Consumer Product Category Manager

Bridgestone; Zaventem; Hybrid; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Onboarding support

Mentorship program

CSR activities

Global work environment

Work-life balance

Diverse and inclusive team

Job summary

Bridgestone seeks a Consumer Product Category Manager to own the strategy, portfolio, and commercial performance of a tyre category from launch through end-of-life. The role collaborates with R&D, Engineering and Supply Chain to deliver product roadmaps and successful launches.

You will monitor performance metrics, identify gaps and opportunities, and partner with Pricing and Sales for competitive positioning. A strong English capability and cross-functional collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
• Experience in product/category management, commercial or marketing, preferably in tyres/automotive or a complex technical product.
• Experience managing portfolios and product lifecycles.
• Strong commercial and analytical capability.
• Ability to translate market and customer needs into product strategy.
• Ability to work across technical, commercial and corporate functions.
• High level of English; other European language is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own and develop the strategy, portfolio and commercial performance of an assigned tyre category.
• Develop the category strategy and medium- to long-term product roadmap.
• Identify portfolio gaps, opportunities and areas for rationalisation.
• Own the category portfolio from launch through to replacement and end-of-life.
• Monitor category volume, revenue, margin, mix and market share, and identify actions to improve profitability.
• Partner with Pricing and Sales to ensure competitive positioning and support planning.

Skills

Product management

Marketing experience

English proficiency

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree

Job description

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Consumer Product Category Manager

POSITION SNAPSHOT

Type of work: Hybrid

Type of contract: Open-ended/permanent

Full/Part Time: Full time

Location: Zaventem, BE Warszawa, PL Madrid, ES GB-GB03, GB Frankfurt am Main, DE

ABOUT US

Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM), headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and Bridgestone Europe, Middle East and Africa (BSEMEA), headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, operate collectively as a “Bridgestone West” strategic region. This region services the strategic business needs of teams across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. BSAM and BSEMEA are subsidiaries of Bridgestone Corporation, globally headquartered in Japan. Bridgestone and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand products and solutions to address the needs of a broad range of customers and industries.

ABOUT THE ROLE

About the Role

Own and develop the strategy, portfolio and commercial performance of an assigned tyre category, ensuring Bridgestone has the right products, positioning and roadmap to meet market and customer needs while securing the financial viability of the business.

Develop the category strategy and medium- to long-term product roadmap, identifying market, customer, vehicle and competitor trends and translating them into product priorities.

Identify portfolio gaps, opportunities and areas for rationalisation.

Own the category portfolio from launch through to replacement and end-of-life, defining product positioning, role, target customer and market coverage.

Optimise range, fitments and SKU complexity while balancing customer needs, availability and profitability, and recommend new products, sizes, technologies and product withdrawals.

Represent the commercial and market voice in product development and investment decisions, defining market and customer requirements and supporting business cases.

Partner with R&D, Engineering and Supply Chain to deliver the product roadmap and lead the product input for successful launches, including positioning, readiness and Sales support.

Monitor category volume, revenue, margin, mix and market share, and identify actions to improve category profitability and commercial performance.

Partner with Pricing and Sales to ensure competitive and value-based positioning, and support annual planning, forecasting and long-range business planning.

Maintain a clear view of competitor products, technologies, pricing and propositions, translating complex market, technical and commercial information into clear recommendations.

Act as the category expert for Sales, Marketing and senior stakeholders, and lead cross-functional initiatives without direct line authority.

Qualifications & Experience Required

Education, Master, other certification:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.

Experience:

• Product/category management, commercial or marketing experience, ideally within tyres, automotive or another complex technical product environment.
• Experience managing portfolios and product lifecycles.

Technical Skills:

• Strong commercial and analytical capability.
• Ability to translate market and customer needs into product strategy.
• Experience managing product portfolios and lifecycles.
• Ability to work across technical, commercial and corporate functions.

Languages Skills:

• High level of competency in English is required.
• Fluency in another European language is considered a plus.

Soft/Behavioral Skills:

• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Ability to translate complex information into clear recommendations.
• Comfortable working across technical, commercial and corporate functions.
• Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives without direct line authority.

#LI-LV1

WHAT WE OFFER

At Bridgestone, what really matter is to foster co-creation opportunities and empowering you to be creative and curious to make mobility safer, more efficient, and more sustainable for future generations. Whatever role you fill, when you represent Bridgestone, you are a valued teammate, and part of our larger mission to “Serve Society with Superior Quality”, for that, we offer you more than just a competitive payment; we will provide you:

• A supportive and engaging onboarding experience to ensure a smooth transition into our team.
• The opportunity to develop and grow, through training and regular mentorship.
• Corporate Social Responsibility activities.
• A truly global, dynamic and challenging work environment.
• Agility and work/life effectiveness and your long-term well-being.
• A diverse and inclusive team.

We are committed to create an even more inclusive culture that advances equity, embraces individuality, and helps our increasingly diverse teammates, customers, and communities thrive, by providing equal opportunities in employment. This means that all job applicants and members of staff will receive equal treatment and that we will not discriminate on grounds of gender, marital status, race, ethnicity, color, nationality, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.