Product Marketing Mgr, Golf & Grounds Equipment

Product Marketing Manager, Golf and Grounds Equipment - The Toro Company

Who Are We?

With roots dating back to 1914, The Toro Company was built on a tradition of quality and caring relationships. Today, the company is a leading worldwide provider of innovative solutions for the outdoor environment including turf and landscape maintenance, snow and ice management, underground utility construction, rental and specialty construction, and irrigation and outdoor lighting solutions. Through a strong network of professional distributors, dealers, rental stores and retailers in more than 125 countries, we proudly offer a wide range of products across a family of global brands to help golf courses, professional contractors, underground construction professionals, groundskeepers, agricultural growers, rental companies, government and educational institutions, and homeowners in addition to many leading sports venues and historic sites around the world.

Your Opportunity:

The Product Marketing Manager will support the global business objectives of the Commercial and International divisions by efficiently and effectively managing assigned product line(s) through their entire life cycle. Key functions include: identifying unmet customer needs and growth opportunities and communicating them via the multi-generation product planning process (MGPP); leading new product development projects in partnership with Engineering, ensuring that customer requirements are met, and that schedule and financial targets are achieved; working with the Marketing and Communications team to effectively and successfully launch new products, all while completing other necessary day-to-day product management tasks.

Sponsorship:

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment VISA at this time.

Work Location:

This opportunity is based out of Bloomington, MN international headquarters. The current team works 3-days on-site, with optional 2-days remote.

Travel requirement: up to 25%, including international travel, ability to maintain a non-expired passport required.

What Will You Do?

In order to grow and build a successful career with The Toro Company, you will be responsible for:

• Coordinate global Voice of the Customer (VOC) activities and other market research to fully understand customer requirements and drive decisions for assigned product line(s).

• Develop, present, and execute an annual MGPP for assigned product(s).

• Lead new product development projects, utilizing Toros product development stage gate process, serving as the advocate for the customer, developing and communicating clear product specifications, functionality, capability and performance requirements, and identifying necessary accessories.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with engineering, sales and customer care teams. Provide Toro internal sales people and channel partners with timely and accurate product information. Contribute to monthly project review meetings and project stage gate approval meetings. Collaborate with engineering and test functions to ensure appropriate design criteria and test plan for quality and lowest possible warranty. Regularly participate in product Design and Cost Improvement (DCI) team meetings. Participate in Product Quality Initiative (PQI) team analysis, action plans, and reporting.

• Develop product launch plans in collaboration with market managers and marketing communications teams. Engage in the global Sales Inventory Operations Planning (SIOP) process, with primary responsibility for annual sales and inventory projections, as well as model line-up transition planning and execution as appropriate.

  Monitor and analyze retail sales, distributor order activity, and field inventory position.

• Deliver against annual net sales, retail sales, and inventory goals for product line(s). Collaborate with regional marketing managers, sales team, and finance team regarding market and product pricing strategies. Prudently manage product line budget(s). Monitor competitive product activity, and develop competitive product comparisons for use in training Toro and distributor sales teams.

• Support industry trade shows, customer experience events, and other key divisional events, activities and initiatives. Plan and deliver product sales training, including participation in live training events and recorded product webinars.

  Develop content for sales training tools and marketing collateral materials.

Job Title

The job title will be based on academic and prior years of experience.

• Product Manager I:

  Bachelors degree in product management, marketing or engineering and 4+ years of applicable experience (or MBA with 2+ years applicable experience) in durable goods.

• Product Manager II:

  Bachelors degree in product management, marketing or engineering and 8+ years of applicable experience (or MBA with 6+ years applicable experience) in durable goods.

• Product Manager III:

  Bachelors degree in product management, marketing or engineering and 12+ years of applicable experience (or MBA with 10+ years applicable experience) in durable goods.

What Do You Need?

To be considered for this role, an individual should meet the following minimal requirements:

• Experience to include new product development in durable, service-oriented goods

• Ability to effectively participate in cross-functional teams.

• Ability to manage multiple projects.

• Strong analytical skills.

• Experience managing profit and loss (P&L) statements.

• Experience marketing through a business-to-business dealer/distribution system is highly preferred.

• Excellent verbal/written communication skills and influencing ability.

• Self-starter with a bias for action and ability to simultaneously lead multiple project teams.

• Strong technical aptitude enabling communication, understanding, and collaboration with technical service and engineering.

• Ability to quickly assimilate and synthesize a significant amount of complex information and work with team members to make sound business, product and financial decisions.

• Strong analytical abilities to review and summarize data for presentation, direction and decision making.

• Fluent in Microsoft Office suite of products.

Job Dimensions:

• Ability and confidence operating and training others on assigned product line(s).

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