Product Manager Associate II

Hunter Douglas is the world's leading manufacturer of window coverings and a major manufacturer of architectural products. We are a brand that you know and trust. With more than 100 years of innovation, we've defined our industry with proprietary products that deliver revolutionary style and functionality and can be found in millions of homes and commercial buildings globally.

We are searching for candidates that are driven, intelligent, creative, and entrepreneurial. By offering challenging and accelerated opportunities for growth, powered by a shared hunger for success, we create a space for your career to thrive. In return for your expertise, we are committed to providing competitive and robust total compensation and benefit packages to ensure you feel valued. Our dream is to become the fastest growing, most loved, window covering company in the world. What's yours?

Position Overview

Plays a key role in establishing the vision and direction through all phases of the product lifecycle and executes objectives through cross-functional teams in the areas of product strategy, product development, and product quality. Plays a key role in identifying and driving product initiatives that clearly link to short and long term goals.

What you'll do

An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all of the following essential functions. (These examples do not include all of the functions which the employee may be expected to perform.)

LEADERSHIP
• Basic ability to inspire and motivate others to take action and to influence cross-functional team and divisional leadership as needed.
• Proactively initiates important conversations.
• Takes initiative to identify areas of opportunity for inefficient processes or identifies areas of best practice which can be replicated. Works on cross-functional teams to eliminate non-value add work. Identify, develop and roll out change.
• Supports team members through mentoring. May have the opportunity to manage junior members of the team.

TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION
• Contributes to the team by being engaged and present at meetings, trainings and summits and demonstrates strong teamwork skills.
• Contributes by collaborating with other teams to recognize their needs. Genuinely values and recognizes the ideas, abilities, contributions and differences in others.
• Acts upon data, input and opinions from cross-functional team members to make informed decisions for the product line.
• Listens to, solicits and acts upon feedback from cross-functional team members regarding changes or decisions to better understand impact to timelines, cost or product specifications.

COMMUNICATION
• Solid presentation skills. Solid ability to create visual presentation content.
• Effectively communicates through verbal and written communication providing support for complex product related needs.
• Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to clearly and effectively communicate and document requirements.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
• May lead multiple medium to large scale projects and advise on small scale projects led by junior members of team.
• Demonstrates the ability to productively lead and facilitate small meetings. Supports facilitation of large meetings.
• Receives minimal guidance to assist in prioritization of tasks within a project.
• Intermediate knowledge of Project Management tools.

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
• Participates and assists with ideation process for projects; specific product and/or specific needs.
• Demonstrates basic understanding of product development processes and procedures.
• Creates product requirements / product platforms for small scope projects, and may create requirements/ platforms for large scope projects with guidance.
• Organizes test plan, manages testing, and creates summary reports of that testing. Coordinates testing (and builds necessary to support that testing) with appropriate cross functional teams.
• Basic understanding of product trademarks and trade dress and patents.
• Demonstrates intermediate understanding of product development processes and procedures as well as key technologies associated with assigned product.
• Supports activities and accomplishes medium to large scale more complex tasks with minimal supervision that guides a product, system, and/or sample book from development through the completion of the launch.
• Manages the development and sustaining updates of all product documentation, including installation instructions, product specifications, and marketing collateral.

QUALITY/ SUSTAINING
• Frequently attends and participates in quality focused meetings.
• Works cross-functionally to support analysis and prioritization. Creates communication regarding minor quality issues for distribution, with oversight.
• Receives guidance on data and analysis regarding discontinuation within product category. Utilizes competitive information in recommendations.
• Works with cross-functional team on projects which continuously drive a higher quality product better communication to dealers, sales and consumers; and internal process improvement.
• Provides data and analysis of specific portions of processes where improvement is necessary, as guided by cross-functional teams.
• Supports continuous improvement projects in collaboration with cross-functional team

PRODUCT STRATEGY
• Solid understanding the product features, benefits and user applications. Realizes product positioning within the category hierarchy and how it ladders to the master brand. Has general understanding of key differences in the market, category and competitive landscape.
• Articulates product channel differentiation with consumers, sales team, dealers, and installers.
• Conducts and summarizes specifically requested analysis and reporting on key findings that could indicate trends in current and past performance of the product and competition.
• Understands key product strategies and short and long term goals.
• Understands prioritization and objectives of initiatives to support new and sustaining product directions to achieve short and long term goals.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
• Strong understanding of data collection and sales reporting.
• Ability to provide sales analysis as it relates to product margin goals and market positioning.
• Basic understanding of product cost targets.
• Ability to pull sales data and provide analysis to determine and track progress of goals.
• Adheres to project and departmental budgets.
• Ability to create and submit purchase requisitions.
• Growing understanding of AFE process, assists in writing AFE business case.
• Know and understand product integrated margin.
• Basic understanding of product P&L.
• Assist in establishing strategic price rationalization and positioning.
• Growing understanding of cost savings initiatives for the product.
• Basic understanding of cost of quality as it relates to product.
• Growing awareness of ROI as it relates to dealer and consumer satisfaction. Make recommendations to grow ROI.
• Growing understanding of forecasting for the product line.

RESEARCH
• Solid understanding of trends and insights related to product line. Articulates top consumer or dealer frustrations and recommends solutions.
• Solid understanding of product line and key competitors; conducts situational analysis for product line including SWOTs.
• Basic understanding of qualitative and quantitative data, leveraging data to generate insight and/or analysis for the product.
• Develops and shares voice of customer data.
• Understands setting research objectives.
• Plans research activities, collects and compiles research data and shares with stakeholders in a manageable format.
• Utilizes research data to formulate and inform decisions on medium to large scope projects.

Who you are

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Three plus years of related consumer goods product management experience.
• Demonstrated project management ability is required.
• Horizontal Blinds or Window Treatment product experience is preferred.
• Intermediate knowledge of SAP.
• Solid knowledge of the product line
• Basic knowledge of the principles of finance to prepare budgets and understand all
• costs connected with line extensions, product enhancements and resampling of the product.
• Basic knowledge of AI.
• Solid knowledge of consumer needs in home fashion industry.
• Solid knowledge of project management.
• Solid knowledge of computer use and software packages such as, Word, Excel, and Microsoft suite
• Solid knowledge of analyzing and comparing competitive data
• Solid knowledge of communication skills (oral and written) and how to adapt to various situations when dealing with or providing feedback.
• Expert knowledge of correct grammar usage to compose and proofread correspondence for spelling, sentence construction and punctuation errors.
• Solid ability to conduct presentations to all size audiences.
• Solid ability to develop and maintaining effective work relationships.
• Solid Ability to process all technical product information.
• Intermediate Skill in presenting recommendations for action plans to management based on the analysis.
• Solid Ability to utilize creative thinking and problem solving techniques on a daily basis.
• Solid Ability to prioritize and organize multiple work assignments.
• Solid Ability to conduct work in a self-directed manner with limited supervision.

What's in it for you?

• Annual base salary range: $75,000.00- $90,000.00
• Bonus target range: 10%-20%
• Generous benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, disability
• A company culture that prioritizes internal development and professional growth
• Time off with pay
• 401(k) plan with a degree of employer matching
• Paid parental leave
• Wellness programs and product discounts

Please note, all offers presented to candidates are carefully crafted to ensure market competitiveness, equity, and reflect the individual candidate's education, experience, skills and potential.
Hunter Douglas is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with applicable employment laws. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled are encouraged to apply.

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