Product Manager

Job Description:

Product Manager – Warewash Division – Troy, OH

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is a Fortune 200 company that produces diversified products in global markets.  Some of its products include welding equipment, automotive components, construction materials and commercial food equipment.  The Food Equipment Group is one of seven ITW decentralized business segments.  The Warewash Division is seeking a Product Manager (in office) at its Troy, Ohio facility, located 20 minutes north of the Dayton metropolitan area.

The Warewash Business Division produces Hobart, Stero and Somat branded commercial dishwashers, waste equipment and disposers used in hotels, retail, restaurants, cruise ships, schools, universities, and other environments.  We are the industry leader and seeking to expand our growth in existing served markets as well as new markets.

We are in search of a Product Manager to help support and grow the FEG Warewash business through market research, product development, go-to-market planning, demand generation, and sales and channel support for our commercial line of dishwashers.  This position champions the voice of the customer with engineering and product development teams and provides support to our sales development managers and field sales organization to maximize sales volume for the business unit’s products.

Summary:

The Product Manager, in conjunction with the Marketing Team, will help identify new market opportunities, manage the product portfolio, develop marketing plans for new and existing products, define product training requirements, and develop programs to ensure the field sales organization and dealer and consultant communities have accurate product knowledge and a clear sales narrative to drive success with the Hobart line.

We are seeking candidates with experience that includes marketing support for product development, product launches (sales and service training plans, marketing operations, and content development), and analysis and interpretation of market and competitive data.

What you will do:

• Product Development & Management
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to understand customer needs, market trends, and competitive dynamics, and translate those insights into product specifications, business plans, and value propositions for the U.S. commercial dishwashing market.
• Develop and execute tactical marketing plans, lead new product launches, and manage the product portfolio lifecycle by leveraging customer research, field observations, market data, and competitive intelligence to prioritize product enhancements and make informed product decisions and trade-offs.
• Support for Business Development & Product Line Growth
• Support organic revenue growth goals through commercialization, demand generation, customer engagement, and sales support and enablement activities.
• Develop and execute go-to-market and commercial launch plans for new product launches, coordinating milestones, readiness, risks, and post-launch follow-through.
• Provide customized marketing, product specification, research, and other direct support to sales teams for key account opportunities.
• Deliver product sales training and support through product presentations, product marketing collateral and in-the-field training.
• Provide continuous updates to competitive and market intelligence and customer trends that affect success in targeted accounts and segments.
• Leadership
• Lead and facilitate cross-functional teams across Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Operations, Service, and external partners to align product priorities, manage project execution, and drive successful product development and launch activities.
• Spend time in key segments and channels with team members and customers to understand market needs and provide training on Hobart WW products and sales narratives.

What we are looking for:

• Strong understanding of product management and product marketing concepts, including roadmap management, prioritization, lifecycle planning, and go-to-market execution
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data, customer insights, and market evidence to draw meaningful conclusions and make product or feature decisions
• Experience interacting with and presenting to customers, senior leaders and a variety of business stakeholders
• Primary and secondary market research experience
• Ability to translate customer requirements into product specifications
• Ability to travel 10% - 15%
• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal communications as well as effective presentation skills
• Proficiency in MS Office applications

Education and experience:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 3+ years of experience in a relevant role with demonstrated results
• Experience completing at least one significant product launch cycle

Preferred:

• Preference for a degree majoring in Marketing, Business, or Engineering
• Experience working within an engineering stage-gate process
• At least one year of foodservice industry experience
• Knowledge of commercial kitchen equipment

Take this opportunity to join a successful and enthusiastic global team where we value the inclusion of diverse team members.  You will enjoy a competitive salary and generous benefits that includes health, dental, life and STD/LTD insurance, 401k (with match), and an education tuition reimbursement program.

ITW is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.