Vice President, Product Management

The Vice President of Product Management is responsible for the Cleaners segment strategy and end-to-end profitability and has P&L ownership of the Cleaners segment. This position identifies profitable growth opportunities, complexity and cost reduction levers and sets the segment’s long-term strategy and roadmap to create sustainable competitive advantage and profitable growth at 10%+ CAGR or 3X market growth (whichever is greater). In order to do this, this individual will work cross functionally across multiple organizations such as Sales, Marketing, R&D, Manufacturing & Supply Chain in order to gain a deep understanding of user & market insights, STEEP factors, operational capability, innovation & technology pipelines, channel dynamics, and competitive dynamics.

The Vice President of Product Management manages a team focused on the Cleaners business including Product Management, Product Operations and Strategic Project Management. She/he reports into the Executive Vice President of Product Management.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Platform P&L ownership

• P&L ownership of the segment, balancing cost and growth opportunities to achieve profitability and growth targets
• Identification of profitable growth opportunities, complexity and cost reduction levers for the segment from an end-to-end perspective involving all relevant leaders across the company to drive impact and success for the segment (incl. Operations, Supply Chain, Sales and Marketing)
• Utilization of a data-driven approach towards decision making, leveraging datasets spanning consumer insights, market data, service levels, sales data, and more

Segment strategy, innovation, and new product introductions

• Develop a competitive segment strategy following strategic frameworks and processes as part of the company’s Strategic Portfolio Review and Planning process
• Develop deep understanding of the target audiences to ensure that new products and services solve real user problems
• Design, execute, and track success of the strategic initiatives of the segment, including go-to-market strategy, brand and value proposition, demand generation strategy, operational and supply chain strategy, and pricing and promotional strategy
• Innovation pipeline management to meet user needs, optimize portfolio mix, better serve our customers, and grow the segment
• Responsibility over managing new product launches, including working closely with R&D to ensure end user needs are met, executing a launch marketing and sales strategy, and quantifying success of initiatives
• Share best practices, identifying opportunities to drive synergy and scale across the business together with the wider Product Management team

People Management

• Build and manage a high-performing, self-directed Product Development team
• Coach and mentor staff, ensure employee development and retention, maintain a positive employee relations environment

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of relevant Product Management or Brand Management experience in the Cleaning category; deep understanding of industrial/professional/consumer cleaning markets and manufacturing
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business, Marketing, or Engineering, with an MBA being an advantage
• Profitability and growth orientation; confidence to support strategic direction when challenged by cross functional departments; willingness and mindset to get into details
• Strong financial skills utilizing the required analytical tools to make sound, profitable decisions driving specific action plans and programs
• Entrepreneurial mindset to quickly capitalize on market opportunities with an innate desire to build businesses and keep happy users & customers
• Analytic and strategic thinking skills, with ability to digest complex information and make data-driven decisions
• Passionate problem solver and creative thinker, with ability to pitch new ideas and be open to feedback
• Dynamic and agile: Ability to think in a creative and strategic way, but are adept at delivering operationally to ensure tasks are followed through to completion. Ability to work efficiently and flexibly to deliver results
• Experience managing large teams in product development organizations with strong technical leadership capabilities to develop a high performing team
• Insights-driven with the ability to take a spark of an idea and translate it to an unmet user need and/or market opportunity
• Leader with the ability to exert formal and informal influence across functions
• Strong decision making and prioritization skills, especially when multiple trade-offs are involved, and faster decision are required

LEADERSHIP TRAITS

• Strategic Planning: Is proactive, forward-looking and can anticipate trends. Has vision and can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
• Change Management: Ability to adapt to change, anticipate future needs, is flexible, overcomes resistance to change, and demonstrates managerial courage.
• Problem Solving: Is able to understand and evaluate complex issues and devise and implement successful solutions. Is focused on results, can see hidden problems, and takes logical approach and probes fruitful sources for answers. Is proactive and decisive in nature.
• Communication: Has effective verbal communication and presentation skills, has effective writing abilities (clear and succinct), had executive presence, has active listening abilities, and can convey important or critical messages that have the desired effect.
• Collaboration: Identifies opportunities for shared resources, seeks partnerships, is a team player, and involves others. Builds commitment, fosters open dialogue, and supports diversity and input from all team members. Is open minded and transparent.
• Decision Making: Uses critical thinking skills, has a track record of making high quality decisions, does not hesitate when making decision, is confident, and is action oriented.
• Developing Others: Coaches others and nurtures emerging leaders. Is a keen listener, provides challenging/stretch assignments, encourages development, confronts and deals with performance issues effectively and delegates tasks effectively in order to develop others.
• Judgment: Adopts strategic, analytical and carefully weighted decision-making process in the evaluations of alternative scenarios.
• Financial Acumen: Has demonstrated financial acumen, can successfully budget and forecast, and understands cost implications of decisions.
• Integrity & Commitment: Demonstrates integrity, has commitment, shows moral courage, demonstrates emotional intelligence, is values-driven, respects the Company culture, and demonstrates responsible entrepreneurship. Has a can-do attitude and the desire to go above and beyond.

Rust-Oleum is an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, or any other protected class.