Senior Category Marketing Manager

Graco manufactures and markets premium equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray a wide variety of fluid and powder materials. What does that mean? Well, we pump peanut butter into your jar, and the oil in your car. We glue the soles of your shoes, the glass in your windows and the screen on your phone. We spray the finish on your vehicle, coatings on your pills, the paint on your house and texture on your walls. Graco is part of your daily life.

The Senior Category Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and executing growth marketing and go-to-market strategies for the assigned categories. This role requires the ability to dive deep into the industries assigned to develop a strong voice of customer (VOC) and strategic marketing plans to drive growth and develop a 5-year strategic plan for the assigned category. The Senior Category Marketing Manager is responsible for formulating and executing integrated strategic marketing plans to achieve market growth through brand awareness, demand generation campaigns and sales and channel partner enablement. The Senior Category Marketing Manager must be an orchestrator, ensuring all relevant groups collaborate on and execute a shared go-to-market strategy. This role may involve mentoring more junior team members.

What You Will Do at Graco

Strategic Marketing and Execution

• Develop a 5-year category roadmap for assigned areas aligning with the division’s global strategy and market trends.

• Perform market research (primary & secondary) on assigned category to understand market dynamics, customer needs, and competitive landscape to identify what opportunities, challenges, and dynamics exist for the organization and its individual products.

• Create and implement comprehensive, global category marketing strategies and go-to-market plans that align with divisional goals and measure KPIs against performance goals.

• Identify target customers within the vertical/category and assess their potential value, determine wallet size potential, and prioritize marketing efforts accordingly. Champion demand generation strategies and provide them to sales team for execution.

• Foster customer loyalty, satisfaction, retention and growth through customer marketing and advocacy.

• Apply technology and data to increase market reach, grow demand and streamline processes to make more informed decisions.

• Track and report on KPIs while providing insights and recommendations to improve results.

Product Brand and Launch

• Define and manage product branding strategies to ensure consistency and alignment with company values and brand identity.

• Responsible for planning and managing product launches globally in concert with other functions including product management, channel marketing and corporate marketing.

• Develop quantifiable value proposition, messaging and positioning that resonate with target market and buyer persona.

• Collaborate with channel marketing and corporate marketing in the creation of thought leadership, portfolio content, sales tools, integrated campaigns and advertising.

• Determine the need for product-related events, such as trade shows, webinars, and industry conferences.

• Develop compelling marketing messages for all marketing products and presentations, and other promotional materials in alignment with channel marketing.

• Collaborate with sales and operations teams to develop accurate product forecasts and inform inventory management and production planning process.

• Name products within the established brand guidelines, ensuring alignment with brand values, market positioning, and target audience preferences.

• Create and maintain a global messaging document to ensure consistency in messaging.

Customer and Competitive Market Research

• Conduct and analyze VOC insights to inform marketing strategies and develop market segmentation to define the buyer journey map for target personas.

• Analyze VOC data to understand the customer's needs, preferences and pain points, and incorporate insights into marketing strategies.

• Gather and analyze global customer feedback, market data and industry trends to identify customer needs and product opportunities.

• Use research insights to inform product strategies, optimize marketing efforts and maintain a competitive edge.

• Continuously optimize marketing efforts based on performance metrics, customer feedback and market trends.

• Coordinate with Engineering to conduct interviews to gather feedback and insights.

• Conduct comprehensive competitive analysis to identify market trends, assess competitor strategies, and identify opportunities for differentiation.

• Define the solution alternatives that exist for buyers, both direct competitors and those in adjacent spaces, assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each and points of differentiation.

• Define clear and detailed product requirements and create customer requirement document (CRD)based on market research, customer feedback, monetary value and technical requirements.

• Identify and articulate unique value proposition of the product, highlighting key benefits and advantages for customers.

• Gather customer testimonials and feedback and align with channel marketing and corporate marketing to incorporate insights into marketing materials.

• Conduct market pricing analysis to determine competitive pricing strategies and optimize product positioning in the market.

What You Will Bring to Graco

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.

• 5+ years of experience in marketing, with success in vertical-specific and market development strategies.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively create, plan and implement marketing programs and strategies.

• Ability to effectively manage and communicate with a wide range of stakeholders, including executive leadership, partners, and customers.

• Team collaborator with demonstrated experience working in multi-functional and global teams.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret and analyze VOC insights.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with experience reporting to senior leadership.

• Ability to travel approximately 25% of time, both domestic and international.

Accelerators

• Global industrial manufacturing experience and knowledge.

• Fluid and material management equipment product development knowledge.

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree.

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Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship now or in the future (e.g., H-1B, TN, F-1 OPT).

At Graco, you truly make a difference. Your unique talents contribute to our organizational growth and future. Not only do you make a difference, but Graco’s culture empowers employees to create their own career path. Whether you choose to advance within your current department or explore new opportunities in different divisions, you have the ability to build your future. Our managers are here to provide support and guidance as you continue to grow within your career.

Graco has excellent opportunities available to individuals who want to be part of a fast-moving, growing company that is committed to quality, innovation and solving fluid handling problems for our customers. Graco is proud to be named a Best Place to Work by Fortune Magazine in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 & 2022. Graco offers attractive compensation, benefits and career development opportunities. Graco’s comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, stock purchase plan, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more.

Our company uses E-Verify to confirm the employment and eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.

The base pay range for this position is listed below, exclusive of fringe benefits or other compensation.  If you are hired, your final base hourly rate will be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, competencies, education, and/or experience.  In addition to those factors, we will also consider internal equity of our current employees.  Please keep in mind that the range provided is the full base salary range for the role.  Hiring at or near the maximum of the range would not be typical to allow for future and continued salary growth.