Crucibles Product Manager-Foundry NAFTA

Key Responsibilities:

Develop and implement the strategy for crucible growth in NAFTA, which includes the following elements:

• Product line market research through direct customer and sales force interaction in addition to analysis of external market data to determine the value proposition of the current product, product gaps, market development opportunities, market segmentation, product rationalization, new product introductions, pricing strategy, and product promotion.
• Development of sales tools and customer visits/presentations, competitive analysis.
• Product line positioning.
• Target marketing, including digital marketing strategy development
• Implement and monitor product profitability
• Monthly analysis of product line performance

Key Results Areas:

• Management of the product group life cycle/portfolio, taking into consideration specific market requirements.
• Determine potential market requirements so that product development remains customer-focused. Identify new product development opportunities and improvement avenues for existing products.
• Be responsible for providing support, guidance, and training for Sales and Application Engineers for the related product area.
• Define product specifications according to customer requirements; be involved in defining quality control procedures with QM, QA, and R&D personnel.
• Management of all SKUs to maximize manufacturing efficiency by eliminating the unnecessary proliferation of SKUs.
• Be responsible for JDE product codes, product patterns, and recipes.
• Implementation and control of product launches (NPI Global & Local Launches); lead new product development, including the idea generation process, idea screening, prioritization, development project plans, monitoring of development work, coordination of customer trials, and transfer of new products into production.
• Develop and maintain product literature, publications, technical papers, and case studies.

Other Key Responsibilities & Deliverables:

• Control the M&T cost center expense to ensure it aligns with the budget.
• Interact actively with the Supply Chain, support capacity planning, and anticipate future manufacturing requirements. Lead recipe engineering projects. This will involve regular meetings with internal manufacturing and key product suppliers.
• Implementation of marketing plan strategy.
• Establish relationships with external institutes and third-party developers.

Experience/Qualifications:

• Relevant degree-level education in chemistry or material science. Minimum of 5 years experience in working in crucible applications.
• Strong interpersonal skills, the ability to understand and interface with different cultures and management styles, and an understanding of technical development requirements.
• Product Managers have a high degree of autonomy.

Internal Key Contacts:

• Operation and Supply Chain Managers at manufacturing sites
• Purchasing department
• Quality department
• HSE department – relation to SDS Safety Information
• R&D departments
• NAFTA M&T team, especially the other PMs and Application Engineers
• NAFTA operating company personnel, with emphasis on Business Unit Managers
• Marketing Communications team

Skills & Behavior:

• Excellent negotiating skills
• Extensive experience in selling value to the customer (EVC).
• Excels at customer relationships
• Strong managerial experience with multiple direct reports
• Excellent interpersonal skills and group and team-oriented communication skills
• Strong PC skills. Proficient use of Microsoft Excel

• Simplify the Complex and make a task, project, process, etc., easier to understand.

• Emotional intelligence, self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
• Initiative/Drive/Energy motivated and willing to get things done on your own, energy in our daily habits that help us stay upbeat and productive, always moving forward in motion.
• Growth Mindset improving intelligence and ability to learn new skills, hard word, training and perseverance. Thriving on challenge and seeing failure as a springboard for growth and stretch to existing abilities.
• Ownership/Commitment mindset involving holding oneself accountable for the success and quality of work produced, mentality of trust, respect and dependability.