Manager, Product Management – Rubbermaid Commercial Products

Job Description

Position: Manager, Product Management – Rubbermaid Commercial Products

Reports to: Sr. Manager, Product Management Location: Huntersville, NC The Consumer & Commercial Solutions Division comprises several well-known brands such as Rubbermaid, Quickie, and Rubbermaid Commercial Products:
• Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) is the leading provider of material handling, cleaning, refuse, and washroom products specifically designed to withstand the unique and demanding conditions of commercial environments.
• For nearly 100 years, the Rubbermaid® brand has been known for innovative, high-quality products that help simplify and bring order to the lives of consumers. Rubbermaid products can be found both inside and outside the home and include a wide variety of cleaning and organization products.
• Quickie® makes expertly engineered and remarkably simple cleaning tools to help consumers achieve a real clean made easy. Since 1950, Quickie has been a leading innovator in mops, brooms, brushes, dusters, scrubbers and more.
The product management function within the CCS division serves as a general manager for the product categories in which we operate – driving category strategy, execution, and results through a clear set of activities. Category Management team members have P&L ownership and are ultimately responsible for the health of the business.
Specific Responsibilities
Strategic Planning
• Lead efforts to increase penetration of RCP Material Handling products in Distribution Centers and Manufacturing facilities
• Provide analytical support during Category Strategy and Annual Planning process for the assigned category, lead certain aspects
• Support the development of resource plans reflecting what is needed to achieve strategic plan including human resources, capital, operational considerations, and A&P
Portfolio and Product Life Cycle Management
• Manage the product portfolio by making assortment decisions such as adding, growing and exiting categories, sub-categories and SKUs.
• Oversee life cycle management, balancing the rhythm of entering and exiting product categories.
• Define the evolution of product portfolio ensuring it ties to clearly defined category strategy
• Collaborate with Supply Chain to develop category inventory targets and fill rate / lead time targets.
• Oversee supply / demand forecasting to maintain inventory targets and minimize excess inventory.
• Lead cross-functional efforts to discover and execute cost reduction initiatives that do not negatively impact the consumer experience
• Guide team to develop and maintain a Go-to-Market materials outlining the selling story for the product categories in which we play
P&L Ownership & Analysis
• Manage the growth and profitability of assigned category and product segments.
• Support finance to create annual financial goals including revenue, gross margin, COGS, market share, price and portfolio mix.
• Work cross-functionally to identify growth and operational efficiency opportunities for the category
• Develop and display an understanding of what drives category performance, lead efforts to execute a variety of activities that support category P&L improvement
• Monitor category P&L and drive corrective actions to improve results against business commitments.
• Lead financial discussions for the category, including sales, gross margin, and pricing.
• Partner with sales team to drive partnerships with key retail and distribution partners to achieve desired financial results
New Product Development
• Lead efforts to ideate, filter, scope, and initiate new product ideas.
• Program Manage new product development programs, driving the cross-functional team to on-time, on-cost and on-quality execution
• Translate marketplace trends and chooser insights into actionable recommendations for innovative growth and new product ideas.
• Gain executive leadership alignment via stage-gate process by building a robust business case to support innovation efforts, ensuring alignment to category strategy
Understand and Translating Category Insights
• Translate marketplace insights into winning strategies and tactics for the brand.
• Build and maintain a robust assessment of current marketplace conditions, recommend corrective actions as market dynamics change
• Maintain a constant pulse on trends, chooser/user needs, competitive offerings and brand positioning
• Develop a deep understanding of the consumer - leverage that knowledge to aid in short and long-term decision making
• Participate in interactive consumer visits, scope primary research studies, and leverage secondary/syndicated data to maintain consumer and marketplace knowledge
• Educate others on the consumer and marketplace
Brand Stewardship
• Partner with Brand Marketing and Marketing Communications to develop project commercialization plans that support annual brand plan
• Define content strategy for category in accordance with defined brand standards, collaborate with brand team to maintain accurate marketing content on an ongoing basis
• Serve as brand ambassador at trade shows, distributor meetings, and other external events
• Understand the brand positioning, communicate to others
People Development
• Set clear objectives and prioritizes initiatives for team members, manage performance review process and deal with performance issues head on
• Assign clear projects and tasks to direct reports
• Effectively develop team members in a way that supports their career aspirations
Qualifications
• Four-year College/University degree , MBA Preferred
• 6+ years relevant marketing experience
• Fluent in English
• Up to 20% travel required
Experience
• Prior experience with Distribution Centers and/or Manufacturing facilities – either in a direct role in those spaces or in product management capacity, managing a product portfolio that caters to that market
• Demonstrated success in innovation pipeline development and commercialization
• Prior experience managing and developing direct reports
• Proven success developing a marketing plan to drive consumer demand and distributor/retailer demand
• Prior experience developing marketing communications focused on changing consumer and/or distributor behavior
• Prior experience in commercial channels of distribution
• Strong decision-making background in ambiguous environments with a bias for action
• Analytical P&L management combined with critical thinking skills to deliver desired financial results and managing overall category everyday business decisions.
• Proven project management experience delivering programs on-time, on-cost, and on-scope
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and lead a team.
• Possesses strong verbal and written communications skills and professional presence.

Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL) is a leading global consumer goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands, including Paper Mate, Sharpie, Dymo, EXPO, Parker, Elmers, Coleman, Marmot, Oster, Sunbeam, FoodSaver, Mr. Coffee, Graco, Baby Jogger, NUK, Calphalon, Rubbermaid, Contigo, First Alert and Yankee Candle. For hundreds of millions of consumers, Newell Brands makes life better every day, where they live, learn, work and play. Newell Brands and its subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers and comply with applicable employment laws. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled are encouraged to apply.