Product Manager

Description

Summary of This Role

Provides direction to product development and the overall process of the product and services function. Builds products and services from existing ideas and helps to develop new ideas based on industry experience and contact with customers and prospects. Increases profitability of existing products and services to developing new solutions which advance business objectives and client needs. Builds strong working relationships with marketing, sales, support staff, product development and vendors plus senior management and key customers.

Job Specific Preferred Experience

Experience with Digital Engagement or Comms Platform

What Part Will You Play?

• Manages the process from product development to product launch, ensuring execution is in line with project plan for complex product initiatives. In cases in which the product has a distinct PNL, the product manager has responsibility for managing a product's PNL to ensure profitability for product initiatives. For the International Business Segment, typical annual revenues for complex product initiatives would be approximately $250k to $500k.

• For assigned products, owns, manages, and communicates a product roadmap, including collaborating with industry analysts to form competitive analysis, and with delivery, sales, and relationship management teams to determine prioritization, development and ongoing costs of delivery, and market positioning.

• For assigned products, develops the "go to market packaging". Collaborates with product marketing to develop product marketing strategies based on established product objectives, costs, and value proposition. Reviews research with product marketing to quantify value proposition for inputs to pricing analysis and marketing collateral. Defines pricing strategies for new and existing products considering competitive pricing models, internal costs, value proposition metrics (e.g., savings to clients, process costs, etc.), and market acceptance and adoption rates. Participates in defining alternative models complete with benefits, and present final pricing recommendations to executive management for adoption.

• Develops comprehensive business cases requiring analytical skills to assimilate complex data and concepts for new product functionality to serve as inputs to decision-making, prioritization, pricing, and client value proposition.

• For assigned product initiatives, collaborates with company business leaders, sales, IT, legal, strategic marketing and relationship management teams to define product goals, objectives, market positioning, and pricing strategies for each assigned product. Uses independent judgment to determine methods and procedures for managing product strategy.

• Follows a structured, repeatable process for conducting market research to include industry publications, analyst research, experiential research, client surveys, etc. Develops and maintains a strategic planning approach for summarizing and communicating the results of aggregate research.

• Facilitates product concept and requirements workshops with clients and internal development teams in pursuit of product requirements, objectives, and architecture decisions. Documents workshop results in a format suitable for consumption by all audiences, including interactive review and feedback from clients and internal parties. Answer questions during workshop, adds points of clarification and completes any necessary follow-up action items.

• For assigned products, collaborates with product delivery and technology architecture to validate detailed design, particularly to ensure that product objectives and key requirements are met and aligned with the market needs and business unit strategy . Provides design direction, testing support, and general assistance to delivery team, as needed, during the execution phase of product development consisting of complex scopes.

What Are We Looking For in This Role?

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree

• Relevant Experience or Degree in: Business or Computer Science; Combination of relevant training and/ or experience in lieu of degree

• Typically Minimum 8 Years Relevant Exp

• Experience in similar business product services and/or external customer/market experience
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Prefer experience in a software development environment or in a professional services role. Prefer software or IT background (i.e., degree or experience). Prefer direct experience with doing software development, testing and/or business analysis. Prefer experience with Agile software products and delivery methodology.

What Are Our Desired Skills and Capabilities?

• Skills / Knowledge - Having broad expertise or unique knowledge, uses skills to contribute to development of company objectives and principles and to achieve goals in creative and effective ways. Having ownership of a function, account or matrix management responsibilities, uses knowledge to ensure success, strengthen relationships, expand the business, and lead matrix teams on complex projects. Barriers to entry such as technical committee review may exist at this level.

• Job Complexity - Works on significant and unique issues where analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangibles. Exercises independent judgment in methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results. Creates formal networks involving coordination among groups, both internal and external.

• Supervision - Acts independently to determine methods and procedures on new or special assignments.