Category Team Manager- Jasper, IN

Kimball International; Jasper (IN); On-site; USD 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A furniture manufacturing company located in Jasper, IN, seeks a leader to manage and mentor the Product Team. This role involves overseeing product development projects, collaborating with marketing teams, and ensuring successful commercialization of new products. The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years of experience in the furniture industry and strong leadership skills. The position is based on-site at our headquarters, with a focus on driving profitability and innovation in product categories.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years experience working in the furniture industry, preferred.
• Experience successfully managing and/or working with a cross functional team of individuals.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred or sufficient work experience.
• Familiarity with PDP process and product development lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Manage, coach, and mentor Category Manager(s) and/or Product Specialists.
• Partner with the Director of Product Strategy on product roadmap planning.
• Lead cross functional teams in the execution of product development projects.
• Ensure product development projects meet margin expectations.
• Collaborate with internal and/or external design firms for new product development.
• Collaborate with brand marketing onnew product launches and ongoing activities to grow sales.
• Own overall category margin and commercial performance.
• Lead cross-functional teams through product development processes.
• Partner with engineering, sourcing, operations, insights and design on projects.
• Provide competitive intelligence to sales teams on product categories.
• Establish pricing recommendations and sales forecasts.
• Ensure regulatory and safety guidelines are followed in PDP processes.
• Develop training materials with Training Manager and Brand Marketing.
• Participate in product presentations to customers and internal teams.
• Manage project budgets and travel as needed.

Skills

Self-motivated

Exceptional organizational skills

People Skills

Ability to communicate effectively

Trust-worthy

Leadership by example

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred or sufficient work experience

3-5 years experience in the furniture industry preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office applications

Job description

The ideal candidate will be located near Jasper, IN and work primarily from our headquarters (1600 Royal Street, Jasper, IN 47546).

Role Description

Responsibilities

• Manage, Coach and mentor Category Manager(s) and/or Product Specialists
• Resource Allocation of Category Managers to support the Product Team Projects
• Partner with Director of Product Strategy on product roadmap and commercialization activities for new and existing products
• Provide inputs to the development and management of the multi brand three-year product roadmap
• Create strategy for identified product category(s) that align with organizational strategies
• Partner with brand marketing to ensure commercialization activities are identified and activated on new product launches and ongoing activities to increase sales
• Responsible for overall category marginal profit
• Partner and collaborate with internal and/or outside design firms for new product development projects
• Participates in and observes consumer research that links research findings into product innovation within projects
• Lead cross functional team to execution of identified projects utilizing the product development process
• Partner with engineering, sourcing, operations and insights and design team on product development projects.
• Own and provide competitive intelligence to internal/external sales team on identified product categories
• Establishes recommended pricing and sales projections forecast on identified product category development projects
• Ensure product development projects meet margin expectations of organization
• Must adhere to the guidelines set by the Regulatory, Safety & Compliance Committee.
• Ensure the Dfe is followed within the product development process
• Partner with Training Manager and Brand Marketing to identify and develop training materials for field sales/internal and customer on product development projects.
• Participate and deliver new product training
• Responsible for ensuring product accuracy on marketing materials
• Collaborate with Existing Category Manager on lifecycle management of identified category ownership
• Participates and supports PMO office in value engineering projects within identified category responsibility
• Participate in product presentations to customer, designers and internal teams.
• Identify and manage within project budget forecast
• As needed, travel to support new product development initiatives

Interpersonal Skills

Skills to Perform This Role

• Self-motivated
• Exceptional organizational skills
• Trust-worthy
• People Skills
• Create team unity with diverse personalities
• Ability to give constructive feedback when needed
• Relationship builder

Communication Skills

• Ability to communicate with all levels within the organization.
• Ability to present from small to large settings
• Ability to present via face to face or virtually

Leadership Skills

• Ability to develop team for succession planning.
• Be a leader by example
• Take initiative
• Continuous improvement mentality

Business Skills

• Knowledge of the PDP Process
• Must be able to see the broader scope and think outside of the box
• Ability to work with a cross-functional team
• Extensive market knowledge
• Ability and willingness to take risks
• Ability to make decisions quickly and proficiently

Technical Skills

• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications

Qualifications

• Educational
• 3-5 years experience working in the furniture industry, preferred
• Experience successfully managing and/or working with a cross functional team of individuals.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred or sufficient work experience