Job Description - Product Manager
This position is responsible for a product line/segment/family globally. Represent this product line throughout the Global Commercial Business Units and coordinate regular feedback from the regional leaders. This position leads the Product Line activities globally in alignment with Commercial Business Units’ strategies. This person is recognized as technical and business leader for assigned products within the company. Provides leadership in product line management. The Chiller product lines are applied globally and as such the product manager should be well versed in regional markets and product requirements. This calls for continuous monitoring and communications with the regional leaders to ensure the product line continuously meets assigned market requirements. Ensure optimization of product line performance measured through realized margins and market share globally.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES:

1. General Product Management
a) Track revenue, costs, profitability, and all other relevant Key Performance Indicators of product line
b) Support (drive when necessary) cost reduction
c) Review (and report) regional market growth as well as product volume projections with regional & global leaders
d) Report market share by product line (and appropriate sub-categories) and identify trends, gaps and recommend actions needed to grow share.
e) Support preparation of timely and accurate financial plans and forecasts for business planning. Identify major deviations between actual and plan and recommend corrective actions.
f) Maintain tracking of our products and competitors’ products success within assigned product line globally (detailed by region) and identify opportunities and gaps.

2. Sales & Customer Interface
a) Maintain product line specific content for sales support, sales training, and customer collateral.
b) Provide back-up to Commercial managers as needed with marketing, sales, and customers.
c) Use voice of customer to determine and validate requirements for existing products as well as new product developments.
d) Develop strong understanding of key global sales offices and channels through which primary market needs are addressed. Develop understanding of the economic and cultural environment they operate in.
e) Represent assigned Product Lines throughout the global Business Units.




3. Marketing
a. Support core positioning and messaging for product line consistent with overall Business strategy and Smardt Vision/Goals.
b. Work closely with the Regional Business Leaders to ensure a consistent marketing message is communicated (internal and external).
c. Manage a full complement of global sales and marketing tools (energy analysis programs, system selection tools, etc.) needed by the channels to be better positioned to compete in the market.
d. Support promotional activities in industry and professional forums.
e. Support launch plans and ramp down plans for products in accordance with product development schedules and the strategic product roadmap for the product line.
f. Support training program needs and materials in concert with marketing, regional support (sales and marketing).

4. Product & Strategy Roadmap
a. Responsible to manage all product(s) within the assigned Product Line globally – identifying and implementing actions related to competitive positioning opportunities, identifying product gaps, predicting competitive reactions and planning product development, product line effectiveness and profitability.
b. Maintain product roadmap for Product Line segment that is inclusive of all products within the assigned Product Line marketed or produced in all global regions.
c. Drive processes to deliver the products, features, options, and sales tools required to feed strategic growth plans both globally and regionally focused.
d. Manage product line lifecycle including recommendations for phase in/phase out schedules, product extensions or option additions and value engineering. e. Identify new business opportunities for assigned product line.

5. Pricing & Costing
a. Support analysis to develop strategic market-based pricing.
b. Maintain, in collaboration with manufacturing facilities, standard costs and pricing based on commodity guidance, product design/development and VAVE projects.
c. Track margin variance and current costs and maintain understanding of real cost position versus standard cost.
d. Provide product cost guidance to Regional Managers for product lines in all plants.
e. Use regional market price data to drive target cost setting for product development projects.
f. Assure sales tools are accurate and current with proper price levels for their product line.




6. Business Planning & Competitive Analysis
a. Capturing market product needs by collaborating with the Regional Managers (as well as direct engagement with customers and sales when appropriate) to develop product requirements for product extensions, enhancements, options, or new product developments.
b. Assemble competitive benchmarking and position needed to complete requirements for product development projects.
c. Support development and management of key documents; VSR, competitive analysis, and business plans
d. Manage or play a key role in leading the product development projects to meet critical dates and the requirements of the product development process.

7. Direct Field Support / Application Engineering
a. Coordinate with design engineering and applications engineering when needed to evaluate complex special quotes/requests (SQ) or technical questions for their specific product line
b. Provide necessary guidance on priority setting and resource availability for SQ opportunities that involve high level of effort or need to share resources in design and/or manufacturing engineering.
c. Track SQ frequency and type to look for trends in customer needs and opportunities to improve product options.

8. Special Projects
When assigned, coordinate outside of normal product line responsibility to complete a special project related to product management for business needs.

QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree (MBA highly desired) and 5 years of BAS or HVAC related experience in product or program management, marketing, or sales is required. Must have demonstrable business management skills in a product management environment and must be technically savvy, possessing strong knowledge of field and business practices relating to the identified products. Proficiency in Microsoft Suite Applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and PowerBI) as well as Internet software and E-mail is required. Ability to envision and introduce creative tools for fast and effective interaction with the field combining high technical complexity and commercial interests in a seamless and user-friendly manner would be a significant plus. Travel is required 20% to 30% of the time.