Senior Product Manager
Waukegan, IL, US, 60087
At Luxor, we cultivate a culture of innovation and forward-thinking that our employees thrive in, and this mindset is reflected in our products. As a manufacturer of cutting-edge workspace solutions for commercial, educational, industrial, and various other markets, we consistently develop functional, value-driven products. Our workspace furniture solutions are designed to foster a healthy and collaborative work environment.
Pay Range: $125,000 to $140,000
Job Summary
LUXOR is looking for an ambitious, strategic-minded, fast-paced Senior Product Manager who will drive significant growth through new product development over the next several years. The Senior Product Manager is responsible for driving our new product development roadmap, delivering on the platform vision, and managing the team to bring new products to market (NPD). The primary responsibilities include identifying new product innovation opportunities, investigating and reporting on the market, gathering consumer insights (visits, shows interviews), performing competitive intelligence, uncovering unmet user & consumer needs, filtering ideas, defining & authoring product business proposals, conducting user and market research, representing the voice of the consumer (VOC) in respect to informing product design, informing marketing communication, scouting M&A/licensing targets, and presenting recommendations to senior leadership and the business team
Other responsibilities will involve downstream involvement in the NPD process. These activities include financial modeling and voice of the consumer (VOC) driven feature decisions. The SPM will analyze internal and external market conditions to make recommendations for the existing technology product portfolio and future products. The SPM leverages their creativity, product knowledge, and an understanding of the business to maximize consumer satisfaction and contribution margin on existing and new products. Finally, this position focuses on creating and bringing products to market which are innovative, competitively priced, functionally sound, and easy to use, creating a positive consumer experience and driving consumer loyalty
The Manager will also lead and oversee internal and external design teams in creating and developing all projects. The Manager will work directly with suppliers in all areas concerning product development. The Manager will integrate creative thinking into all aspects of their job responsibilities and provide guidance and recommendations to the cross-functional groups within Luxor
The SPM is also responsible for the management of the product portfolio. Responsibilities include product lifecycle management, product pricing, working with Marketing on new product launches, working with the proper teams on quality, compliance, and IP opportunities/concerns.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Portfolio Strategy Development
- Work with business team and senior management to drive development the high-growth product portfolio strategies.
- Envision, document, and execute short and long-term innovation roadmap for all the Luxor family of brands to grow the business.
- Continuous evaluation of industry trends, end-user insights, consumer feedback, technical/mechanical advancements, competitive analysis, and marketing requirements.
- Analyze, track and report on product sales and trends against budgeted and forecasted plans, alerting team of positive and negative trends, and recommending responsive actions.
- Execute competitive marketplace benchmarking and analysis for key product categories.
- Employ Design Thinking tools, techniques, and processes.
- Develop consumer/product segmentations and personas.
- Create competitive benchmarking that reflects an understanding of the consumer.
- Collect and synthesize quantitative product data and metrics through market and user research.
- Generate innovative ideas, concepts, and categories that are aligned to company goals, brand vision, and strategy.
- Research questions and reviews for our products across the marketplaces to find opportunities for improvement, line expansions, or altogether new products.
- Partner with stakeholders to determine goals, focus, and priorities for the product roadmap.
New Products
- Gather product requirements, prioritize feature implementations, and improve overall user experience.
- Coordinate with stakeholders to achieve the product vision.
- Continually evaluate the health of projects to make recommendations and decisions on project scope.
- Use market research processes, identifying new products to target, new product line extensions, and new categories based on market needs and demand.
- Identify cost reduction initiatives to improve value to the brand, customer, and consumer.
- Identify and quantify product development prioritization metrics such as market demand, competitive differentiation, development resources, estimated sales, and speed to market.
- Establish business cases, including product features, value proposition, financial metrics, go to market requirements, and timelines.
- Work with Sales/Marketing to define the go-to-market strategy, helping them understand the product positioning, sales potential, key benefits, and target consumer.
- Be a resource for the Marketing Communications team to ensure they have the needed information to create collateral.
- Track and review product development schedule progress.
- Lead presentations to the company leadership team to make decisions on next steps (i.e., stage gate meetings).
- In conjunction with other departments, understand and incorporate environmental, regulatory, competitive climate, and trends into product development programs.
- Analyze current portfolio sales history and trends to recommend end of life targets. Communicate transition details to Marketing and Customer Service to ensure that content, photos, pricing, shipping, product grouping, and bill of material details correctly reflect the product offered.
Job Requirements
Other Duties and Responsibilities:
- Interacting with other departments – establishes and maintains very positive working relationships with New Product Development (NPD), Purchasing, and other teams.
- Participation in Industry/Customer Trade Shows, Conferences, and Events.
- Assists Marketing and New Product Development (NPD) teams with educating the sales teams on market insights, products, product marketing materials, spec sheets, social media campaigns, etc. as needed.
- Travel to customer meetings as needed.
- All other project as needed.
Skills and Abilities Required:
- Goal-oriented, proactive self-starter.
- Familiarity with market research, consumer behavior and marketing techniques.
- Strong time management skills.
- Ability to effectively prepare and present information and respond to questions from management, clients, and other employees of the organization.
- Strong written and verbal skills.
- Proven data analysis skills.
- Superior organizational skills.
- Works collaboratively and excels in a team environment.
- Solid knowledge of Marketing strategies, concepts, and practices.
- Experience with the New Product Development process and lifecycle (especially durable goods and technology products).
- Solid business acumen, management, and problem-solving skills.
- Advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office applications
- Ability to travel 5-10% or as required.
Education and Experience Required:
- A Business or Marketing degree is preferred.
- An MBA is a plus.
- Minimum 8-10 years of work experience in Product Management, Marketing, and/or Marketing research with consumer products in a B2B or B2C product sales environment.
Computer Equipment and Level of Software Requirements:
- Proficiency with Office skills (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook).
- Experience with common ERP and CRM systems preferred.
- Ability to perform “hands on” detailed data analysis using current data analysis and visualization tools over product sales, inventory levels, market data, etc.
We are an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. We strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants, or any other covered persons because of race, color, sex, pregnancy status, age, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment.
We comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, and all applicable state or local law.
Nearest Major Market: Chicago
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