R&D Portfolio Manager

Blommer Chocolate Careers•Chicago, IL

About The Position

Blommer has been providing delicious, high-quality chocolate and cocoa products to customers since 1939. Built as a family business, we are continuing to grow and are looking for motivated and reliable associates to help in our mission of Bringing Chocolate to Life! Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Define, organize and maintain an optimal product portfolio that addresses customer needs, offers diverse value propositions, fits market trends and provides competitive advantages to allow sales growth opportunities Manage the portfolio review and subsequent actions. Rationalize, consolidate and optimize the portfolio to ensure all products are relevant to the business, our customers and the industry on an ongoing basis. Identify any gaps in the assortment and present findings to the business to determine next steps Review all New Product Development (NPD) requests and provide insight into how the new product fits in the portfolio, factoring in market insight, and both the current and future state to support the business making an informed decision Have a deep understanding of the Blommer portfolio to identify push products, provide specific product recommendations and speak to company manufacturing capabilities and product usage at a high level Translate market knowledge and customer insights to inform product strategies including the identification and communication of established product specific value propositions by the business (R&D, Marketing) Train the Commercial team (R&D, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service) on the product portfolio. Support the creation of Marketing collateral and the communication of product introductions and updates Collaborate with Marketing & R&D to provide recommendations and inputs towards product positioning, messaging, and strategy that differentiates Blommer products in the marketplace and supports business initiatives Develop and maintain portfolio dashboards and/or reports that show the health of the portfolio mix and SKUs in real time using inputs from internal data. Additionally, create and manage a database that identifies where and how Blommer products are used in the market Participate in the management of the product hierarchy and ensure the organization of products can be effectively communicated, understood and utilized by all areas of the business Represent Blommer within the industry by attending meetings, conferences and/or tradeshows serving as a brand ambassador Note: The employer reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position Physical Requirements: General office environment Requires extended periods of standing, walking and sitting Occasionally exposed to heat, cold, noise, dust. Safety, Quality and Hygiene Requirements: Maintain compliance with all company policies, procedures and code of conduct Performance Expectations: Independently manage the product portfolio and related activities (portfolio review, training, dashboards, reports, etc) Produce high quality, audience appropriate written communication free of grammatical and formatting errors. Clearly communicate verbally to all levels of business Think critically to interpret data and market insight to independently make sound recommendations and provide input to the business and stakeholders Collaborate and work directly with a variety of roles, departments & personalities Set example for how people should be treated; address discipline, performance and/or rule violations Skills and Work Experience Requirements: Two to five years’ experience in the food industry managing cross functional projects and a product portfolio Must be able to taste and consume chocolate and related products Excellent communication skills, written and verbal Proficient in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Teams), CRM program and data systems Education: Bachelor’s degree in Science, Marketing or comparable field Career Progression: Employees are encouraged to express interest in internal career opportunities throughout Blommer Expectations for promotion or job role change are driven by proficiency and performance in current role Career progression would align to other management roles within Blommer A reasonable estimate of the current base salary range at the time of posting is below. The base salary does not include other forms of compensation or benefits. The actual base salary within the specified range is based on several factors, including but not limited to applicant's skills, prior relevant experience, education, certifications, job responsibilities, market considerations and, if applicable, the location of the position. This role is eligible for either a discretionary annual bonus (based on company, business unit and individual performance) and/or commission-based incentives. Salary Range $115K-130K Benefits: Blommer understands that our employees are our biggest assets. With this in mind we offer a generous benefits package. Health, Dental & Vision- eligibility begins day 1 of hire! 401(K) Pet insurance Tuition reimbursement 10 pounds of free chocolate for your birthday Blommer Chocolate Company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Note to External Recruiters / Search Firms : Blommer Chocolate Company does not accept unsolicited resumes and will not pay for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Any unsolicited resumes received will not be considered as a valid submission.

Requirements

Two to five years’ experience in the food industry managing cross functional projects and a product portfolio
Must be able to taste and consume chocolate and related products
Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
Proficient in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Teams), CRM program and data systems
Bachelor’s degree in Science, Marketing or comparable field

Responsibilities

Define, organize and maintain an optimal product portfolio that addresses customer needs, offers diverse value propositions, fits market trends and provides competitive advantages to allow sales growth opportunities
Manage the portfolio review and subsequent actions.
Rationalize, consolidate and optimize the portfolio to ensure all products are relevant to the business, our customers and the industry on an ongoing basis.
Identify any gaps in the assortment and present findings to the business to determine next steps
Review all New Product Development (NPD) requests and provide insight into how the new product fits in the portfolio, factoring in market insight, and both the current and future state to support the business making an informed decision
Have a deep understanding of the Blommer portfolio to identify push products, provide specific product recommendations and speak to company manufacturing capabilities and product usage at a high level
Translate market knowledge and customer insights to inform product strategies including the identification and communication of established product specific value propositions by the business (R&D, Marketing)
Train the Commercial team (R&D, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service) on the product portfolio.
Support the creation of Marketing collateral and the communication of product introductions and updates
Collaborate with Marketing & R&D to provide recommendations and inputs towards product positioning, messaging, and strategy that differentiates Blommer products in the marketplace and supports business initiatives
Develop and maintain portfolio dashboards and/or reports that show the health of the portfolio mix and SKUs in real time using inputs from internal data.
Additionally, create and manage a database that identifies where and how Blommer products are used in the market
Participate in the management of the product hierarchy and ensure the organization of products can be effectively communicated, understood and utilized by all areas of the business
Represent Blommer within the industry by attending meetings, conferences and/or tradeshows serving as a brand ambassador