ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Under the direction of the VP of Marketing, and working cross-functionally with NPD, Sales, Digital Marketing, Marketing Communications, Operations, and Strategic Sourcing, the Sr. Marketing Manager leads a small team of brand managers, leveraging insights to set strategies and execute business plans for company product lines and brands to achieve company sales and profit objectives.

Brand Building and Corporate Marketing

• Marketing Strategy . Collaborates closely with the Vice President of Marketing to formulate comprehensive marketing plans and programs tailored to each product line. Takes charge of implementing strategies aimed at fostering brand growth and achieving forecasted targets. Ensures effective execution of marketing initiatives across various channels to enhance brand visibility, engage target audiences, and drive sales. Regularly evaluates the performance of marketing activities and adjusts strategies as needed to optimize outcomes and meet business objectives.
• Team Management. Supervises the activities and tasks of the assigned team members, offering mentorship, coaching, and constructive feedback as necessary to foster their professional development and individual success. Monitors the workload distribution, project progress, and interpersonal dynamics within the team to ensure alignment with shared goals and adherence to corporate values. Facilitates a supportive and collaborative work environment where team members can thrive and contribute effectively towards achieving collective objectives.
• Research and Analysis . Proactively monitors customer purchasing patterns, leveraging market research to analyze short- and long-term market trends and forecasts. Collaborates closely with the financial analyst to ensure data fuels insightful reports. Utilizes gathered insights to shape both present and future product strategies, and to steer the messaging, tone, and aesthetics of campaigns, assessing and anticipating evolving market trends.

Product Management

Brand/Category Leader . Serve as a subject matter expert for designated brands proficiently articulating Walthers unique value proposition to diverse audiences and potential markets. Utilize comprehensive knowledge of the brand’s offerings, market position, and competitive advantages to effectively convey its value and relevance. Top of Form

R&D . Collaborates closely with internal teams to innovate and expand the utility of existing products through market analysis, exploration of emerging markets and technologies, and comprehensive data acquisition and analysis. Engages with both internal stakeholders and external sources to gather insights and identify opportunities for product enhancement and adaptation. Takes the lead in organizing and facilitating ideation and specification sessions aimed at fostering creativity and generating forward-thinking concepts for the next generation of products.

Portfolio Management . Brings products to new and existing markets by developing product roadmaps and writing business plans to support opportunities. Works closely with finance to quantify opportunity through ROI and Profitability review. Leads the planning process, ensuring the product has the functionality it needs to succeed and launch activities are coordinated to enable rapid market traction. Presents annual line review to organization stakeholders to ensure common understanding of strategic direction.

Forecasting . Working closely with Financial Analyst, brand managers, sales colleagues, and drawing from market analysis, historical data, input, demand planning, economic conditions and inventory management, leads annual product line forecasting, predicting anticipated sales, demand and performance of the organization’s product lines over the course of a fiscal year.

P&L . Oversees all aspects of assigned product categories to ensure they generate sufficient revenue and maintain healthy profit margins by addressing cost control, pricing strategies, product mix optimization, sales and marketing efforts and continuous improvement.

Product Launches. Develops comprehensive go-to-market strategies for key product launches, covering all stages from inception to post-launch evaluation. Ensures that these plans effectively communicate the product's value proposition and resonate with the target audience, utilizing appropriate messaging and placement channels. Focuses on driving maximum sales by strategically designing initiatives that capture audience attention and incentivize purchase behavior.

Competitor analysis. Conducts thorough analysis to identify both current and potential competitors, examining their strategies, pricing models, and market positioning. Evaluates their strengths and weaknesses relative to our own offerings and devises proactive counterstrategies to maintain competitive advantage. Delivers regular reviews to management, offering insights into market dynamics, competitor movements, and product developments, enabling informed strategic decisions and adjustments to business strategies.

Sales/Marketing Communications

• Demand Creation. Collaborates closely with internal Marketing Communications and Digital Marketing teams to create demand generation materials and support content marketing campaigns. Develops compelling content tailored to resonate with target verticals and personas, ensuring alignment with campaign objectives and messaging strategies.
• Sales enablement. Develops and presents comprehensive training sessions to equip sales teams with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively engage customers and secure new business opportunities. Develops content, assets, and tools tailored to support the sales process.
• Trade Shows and Conferences. Actively engages in scheduled national trade shows to bolster brand recognition and increase awareness of Walthers as the foremost authority in model railroading. Represents the company with professionalism and enthusiasm, showcasing our products, services, and expertise to attendees. Takes the lead in organizing and delivering seminars and presentations that provide valuable insights, tips, and demonstrations to the audience, positioning Walthers as a thought leader and trusted resource within the industry. Collaborates with internal teams to ensure seamless execution of trade show participation and maximize the impact of our presence at these events.
• Product Communications. Leads the preparation and participation in monthly new product express video series, aimed at announcing and showcasing new products to both dealers and consumers. Develops engaging and informative content for the video series, highlighting key features, benefits, and applications of the new products. Collaborates with relevant teams to gather product information and visuals, ensuring accurate and compelling presentations. Actively participates in the video recordings, delivering clear and enthusiastic presentations that effectively convey the value of the new products.

What you bring:

At least 5 years of corporate marketing experience in a manufacturing environment with demonstrated experience and success in project management.

Understanding of electrical engineering principles, particularly in the context of model train control systems. Knowledge of circuit design, microcontrollers, sensors, and motor control mechanisms is a significant plus.

Having prior experience and awareness of model railroading, remote control products, or other forms of model building and products related to the hobby industry is highly beneficial.

Demonstrated success in leading multiple complex projects, prioritizing projects, and meeting deadlines to meet critical launch dates essential.

Experience leading brand management associates.

Conceived and successfully launched large-scale go-to-market and marketing campaigns.

Developed compelling value propositions and messaging and guided creative teams in building the assets needed to bring those messages to life.

Bachelor’s degree in marketing or related field.

Skills and Talents:

Excellent written and presentation skills – comfort with and ability to present to groups.

Expert storyteller, skilled at crafting engaging presentations that distill complicated concepts into succinct and straightforward narratives.

Can quickly synthesize product features into understandable and compelling messaging.

Ability to easily shift gears between thinking and doing.

Can effectively balance quantitative evidence and qualitative factors to quickly test and learn (avoiding analysis paralysis).

Can start multiple projects simultaneously and pursue them to show continued progress.

Analytical skills for interpreting market data.

Demonstrated passion for product marketing and articulating customer value.