Product Marketing Manager - Doors, Machine Guarding & Zoneworks

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

This position is responsible for leading all product marketing efforts for the Doors, Machine Guarding and Zoneworks portfolio as part of Rite-Hite’s Interior Solutions Group.  This includes generating customer and market insights and creating a multi-year marketing strategy and marketing plan across multiple product lines as well as assisting product management to develop winning product roadmaps.  This role will identify and drive opportunities for profitable growth with quality, on-time new product launches and for customer loyalty across the lifecycle of installed base products.  This role is measured on key performance indicators such as orders, price realization, share gain, customer retention, marketing ROI, utilization of marketing assets, etc.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

Customer Focus

• Creates and executes an annual customer insight plan in partnership with the insights and operational excellence shared marketing services team to discover unmet needs and utilization trends, validate product concepts, test value propositions and inform pricing decisions
• Leads a regular sales and service advisory board to ensure the voice of teams closest to the customer is incorporated into the marketing strategy, plans and tools
• Helps to capture insights by actively and regularly participating in customer experience center visits
• Defines continuous enhancements to the customer experience and incorporates into the marketing plan
• Helps test ideas as part of the standard Rite-Hite innovation process to build a set of high value concepts for product management

Market and Business Insights

• In collaboration with the shared marketing services team and via analysis, research and problem solving, identifies and continuously drives insights from key external and internal data and trends (e.g., market and industry growth / headwinds / tailwinds, visibility, win/loss, strategic account performance, Salesforce, sales tool utilization, demand generation activities, marketing ROI) for a given product line to strengthen business investments and marketing impact

Marketing Strategy

• From insights and aligned with the product management priorities and roadmap, creates the marketing strategy for a product line to drive profitable growth (demand generation, funnel acceleration, share gain, price realization)
• Provides a market-backed pricing view to the product manager to help inform the final pricing decision; in concert with the shared marketing services team conducts external pricing research studies; monitors pricing trends and leads problem solving workstreams to improve price realization
• In collaboration with the distribution and business development teams and product management, leads the definition of the commercial strategy including commercial risk assessment, target customer segments and sales channels

Product Marketing

• Aligned with the defined marketing strategy and starting pre-Phase 0 of the new product development process, creates annual and multi-year marketing plans supporting product launches and lifecycle that include branding, value proposition, product and competitive positioning, messaging platform, evidence generation, sales enablement tools and training and demand generation
• Owns the development of a relevant, credible and unique value proposition to drive customer delight and profitable growth.
• Incorporates competitive analysis from engineering teardowns, war-gaming sessions and product management input.
• Works with the shared marketing services team and external agencies to develop the messaging platform and positioning; drives a strategic and practical competitive positioning analysis to develop a prescriptive and highly utilized toolset for the commercial team.
• Works with the shared marketing services team to define the optimum marketing mix (awareness, lead generation/nurturing) and activities (digital, website, SEO, PPC, E-mail, media, print, tradeshow, content marketing, etc.) to maximize the business return on investment
• Coordinates the development of high quality, consistent and customer-focused marketing assets working closely with the shared marketing services and product management teams to ensure high utilization
• Identifies budget requirements and creative approaches to ensure execution of the marketing plan; owns a marketing budget and accountable to meet target and optimize spend
• Defines the branding requirements for a given product line (naming, trademarks, etc.)
• Drives execution of the annual marketing plan aligned with the product management timeline
• Collaborate with product management and distribution and helps provide product training

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business or similar required.
• 7+ years related experience in product marketing, product management or related field.
• Or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• B2B product marketing experience across the complete lifecycle preferred.   

KNOWLEDGE / SKILL REQUIREMENTS

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Expertise in Upstream / Strategic Product Marketing - gathering insights from voice of customer as well as market analysis, creating value propositions and using them to influence product & experience improvements
• Experience working within a stage-gate product development process, collaborating with cross-functional teams including sales & product management
• Demonstrated experience developing and measuring high impact marketing programs
• Strong analytical, decision-making and problem-solving skills; leads formal problem-solving activities (problem definition, data/pareto analysis, root cause, solutioning and measures) for key marketing metrics
• Demonstrated experience developing and measuring high impact marketing programs.
• Must be able to plan, organize and prioritize work to meet deadlines.
• Up to 20% travel may be required.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• This role does not have direct reports.

N/A

Rite-Hite is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of industrial loading dock and door equipment.  Our innovative products and world class sales organization ensure solid, consistent growth, both for our company and our staff.  We are always looking ahead to develop innovative new products and services to improve our customers' safety, security, and productivity.

Rite-Hite provides competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package with medical, dental, and vision coverage along with life and paid medical leave. We also provide a retirement savings plan that combines 401(K) with company match and profit sharing. Paid holidays, vacation, and up to five paid personal/sick days per year round out the package.

Rite-Hite is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer offering a drug free workplace for our customers and employees.