Product Manager

The Product Manager is the 'general manager' of his/her crop and is the voice of the customer interfacing between the market and the product development team.

This role is accountable for driving the crop master planning for his/her assigned crop and manages the full life cycle of the product from concept to product development, launch, communicating the product value that will lead to a sale, and finally, extend or end product life while ensuring the financial health and competitive positioning of the crop in the market.

As a team leader, the Product Manager (PM) is expected to provide direction to his/her team, manage their performance and ensure successful delivery of results.

Key Responsibilities:

Brand Management

• Identifies and establishes the brand positioning of the different products within the crop portfolio aligned with the overall marketing strategy of the country and the group. Develops strategies to build and market the brand through various marketing programs and activities.
• Regularly tracks brand performance versus competition. Provides solutions to continuously strengthen/evolve the brand and protect brand equity.

Crop Portfolio Management

• Guided by the country growth plans and financial targets, is responsible for crop portfolio planning, product life cycle management, product positioning and pricing. Ensures that the country crop portfolio plan is aligned with the overall crop master plan at group level.
• Liases and agrees with Crop Managers on min and max of stock buffers for the country. Monitors over/under selling with Sales and liaises with SOM to ensure production alignment.

Product Development and Market Introduction

• Works collaboratively with Crop Breeding Managers, Crop Managers, PDS/RYT Manager, Sales Manager in developing new product concept that meets the specific market requirements while finding opportunities to leverage new concepts coming from other countries.
• Monitors the product development process and keeps track of the agreed timelines. Gathers key updates from each stage and discusses the results with key stakeholders as part of the 'gate review' process before advancing the product development to the next stage. Ensures that all identified issues in each stage are promptly resolved. Keeps the team abreast of significant market updates so that adjustments in the plan are made accordingly.
• Responsible for planning and organizing new product launches/ introduction activities. Summarizes the pre and post market introduction results for sharing with stakeholders.

Market Intelligence

• Takes the lead in collecting data regarding market and competition, new and emerging needs, trends, practices and issues related to our crops from multiple sources of information (ex. farmers, vegetable traders, seed producers, seed distributors, seed shop owners/sellers, market vendors, industrial channels, consumers).
• Consolidates, analyzes and summarizes data. Discusses market insights and recommendations with concerned department/s for action.

Marketing Communication

• Guided by the brand and product strategy, develops marketing communication materials/tools that highlight the differentiating features, advantages and benefits (FAB) of our products versus competition.
• Explores and optimizes different marketing communication platforms (ie, print, tv/radio, digital, trade events, exhibitions, meetings, etc).
• Provides inputs and/or trains salesforce on how to use available marketing tools to support value-based selling to customers.
• Gathers customer and market feedback (esp on new product launches) by regularly participating in field visits, market visits, sales events and interacting with farmers/traders/distributors/seed shop owners/sellers/brokers/consumers and employees from Sales and R&D.

Financial Management

• Manages the top line sales forecast (based on 4-yr business plan), profitability in collaboration with sales manager based on product portfolio strategy in terms of volume, value and product mix.
• Plans the operating budget and ensures spending are controlled or kept within allowable limits for variance, in case of unforeseen circumstances. Prepares business cases for CAPEX requirements, as applicable.
• Accountable for delivering the financial targets of the crop and maintaining the financial health and competitive position of the product lines. Reviews performance of product lines (ie total sales revenue, new product sales contribution, profitability, market share, market positioning, customer value perception) and takes proactive actions to course-correct.

Reporting Structure and Key Stakeholders

• Reports directly to the Marketing Manager.
• Works closely with group Crop Managers, group CBM/Breeders, Replicated Yield Trial Team, Product Development Team, Sales, Seed Operations Management Team, Finance Manager at country.

Qualifications:

• Experienced (average of 5 years) in a similar role gained from an agriculture or consumer industry.
• Strong sense of business ownership vs mere 'product ownership' (thinking and acting like a true enterprise owner) and passionate to deliver results.
• Balances all important factors when making decisions (customer needs, company expectations/capabilities/limitations, competition).
• Sharply analytical and data management savvy yet remains intuitive.
• Effective communicator; able to package and deliver messages in a clear and convincing manner and able to influence the right action from audience.
• Strong execution capability.
• A natural orchestrator; able to keep the team moving along the same direction and same pace.
• High degree of creativity and innovativeness.
• Agile.

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