Director of Product Excellence chez CMC Group, Inc

Description

The Director is responsible for new product development, product planning, and product execution through the product lifecycle from prototype to launch. The Director will collaborate with the Product Innovation team to gather and prioritize product and customer requirements, help define the product vision, and work closely with sales, marketing, manufacturing, and procurement to ensure products are successfully launched, reviewed, and retired as needed. Will ensure the product supports CMC’s overall strategy and goals. This position will be responsible for product improvements, claims and compliance management, working closely with Marketing to ensure product statements and claims are validated. This position will also directly manage Category Managers.

Requirements

Essential Duties:

• Focus of product implementation for the evolution of kitchen automation sold to Foodservice industry, and other product implementations for other business units.
• Direct management of all Category Managers and their product initiatives.
• Collaborate with Director of Product Design in the development of new products and services.
• Identify and recommend new products and services as well as revisions to existing products based on market research in the following areas:
• Historical and current market trend analysis
• Current competition and pricing analysis
• Customer needs assessment
• Product availability and costs (either by sourcing suppliers or estimating production standard costs.
• Collaborate with appropriate departments to implement and manage approved plans and strategies for new product launches, coordinating the following activities for market introduction:
• Development of product selling guides
• Competitive price development
• Sales training of new product additions
• In-house support structure, communication and education
• Oversee and drive development of customer training process and supporting documentation materials.
• Training of sales force for product presentation and frontline installation and support.
• Work with product vendors on support, problem resolution and product improvements up to and including factory visits and qualifications.
• Provide training for technical support and help desk for customer’s problem resolution.
• Support development of “next generation” product enhancements, improvements and innovations in conjunction with customer needs, technology advancements, industry trends, etc.
• Work with external suppliers to assess partnerships and licensing/exclusivity opportunities.
• Utilize project management processes and skills to manage tasks and project activities.
• Co-lead beta and pilot programs with early-stage products and samples.
• Be an expert with respect to the competition; conducting market research.
• Develop the core positioning and messaging for the product.
• Developing and implementing a company-wide go-to-market product plan, working with all departments to execute, and working with sales and marketing to help them establish pricing structure to assist with meeting revenue and profitability.
• Conducting product rationalization (eliminating less preferable and/or obsolesced products). 
• All other duties assigned by the Vice President of Innovation.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrate success defining and launching excellent products.
• Prior experience in leading successful teams.
• Strong Project Management experience required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent teamwork skills.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional team without formal authority.
• Must be able to travel.
• Must exhibit servant leadership qualities.

Training and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Minimum of 5-10 years experience working in product development and product management or other internal related departments.

Physical Requirements:

• Reaching for phone and keyboard.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.
• Lifting-raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to position.
• Fingering, grasping and feeling.
• Talking, hearing and repetitive motion.
• Light work, exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
• Required to have visual acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures.