Chicago Casting Calls & Acting Auditions

Position: Product (UI/UX) Manager

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Compensation: Top of Industry Compensation & Benefits

About Pique

From our revolutionary wellness / beauty supplements to our mission-based, high-growth, and data-driven culture – Pique operates at the forefront of performance eCommerce and luxury branding. We entrust each member of our team to become world-class experts at what they do and are committed to cultivating the leader in every person that joins us.

Job Description

We seek an exceptionally talented Product Manager to help optimize the user experience to drive conversion rate, LTV and brand affinity to support our rapid growth. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who is analytical, data-driven, passionate about the brand experience and thrives in fast-paced / high growth environments. This is a role for someone seeking a highly impactful position at a rapidly growing company.

Responsibilities

• Help define and execute the product roadmap (site and landing page), aligning with user needs and brand objectives.
• Collaborate cross-functionally – with acquisition, retention, creative, development, and analytics teams – to successfully deliver product initiatives from ideation to launch.
• Conduct market research, gather user feedback, and analyze data to identify opportunities for product innovation and optimization.
• Monitor and report key product metrics and performance indicators, conduct A/B tests, and iterate on features to optimize user experiences.
• Stay informed about industry trends, competitor products, and emerging technologies to drive product innovation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree is a plus.
• Proven 4+ years experience as a Product Manager, preferably in eCommerce
• Strong understanding of product management methodologies, including market research, ideation, user testing, and agile development.
• Excellent communication skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to gather and interpret data to inform product decisions.
• Passion for creating exceptional user experiences for a luxury brand and making a positive impact in the wellness / beauty industry
• Familiarity with user-centered design principles and methodologies.
• Enthusiasm for helping shape an open, positive and inclusive team culture and organizational processes.

Pique

About the company

Albertsons Companies is at the forefront of the revolution in retail. With a fixation on innovation and building culture, our team is rallying our company around a unique vision: forging a retail winner that is admired for national strength, deep roots in the communities we serve, and a team that has passion for food and delivering great service.

Albertsons is one of the largest retail employers, providing approximately 300,000 jobs across 2,200 stores, 22 distribution centers, 20 food and beverage plants and various support offices. We operate in 34 states and the District of Columbia under the Albertsons banner, as well as Safeway, Tom Thumb, Jewel Osco, Shaw’s and many more recognizable names.

What you will be doing

The Own Brands Product Development Department has an opening for a Senior Product Development Manager. This position is located in Dublin, CA.

The Senior Manager, Product Development, collaborates with cross-functional team as the lead Product Development resource to develop new and reformulated products from concept through retail execution, including key sensory attributes, shelf life, nutrition facts, processing, packaging, safety, coding, and regulatory compliance to assigned categories. Represent Product Development at key meetings to provide technical guidance and strategic direction. Analyze data and translate into actionable insights. Stay current with industry trends. Leads a team of experienced product developers as assigned.

Main responsibilities

• Leads a technical team to develop and approve new and reformulated food products based upon product quality & performance, cost, and project timelines. Includes reviewing product performance, conducting product sensory evaluations, researching product standards and attributes, product safety, and product shelf life.
• Develop, review, and/or approve packaging labels for new and reformulated products, assuring technical accuracy and internal requirements.
• This role is expected to work autonomously with cross-functional team members on key projects to ensure on-time delivery of strategic business and departmental initiatives.
• Provide leadership to guide and/or assist technical and non-technical peers and direct reports to mitigate technical and project hurdles.
• Provide direction and assessment of technical feasibility for new product concepts, manufacturing capability options, and ingredient functionality and selection.
• Create & manage product specifications. Includes requesting product specifications and other technical documentation from suppliers, creating internal specifications, and reviewing and approving any updates to current product specifications. Act as subject matter expert for the team regarding product specifications.
• Manage internal & external suppliers, contractors & other outside resources. Includes directing requested product changes, evaluations, consumer testing, and analysis.
• Provide technical direction to external supplier activities, including sample and product information requests, specifications development, and communication of product changes to address safety, product performance, and/or regulatory issues.

What we are searching

• Bachelor’s Degree, Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or equivalent applied science with experience in food manufacturing.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in Product Development, R&D, manufacturing (QA or Operations), across a broad range of categories.
• Minimum 2 years supervisory experience.
• Knowledge and understanding of the principles of Food Science and their application.
• Knowledge and understanding of ingredient functionality, product formulations, and food preparation.
• Experience with manufacturing equipment and systems, scale-up, and commercialization of new products.
• Understanding of food safety principles.
• Understanding of the impact of Federal Regulations upon different product categories (FDA, USDA, kosher, organic, various industry standards).
• Extensive experience managing multiple projects and rapidly shifting priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with, lead, and motivate direct reports and cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with MS Office and various nutrition databases (ESHA Genesis).
• Working knowledge of Sensory Analysis principles and application.
• Working knowledge of Culinary techniques and terminology.
• Working knowledge of packaging technology.

Base Salary Template Language (CA):

“The salary range is $ 114,100 to $ 159,700 annually. Starting salary will vary based on criteria such as location, experience, and qualifications. There may be flexibility for exceptional candidates.

What it is like at Albertsons?

Albertsons Culture Principles

Compassion: We always treat each other with kindness and respect

Team: We always support and recognize each other

Inclusive: We always value everyone’s perspective

Learning: We always strive to grow and develop ourselves and others

Competitive: We always act with integrity to win over the customer

Ownership: We always take actions to drive our success

Albertsons

Eclipse Foods is building the future of dairy using micelles (the microscopic magic of milk.) Eclipse has developed the world’s first plant-based dairy tech platform which makes plant-based products that are indistinguishable from conventional dairy. We are the team behind JUST Mayo, have chef’d/ staged at 16 Michelin stars, and are alt-protein experts. We’ve raised over $60M from leading investors such as Y Combinator, the chairman of Beyond Meat, the founder of Reddit, the creator of Gmail, a former Dreyer’s exec, various top-tier VCs, and more. Our mission is to create a more sustainable, healthy, and humane food system by making amazing plant-based foods that require no sacrifice.

Eclipse is seeking a Director of Product Development who will be instrumental in our quest to be the plant-based dairy brand that transforms the dairy sector for good. We are growing our product pipeline and ranks, and need a senior R&D leader to help us actualize our innovation agenda. This role will report directly to the Chief Technology Officer.

Who are we?

• We’re the next massive plant-based food company, revolutionizing the $500B dairy sector
• We’re on a mission to save our planet, our health, and animals by creating a solution to fix the food system
• We’re the people behind some of the best-selling plant-based products in the world (JUST mayo, for example)
• We’ve raised over $60M from renowned investors such as Y Combinator, the Chairman of Beyond Meat, the Founder of Reddit, Forerunner Ventures, Initialized Capital, Sozo Ventures, and more- all to achieve our audacious vision and mission
• We launched the first-ever dairy-free shake available at a national chain (Smashburger) and have partnered with some of the best chefs in the world, including Michael Tusk of Quince (3 Michelin stars) and Corey Lee of Benu (3 Michelin stars)
• We’re people of integrity. We do what we say we will do, we treat others right, we care deeply about those around us, and we put our hearts into our work.
• We are constantly hustling to get things done that need to get done. We all roll up our sleeves and “do the dishes”. We embody the spirit of a startup.
• Last, but not least, we are CREAMY. Our values are Communication, Respect, Ego-free, Attentive, Moral compass points north, and Yes we can attitude. If you embody all of these values, you’ll fit right in.

Who are you?

• 10+ years of progressive Commercialization and/or Product Development experience, preferably in the dairy and/or plant-based industries; 5+ years of product development in the food service channel; minimum of 2 years experience (ideally 4+ years) working with and/or manipulating functional proteins; minimum 8 years experience directly managing and developing people
• Degree(s) in food science, food engineering, microbiology, chemistry, or related field
• A relentless problem solver who views challenges as exciting learning opportunities
• You have worked with and have a solid understanding of functional ingredients and their interactions within a system
• You have an existing supplier and partner network to support the identification and qualification of manufacturing facilities to commercialize new products according to brand standards
• You seamlessly work cross-functionally to identify and execute product improvement and consistency through reformulations and maintenance initiatives
• You possess a solid understanding of innovations in the manufacturing process.
• You have strong planning, project management, and execution skills, and the ability to articulate where and how you have used them
• You demonstrate rigorous data-driven/analytical capability and ability and presence to present data effectively to a leadership team
• You monitor current and new technologies in the dairy and nondairy space; bonus if you have solid knowledge of fermentation, culturing, enzymatic reactions, and their uses within a system.
• You must be willing and able to occasionally work outside of regular business hours.
• You have strong business acumen with a demonstrated understanding of the financial aspects of product development.
• Support Marketing in the development of collateral marketing materials
• You are a player/ coach, able to lead your own development initiatives in the lab, pilot plant, and factory while also mentoring team members to support the growth of their capabilities
• You are curious, constantly seeking opportunities to improve, optimize, and innovate
• Exceptionally organized, with superior time management, and communication skills; ability to interact with and clearly present information to all levels of management and stakeholders
• You’re a great person, in and out of work. You practice humility, collaboration, proactivity, trustworthiness, kindness, organization, and diligence

What will you do?

• Lead and motivate R&D staff in the technical aspects of development and commercialization through the investigation, planning, pipeline execution, product and process improvements, troubleshooting projects, and cost savings
• Own product development process end-to-end, prioritizing and allocating work, building and tracking timelines, KPIs, and deadlines, and identifying resource gaps and constraints.
• Establish strategies and tactical plans for each product
• Manage the PD / R&D team, providing direction, feedback, and mentorship, and ensuring accountability and a high-performance culture while fostering a culture of creativity in innovation
• Validate new equipment, ingredients, products or processes through bench and pilot work.
• Scope new roles as needed, interview, and hire additional members to the PD / R&D teams, leveraging your network to source exceptional hires
• Ensure efficient and effective transition of product development programs to high-volume manufacturing
• Partner closely with Operations to understand all product costs and levers to improve innovation COGS
• Lead the identification and capture of intellectual property throughout the discovery, prototyping, and development process
• Partner with Quality to maintain benchmarking practices for the testing of our new products and competitive products with action plans to address any quality gaps
• Identify and scope new technologies to drive advancements in product costs, product quality, and margin improvements
• Model, build, and foster the culture, values, and mission of Eclipse

This is a full-time position with a hybrid work environment (remote permitted one day per week). Our headquarters and new R&D labs and pilot plant are located in Alameda, CA, and we offer free on-site parking, a 401K company match, flexible PTO, snacks, team lunch on Fridays, unlimited coffee/beverages, and more.

Annual base salary range: $130,000 – $180,000.

The above represents the expected annual salary for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining our salary ranges, we consider skills, location, experience, and other job-related factors, while balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company.

Candidates will be required to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon commencing employment. Reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis for exemptions to this requirement in accordance with applicable law.

Authorization to work in the U.S. is required; we do not provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Eclipse Foods is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our customers. We are deeply committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. 

Eclipse Foods

The Director of Product, Consumer will manage Curinos’s suite of products that serve consumer and retail bank clients. – Retail Deposit Optimizer helps some of the largest banks in the United States create and curate more profitable customer relationships through deposit products across over $5 trillion of balances under management by analyzing and identifying actionable next-steps for their product and pricing offers across retail deposit accounts.

• Retail Deposit Analyzer provides industry benchmarks and a clear view of market trend to financial institutions to help them intelligently track their portfolios in relation to the market.
• Unsecured Lenders Benchmark delivers competitive intelligence that allows lenders to assess their unsecured lending performance in relation to the market in near real time against 42 of the top 50 lenders in the United States
• Consumer Lending Pricing Data allows our clients to compare their price position against their competitors in the consumer lending space, with pricing data sourced through trusted channels and client data contribution.
• Finally, Retail Deposit Pricing Data gives Curinos clients access to deposit data from over 3,600 financial institutions, providing their teams with the real-time market intelligence they need to make better product and pricing decisions.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a seasoned Director of Product Management to guide and execute on the strategic direction for our portfolio of Consumer banking products and data offerings.

This Director of Product Management will be responsible for creating the cross-product strategy and roadmaps that meet the Consumer business needs. This role is a mix of individual contributor work and direct management of one Product Manager and product pod from day one.

You will:

• Use your understanding of the market and its needs, through direct engagement with financial institution clients, to identify opportunities and requirements;
• Create impact-driven, not feature-focused, roadmaps that solve customer and client problems, enabling the business to meet its objectives.
• Develop a holistic and exhaustive understanding of our products’ infrastructures and capabilities.
• Manage multi-layered stakeholder relationships across Engineering, business unit leaders, data architects, and other Product team members.

Key Responsibilities:

• Evaluate market trends, the competitive landscape, and emerging technologies to manage the tradeoff between investment across operational efficiency, tech debt, and new features
• Analyze user data and industry or competitor research to identify trends and insights that will facilitate product success
• Partner with our Consumer business unit to create, manage, and communicate an inspiring product vision and impact-focused roadmap for our suite of Consumer banking products;
• Contribute to commercial activity, such as providing strategic input into client pitch-work and RFP responses, or participating in industry & product conferences or webinars;
• Run and directly participate in the daily operations of a high-performing Product Pod, including writing user stories with support from your Engineering Manager and UX Designer, planning sprints, and delivering measurable value to our clients;
• Manage a Product Manager, providing leadership, training, and career guidance.

Base Salary Range: $160,000 – $200,000 plus bonus.

Qualifications

Desired background and skills include:

• At least 6 years of software Product Management experience with demonstrated career progression and business-moving product impact and a focus on B2B or B2B2C SaaS solutions.
• ·At least 2 years of experience in retail banking or serving the retail banking industry, with a preference for consumer deposit experience.
• Demonstrated experience as a Senior Product Manager or higher working in enterprise and B2B software as a user-centric product manager with a consistent record of multi-workstream management and effective delivery in an Agile environment.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic product roadmaps, including competitive analysis, financial modeling, customer feedback and solution ideation.
• Demonstrated experience understanding and communicating nuanced ideas to variety of audiences (including high-level client stakeholders and internal technical and non-technical stakeholders) and orienting them to a business strategy.
• Demonstrated experience managing, mentoring, and leading product managers and indirectly leading teams of software engineers, user experience designers, and technical individual contributors.

Additional Information

Why work at Curinos?

• Competitive benefits, including a range of Financial, Health and Lifestyle benefits to choose from

• Flexible working options, including home working, flexible hours and part time options, depending on the role requirements – please ask!

• Competitive annual leave, floating holidays, volunteering days and a day off for your birthday!

• Learning and development tools to assist with your career development

• Work with industry leading Subject Matter Experts and specialist products

• Regular social events and networking opportunities

• Collaborative, supportive culture, including an active DE&I program

• Employee Assistance Program which provides expert third-party advice on wellbeing, relationships, legal and financial matters, as well as access to counselling services

Applying:

We know that sometimes the ‘perfect candidate’ doesn’t exist, and that people can be put off applying for a job if they don’t meet all the requirements. If you’re excited about working for us and have relevant skills or experience, please go ahead and apply. You could be just what we need!

If you need any adjustments to support your application, such as information in alternative formats, special requirements to access our buildings or adjusted interview formats please contact us at [email protected] and we’ll do everything we can to help.

Inclusivity at Curinos:

We believe strongly in the value of diversity and creating supportive, inclusive environments where our colleagues can succeed. As such, Curinosis proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other protected characteristics

Curinos

Are you someone who thrives on fostering growth through strategic marketing efforts? PPAI is currently seeking a dynamic Director of Marketing to guide our efforts to elevate the promotional products industry. We are looking for a hands-on leader who can inspire, motivate, and develop marketing strategies while developing the talent of the marketing managers, designers, and videographers on this team.

PPAI is the trade association for the 25.5 billion dollar Promotional Products Industry and has roughly 15,000 member organizations representing hundreds of thousands of employees. We are best known for the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas which ranks as the 60th largest tradeshow in the United States. But PPAI is much more than a tradeshow, we provide education events, certification, compliance guidance, corporate responsibility guidance, software solutions, and so much more to each of our members. This is a great chance to help not only grow the success of the team of people working with you, but the success of an entire industry.

Qualifications:

• At least 3 years owning the marketing function at a company (VP of Marketing, Marketing Director, or similar senior marketing leadership)
• 3+ years of experience leading and managing a team.
• High level success in digital marketing and partner/channel marketing
• Experience steering substantial marketing budgets and executing digital targeting tactics
• Proficiency with digital marketing strategies including SEO, PPC, Email Marketing, social media, and Content Marketing
• Analytical aptitude encompassing market research and marketing analytics
• Adept with CRM tools and marketing automation platforms

Responsibilities:

• Overseeing, developing and executing marketing plans that engage customers
• Effective management of a substantial marketing budget
• Successfully leveraging multi-channel marketing approaches to ensure members are informed and engaged
• Being a part of the leadership team of PPAI contributing to the overall success of the organization

What we offer:

• A fun and inclusive work environment where innovation is celebrated along with hard work.
• A comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, paid time off, and more.
• A dynamic and fast-paced work environment. Seriously dynamic.

PPAI – Promotional Products Association International

***Market Representation Manager***

***Hybrid in Houston, TX***

About the role:

The Manager, Market Representation, under the leadership of the Senior Manager, Market Representation, will support the Market Representation and Dealer Development goal of continued and consistent development of a strong dealer network. The Manager will manage 1) market representation actions and 2) Companys’ Dealer Agreements. The Manager also will take action to enhance cross- functional coordination and expand internal communications.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluate and manage and dealership transactions, including: ownership changes, buy/sell agreements, renewals of franchise agreements, management changes, letters of intent (LOIs), open points, d/b/a changes, relocations, URL changes, facility actions, and any and all actions that affect Companys’ Dealer Agreements to ensure compliance with Companys’ policies and procedures.
• Serve as key point-of-contact for assigned Market Representation actions.
• Analyze LLC agreements, operating agreements, by-laws, partnership agreements and other corporate governance and legal documents.
• Interpret and apply Market Representation policies.
• Draft formal written summaries outlining complex transactions for management and review.
• Review dealership and holding company financial statements for policy compliance.
• Coordinate with Area General Managers and District Teams to develop individual dealer action plans to correct compliance deficiencies.
• Provide excellent partnership to the dealer network, and field team associates.
• Analyze and monitor dealer performance.
• Responsibly receive, transmit, and handle sensitive documents and data per applicable data privacy policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education and Experience requirements: Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university; or five to eight years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Automotive, contract management, corporate governance and/or franchise administration experience preferred.
• Knowledge of basic accounting and financial practices.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills including consultative, ability to influence, managing conflict and verbal and written communication.
• Critical thinking, Business acumen and Analytical ability
• Organization and attention to detail.
• Contract and document management.

Vaco

Role: Sr. Product Manager

Site: Austin, TX (Mostly Remote)

Duration: 1 year (Possibility of extension or conversion)

Skills:

– Agile development practices and Product Owner responsibilities.

– Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)

– Strong experience in defining requirements for front end web experiences.

Job Responsibilities

* Develops a strategic vision, objectives, and KBIs for a digital product, platform, channel, or feature; evaluates the viability and value of digital product solutions.

* Identifies and anticipates client needs based on research.

* Leads 12-month product roadmap and release plan development in collaboration with the scrum team and partner teams; synchronizes work and makes prioritization/trade-off decisions

* Creates stakeholder engagement strategy for internal and external networks; captures stakeholder concerns and dependencies and implements refinements to the overall roadmap

* Manages risk strategies and quality.

* Identifies client and firm impacts. Develops controls and tests them.

* Design and implement both maintenance enhancements and high priority projects related to experiences across all platforms.

* Specific product leadership across our web and mobile experiences, including executing against roadmap, managing sequencing and prioritization of product backlogs, and driving to product delivery.

* Applies advance knowledge of product/domain across channels to facilitate requirements gathering activities, define the client experience target state, defines requirements, manage relationships, and supports the facilitation of project planning and execution.

* Developing Agile user stories for the account summary product development team.

* Fulfilling the product owner role in daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning sessions, and product demos.

* May conduct post implementation support; ie.. resolving defect tickets, evaluating performance, monitoring dashboards, evaluating progress, and refining metrics as needed.

* Providing regular and concise updates to management team.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Drives new product launches and schedules starting from the Business Contract (BC) stage of the development process through Ready to Ship (RTS) for a successful worldwide launch.
• Manages and supports products through their entire life cycle, and makes decisions regarding enhancements throughout the lifecycle until product End of Life (EOL).
• Directly interacts with cross-functional teams Leads business case for enhancements or new products Leads requirements gathering and management; provides advanced interpretation and recommendations
• SME for external and internal product events

Apex Systems

Our client, is a known toy company looking for an Ecommerce Manager to join their team!

$54-57/hr DOE

6+ month contract (full time hours)

Hybrid – 3 days onsite

Located in El Segundo, CA

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Drive sales and conversion the website by leveraging digital merchandising best practices.
• Partner with Global Brand Teams across Dolls to identify merchandising strategies for key products, marketing messages, and on-site experiences to support the brand, retail partners and direct-to-consumer sales.
• Develop promotional calendar and marketing plans to drive traffic, revenue and conversion growth.
• Partner with cross functional teams to coordinate assets and content to facilitate new item setup, launch new products and promotional campaigns on the site.
• Utilize web analytics tools to evaluate site performance and develop data driven business strategies that drive improvements in Key Performance Indicators (KPIs.).
• Analyze KPI’s and metrics to identify trends and recommend activity to generate sales growth and maximize conversion rates.
• Support recurring reporting, translating insights to actions.
• Implement appropriate strategies to improve online user experience and drive financial performance including recommendations for updates and enhancements.
• Build and optimize an outstanding customer experience across the purchase funnel to minimize friction points and drive toward conversion and repurchase.
• Have a focus on process development and process improvement to drive efficiencies.
• Work closely with global teams for a global consistent approach to the sites across the world.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in digital business arena preferably from a toy, retail or consumer products company.
• Prior work experience in ecommerce-related marketing and/or merchandising, including working with multi-disciplinary cross-functional teams is required.
• Product merchandising and conversion optimization experience a must.
• Strong history of utilizing data, analytics and insights to drive business decisions.
• Experience leading, communicating, and aligning in a complex environment across multiple constituencies.
• Demonstrated strategic business planning and management skills.
• Experience with product marketing, especially personalized/customized product a plus.
• Experience working with EMEA / LATAM a plus.
• Excellent written/verbal, time management and quantitative/analytical skills required.

24 Seven Talent

Company Description

BLOCK+TACKLE is a consulting firm in Atlanta, GA, dedicated to providing predictive problem solving services to help clients create superior consumer experiences. The company specializes in areas such as Ecosystem Architecture, Marketing Science, Consumer Strategy and Experience Operations to provide clients with the necessary resources to meet their workflow requirements. The team consists of digital marketing solution experts who are dedicated to bringing brilliant creative to life that produces results.

Role Description

This is a full-time hybrid role for a Product Manager with Block + Tackle. The Product Manager will be responsible for working closely with team members to develop product roadmaps, create functional specifications, and prioritize features. The Product Manager will also be responsible for conducting market research, analyzing competitors, defining user stories, and monitoring market trends. While the role will primarily be based in Atlanta, GA, some remote work is available.

Qualifications

• Expertise in Product Management, with 3+ years of relevant experience
• Experience with Agile methodologies, including Scrum and Kanban
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work effectively with teams, stakeholders, clients, and executives
• Experience with project management tools (e.g. JIRA, Asana, Trello)
• Comfortable with conducting market research and analysis of competitors
• Well-versed in web technologies, UI/UX design, and software development processes
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• MBA or other relevant graduate degree is a plus

Block + Tackle

Overview

The Manager, Category will be responsible for P&L management, strategic planning, day-to-day business management & keeping the organization informed of updates to product and business strategy.

Key Tasks:

• Drive category growth in terms of revenue, market share, and global expansion. Develop 3-5 year product strategy.
• Curate line plan driven by consumer, market and retailer insights capitalizing on specific needs and white space opportunities
• Lead kick offs with design team to present product needs and design recommendations based on detailed analysis of past performance, business objectives, and evaluation of market trends and opportunities
• Develop Channel Strategy within the line plan that aligns with retailer and business needs
• Ensure products align with brand and marketing experience
• Lead creation of sell in strategy including product reason for being, merchandising recommendations, competitive advantages, market point of view and differentiation
• Present new products to key retailers and support Sales in preparation of pitch decks, product overviews and sell sheets outlining the unique selling proposition
• Monitor financial performance for assigned category including revenue tracking, margin and profitability review, and ROS analysis
• Lead market and competitive research analysis and provide updates to design and cross functional teams as necessary
• Work with design, engineering and procurement teams in achieving margin goals, FOB (cost), and quarterly launch calendar
• Establish MSRP pricing, evaluate margins and adjust product / packaging / pricing as needed to achieve target financials
• Seek cost reduction opportunities to increase margin; work with engineering, design and supply chain to implement changes
• Collaborate on packaging strategy including copy, graphics, content, and hierarchy of call outs; Create packaging brief to guide packaging team on desired design
• Collaborate on design brief to initiate marketing, video, photography, or other creative functions on project requests to bring the story to life
• Host cross functional meetings to align on strategy, present new product opportunities, product updates and merchandising plans by retailer, brand and launch quarter
• Initiate requests for research and collaborate on research plan and execution of insights
• Lead cross functional product development team to successfully commercialize products and meet financial goals
• Online product reviews – identify items to feature in seeded reviews and influencer outreach and develop action plans for low rated items
• Perform analysis for SKU rationalization and productivity at the item level and make a recommendation on go-forward plan
• Participate in S&OP process to ensure smooth product transitions, minimize inventory exposure and ensure high order fill rates.
• Sales call, trade show and global showroom support
• New Hire Training/onboarding

MUST HAVE:

• 5+ years of experience in Category Line and Business Management with a CPG company is required
• Must have general knowledge of manufacturing materials, product development processes and costs in a CPG environment.
• Familiarity with the online and brick & mortar retail landscape is strongly preferred.
• Prior experience managing the product P&L is required.

Education & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in business management, finance or other related field or equivalent work experience is required.
• Ability to execute and excel in high-paced organization
• Ability to deal with changing environments, tight timelines and multiple priorities
• Outstanding oral and presentation-based communication skills
• Must be proficient in PowerPoint, Excel and Word

Confidential