Senior Product Manager

Job Purpose:
We are seeking a seasoned Product Manager with experience in the manufacture of technical / industrial products, ideally with an electrical and/or panel building background. They will lead the development, standardisation, and life cycle management (introduction, growth, maturity and decline) of low-voltage distribution, protection and transformer products.

The role involves working closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality and commercial teams to deliver reliable, compliant and cost competitive temporary and permanent solutions across construction, event, military and industrial applications.

This is a new role within the business and presents a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate, as you will influence and help shape the profile, reputation and growth of Blakley Electrics. The role includes the management of a further product manager.

Job Context:
Blakley Electrics is the market leader for temporary power within the construction sector in the UK. Key to this role is maintaining that position, whilst at the same time developing our niche positions in other markets, especially for permanent power products in industrial markets

• Reports to the Commercial Director
• Responsible for the management and development of one Product Manager
• Office-based in Crayford, with regular travel to Harlow site, with visits to customers and business locations as required
• Support the commercial teams with customer and product queries/advice as required
• Actively contribute as a member of the Commercial team
• Achieve agreed objectives and targets related to product development, introduction, management and retirement
• Undertake additional duties as required to support the business

This is a new role within the business and will sit within department of ‘Product Management’ but will work closely with other departments. Since this is a techno-commercial role, there is a possibility of integrating marketing function within product management.

Job Dimensions:

Product Manager will be responsible for setting the direction and strategy for both new and existing products addressing the full life cycle of manufactured Blakley products. Product Manager will define standards, features and requirements necessary to deliver a complete product to the market. Product Manager must articulate the business value to wider teams so they can understand and align behind these plans. There are several dimensions to this role:

• Product Strategy and Portfolio Management
• Product Development and Engineering Interface
• Marketing and Communications Support
• Commercial and Market Support
• Collaboration with manufacturing, quality and supply chain

Key Accountabilities:

Product Strategy and Portfolio Management

• Own and manage the manufactured product portfolio.
• Define product roadmap aligned with market demand, customer needs, standards and customer segments and manage product lifecycle including rationalisation.
• Conduct competitive benchmarking on key product groups with a view to understanding performance, features and pricing.
• Identify opportunities for new product introductions and variants.

Product Development and Engineering Interface

• Market research via customer visits to understand current and future needs of the customer enabling creation of a clear technical product roadmap incorporating market requirements.
• Offer continued support to Engineering team during the new product development and legacy product modification process. Defining, leading and owning product road maps and deadlines for product launches is critical.
• Define product specifications and performance standards.
• Work with engineering to ensure compliance with market requirements both in terms of features and practical use, but also standards, testing and compliance.

Marketing and Communications

• Gather data, analyse and report on market positioning within target markets and sectors. Tracking competitors, market trends, historical information, channels and identify gaps in the market to enable targeted strategy for maximising sales for each product category.
• Product Manager will closely collaborate with Sales & Marketing team on needs of target market, channel strategies and optimised route to market. This will also include product communication strategies as and when necessary.
• Support in identification of new opportunities across Temporary and Permanent applications.
• Closely work with marketing communications to develop product and segment specific technical collaterals, including relevant case studies.
• Ensure maintenance and accuracy of market facing technical documentation, including datasheets and the website.

Commercial and market support

• Support pricing strategy, cost structures, margin improvement initiatives
• Participate in events & exhibitions and articulate product benefits to customers
• Provide technical support and training to sales teams, distributors and customers
• Assist in product launches, customer presentations and tender support

Manufacture, Quality and Supply Chain

• Collaborate with Engineering, Quality and Manufacturing teams pertaining to design for manufacture, cost optimisation, delivery readiness and serviceability.
• Support alternative material development and supplier qualification.
• Work with quality to analyse failures, warranty claims and field issues to ensure the product line and segment remains healthy.

Minimum Qualifications, knowledge & Experience:

• Strong technical expertise of industrial products, ideally with an electrical products or panel building background
• Experience in product lifecycle management within a manufacturing setup
• General appreciation of electrical standards, wiring regulations and their application
• Strong cross functional coordination and communication skills
• People management skills, both as a line manager and the ability to successfully work with others
• Educated to degree level, ideally with a relevant engineering (electrical/mechanical) or commercial bias
• Significant experience in Product Management of technical products, clearly able to demonstrate a track record of success
• Experience working in industrial/electrical products/markets ideal

Behavioural Competencies:

• Team player, results-focused, determined, and responsible.
• Ability to manage multiple projects.
• Good people management skills and good customer handling skills.
• Strategic thinking, enthusiastic, able to work under pressure, initiative and strong analytical skill.
• Strong “customer comes first” focus and delivering on commitments.
• Proactive; takes the initiative and effectively deals with resistance.
• Assertive, tenacious and willing to challenge when required.
• Strong work orientation, taking ownership to deliver on time, every time.
• Forms effective relationships with key stakeholders across the matrix.
• Precise and to the point.

Responsibilities:
1) Marketing: Deliver specified outcomes and provide others with expert advice while working within established marketing programs.
2) Brand Positioning: Ensure the application of brand guidelines and brand templates and inform the organization on the importance of brand alignment and positioning.
3) Brand Strategy and Effectiveness: Assist in the management of brand(s) by implementing brand plans and guidelines and measuring effectiveness.
4) Marketing Impact Assessment: Collect customer and market data that contributes to the review of marketing activities.
5) Portfolio Management: Deliver small project workstreams, carrying out specified project activities within defined time and quality parameters and ensuring adherence to the prescribed project management methodology.
6) Product and Solution Development: Support others by carrying out a range of product development and engineering activities, such as analyzing client situations or interpreting data.
7) Product Management: Deliver support services (mostly of a routine nature) by using product management systems and protocols.
8) Document Preparation: Organize and prepare complex documents using a variety of applications for technology devices, such as standard office software. Also responsible for gathering and summarizing data for special reports.
9) Insights and Reporting: Extract and combine data to generate standard reports.
10) Personal Capability Building: Develop own capabilities by participating in assessment and development planning activities as well as formal and informal training and coaching. Develop and maintain an understanding of relevant technology, external regulation, and industry best practices through ongoing education, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.

Educational Requirements: Short-Cycle Tertiary Education

General Experience Requirement: Sound experience and understanding of straightforward procedures or systems (7 to 12 months)

Managerial Experience Requirement: Basic experience of coordinating the work of others (4 to 6 months)