Product Manager (CN)

About AkzoNobel

Since 1792, we’ve been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people’s lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance the fabric of everyday life. Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It’s what you’d expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that’s dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today – while creating an even better tomorrow. Let’s paint the future together.

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Job Responsibilities

Long Description

Short Description

Job Purpose

- Manage and strengthen the segment product portfolio in line with the segment strategy and market trends

- Ensures that the product group matches customer expectations and needs through the life-cycle, and supports the development of new or replacement products and manages their launch into the market; manages the withdrawal of unwanted or obsolete products.

- Owns the NPI roadmap

- Responsible for “unlock” at Region or PCU level; focal point of the “bowtie

Key Accountabilities

1. Market Research

• Utilize and interpret internal/ external market information related to products to understand customer needs and presents conclusions and recommendations

2. Product Portfolio

• Lead the product line management and efforts in defining the strategy for new category/product opportunities.
• Create business cases and strategies for new products, segments, countries. Develop, communicate, and implements strategic portfolio plans.
• Gather and analyze data, prioritize market and customer trends and direction, analyze and maintain key performance indicators to measure overall health of the product line.
• Closely monitor marketplace for competitive moves. Work with cross functional teams to develop internal and external competitive analysis and selling-against guides.
• Manage portfolio consistency including branding and support the region to do the them within the regions
• Responsible to manage the life cycle of the product portfolio by bridging the organizations commercial and RD&I teams, ensuring market needs are fully defined and communicated into the product development processes.
• Develop and implement portfolio plans that provide clarity and guidance to new product development; availability, global development or local optimization.
• Execute on product portfolio plans to initiate product development and timely rationalization.
• Coordinate project development by ensuring alignment of the Stage Gate process with market inputs and business strategy. Provide Stage Gate projects with outward focused inputs. Maintain active product profiles aligned with current market inputs.

3. Product Positioning & Commercialization
• Responsible for launch of new products through coordination with multi-disciplinary teams. Drive product launch planning and provide guidance to the cross-functional product launch team to complete all required preparation and launch activities.
• Coordinate product introduction and market exploitation with the Marketing and Sales organizations to ensure maximum penetration of marketing segments.
• Guide new product development and/or modifications of a product or product line to achieve the goals set by Sales/Marketing and in line with the budget
• Support the commercial team with guidance on specific product selection versus customer requirements.
• Ensure market potential by working with Regional Marketing Managers to establish pricing targets and market strategies, estimate potential sales, introduce market and distribution/channel issues.

4. Communication

• Develop & implement high impact / differentiated product positioning and messaging to the int