Consumer Product Category Manager

Bridgestone EMEA; Frankfurt; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Onboarding program

Mentorship program

CSR activities

Global work environment

Work-life balance

Diversity & inclusion

Job summary

Bridgestone EMEA is seeking a Category Manager to own and develop the strategy, portfolio, and commercial performance for an assigned tyre category. You will define product priorities, optimize ranges, and partner with R&D, Engineering and Supply Chain to deliver launches and support sales.

You will monitor profitability, market share and pricing, while collaborating across technical, commercial and corporate functions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in business, engineering or related field.
• Experience in product/category management, ideally in tyres or automotive sectors.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Own and develop the category strategy, portfolio and roadmap.
• Collaborate with R&D, Engineering and Supply Chain to deliver the product roadmap.
• Monitor category profitability, revenue and market share, and identify improvement actions.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and represent the market voice in business cases.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Product portfolio management

Market insight

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree

Job description

POSITION SNAPSHOT

JobReq ID: 55793

Type of work: Hybrid

Type of contract: Open-ended/permanent

Full/Part Time: Full time

Salary Range:

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

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.

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.