Drive P&L performance for the Commercial segment within this category
Ensure successful product launches
Follow New Product Development stage gate process
Proactively identify roadblocks, communicate outward, and resolve issues
Partner with engineering and operations to evaluate feasibility and tradeoffs
Actively eliminate unproductive SKUs and manage Excess & Obsolete inventory
Maintain accurate and reliable product master data for manual, motorized and automated window coverings
Continuously improve day-to-day processes and product line performance
Address customer and operational issues (service, quality, inventory, etc.)
Proactively identify sales and margin improvements through analysis of pricing and cost trends
Coordinate with Marketing and Sales to develop and maintain effective sampling and communication strategies for the category