Sr Product Manager - Soft Goods

BASIC  FUNCTION

The Sr. Product Manager - Soft Goods manages the Marketing team/function responsible for the soft goods product category. This includes various responsibilities throughout the product lifecycle, including product planning, product development oversight, and product marketing support. Among other things, the Sr. Product Manager - Soft Goods will oversee and/or execute marketing research, business planning, interdepartmental coordination/collaboration, quantitative analysis, and documentation/information archiving.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

The Sr. Product Manager - Soft Goods – reports to VP – Product, Innovation, and Brand

The Sr. Product Manager - Soft Goods HAS direct reports.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Sr. Product Manager - Soft Goods is responsible for managing/leading the team responsible for:

Product Planning of Soft Goods, Bags, Accessories (All brands)

• Marketing & field research for product development and product planning
  • Includes management of some marketing research and prototyping expenses.
• Gathering research and insights from sales trends, input from the field and customers to inform future product development.
• Audit and competitively benchmark products to ensure quality, design, and positioning meet the needs of consumer segment targets.  
• Quantitative analysis on marketing, sales, and profitability trends.
• Plan and present the direction, strategy, and framework of soft goods, bags, and accessory products in product line reviews, seasonal kickoffs, and seasonal alignment meetings.
  • Ensure product plans follow brand books, guidelines, and brand strategy.
  • Work within process and in partnership with key stakeholders to plan, support, and justify future product launches.
• Support collaborations and partnerships.
• Support requests from SRI business planning teams to ensure successful global launch.
• Operate as primary point of contact and meeting representative at regular SRI product planning conference calls regarding clubs.
  • Ensure supplier agreements and quality requirements are met by working with SRI, Quality, and R&D counterparts.
• Monitor costs and gross profit targets for each product/new product plan.
• Work closely with Marketing, R&D, and outside vendors during product development to provide marketing and design support and to ensure products meet market and stakeholder requirements.
• Create design briefs with key marketing information to R&D design teams.
  • Assist in design surveying and product design research.
  • Ensure brief and direction has strong taste, meets brand strategy objectives, and aligns with needs and wants of target consumer segments.
• Creation, management, and archiving of all marketing/planning related documentation for product planning and operational setup (MSRs, PSRs, PIM Management)
  • Organize data and files in approved network/cloud locations.
• Respond to SRI global business inquiries (in video calls or email).

Sales Support

• Assisting with training customer service on new soft good and accessory products.  
• Ensure photo and sales samples arrive on time for prebooking windows and creative timelines.
• Support sales-related product presentations and training. (Sales meetings (globally), key account training)
• Attend PGA Show trade show or other trade/dealer type functions to support products, brand, training or sales.
• Strategize and advise on SKUs and set makeups to ensure dealer/market needs are met. Collaborate with sales team and SRI to determine optimal SKUs.

Creative Support

• Outline key product manual content to support creative team for all soft good products. Identify F&Bs, specs, and USPs of key products. Manage/archive all key specs and product-related information.
• Outline/support R&D testing and/or third party testing firms to support marketing claims beneficial to promotion of the product.
• Review/confirm key documents prior to release for accuracy. (product manuals, catalogs, major websites, etc..)
• Outline key training content and sometimes videos to train dealers, fitters, and key partners.
• Support media relations questions and interviews as needed. Experts on products.

Admin/legal

• Oversee name/trademark clearances. Support IP/Trademark team requests in US and Japan. Support and train RND to use current logos/trademarks.
• Ensure product compliance on labelling and tags (barcode locations, RFID, environmental information, etc...)
• Ensure prop 65, PFAs, and other compliance regulations.
• Manage/confirm BOMs/PSRs/PIM and item number setups with data entry/planning/sales teams.

Management

• Develop staff/team members to execute the above responsibilities more professionally and more efficiently.
• Routine management responsibilities:
  • Manage time sheets in a timely manner (signing off on Monday of each week) with team members.
  • Manage travel approvals expense reports of team members in compliance with accounting rules.
  • Review and develop staff on regular intervals to ensure development and high-quality work. Mitigate issues with underperforming staff with proactive management, PIP, improvement countermeasures, etc….working with HR management as needed.
• Support company sales growth and profitability improvement plans.
• Generally project management of special projects delegated by VP – Product, Innovation, and Brand or other executives.
• Ensure SRI and executive stakeholders’ business requirements are met.  
• Work collaboratively between various departments to ensure successful product development and launches. (especially SRI teams, R&D, Sales/business planning, executives).

TRAVEL

Moderate travel should be expected.

EXPECATIONS AND MEASUREMENTS OF PERFORMANCE

Sr. Product Manager - Soft Goods of Dunlop Sports Americas will be deemed to be performing in a satisfactory manner when the following are being accomplished:

• Deadlines: Projects and tasks are effectively managed through completion in a timely fashion deadlines/milestones are met.
• Communication: All information, reports, and progress associated with projects and executions are communicated effectively with stakeholders.
• Quality of work: Content created is free from errors and aligned with brand position and strategy.
• Teamwork: projects and interactions with colleagues are constructive, collaborative, professional, respectful, and effective.
• Employee development and attitude: Employee shows growth in job knowledge, versatility, communication, and marketing skill and motivates direct reports to achieve the same.
• Service levels and responsiveness to SRI Global Business team and Sales Company Executives: service levels, response time, and levels of support to global initiatives.

All of the expectations outlined above will be monitored by comparative assessments, interviews with managers/colleagues/direct reports, and evaluation by supervisor. When possible, objective quantitative measures will be used.    

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• 7 years related work experience
• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, engineering or related field
• Proficient in MS Office, specifically Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to analyze (proficient with spreadsheets)
• Well-developed presentation skills
• Project Management and Business Administration Experience
• Familiarity with trademark and copyright law
• Golf and/or golf equipment expertise

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, and handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Note

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.