Main Purpose
Product Manager is responsible for managing the outdoor product range, ensuring it meets commercial objectives, consumer and customer expectations. The role covers the full product lifecycle, with a strong emphasis on sourcing from Far East suppliers, maintaining quality and compliance standards, and delivering agreed financial targets.
You will lead the delivery of design, development and release into high volume manufacture the agreed roadmap for the outdoor category, whilst providing support where appropriate on the Flame category. Working with procurement and quality teams to lead the selection and management of third-party suppliers, manage full product lifecycle design, working with the quality and audit manage the development, validation, certification, and manufacture.
Deliver activities in line with the requirements of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process, the company operating procedures, and European and UK regulatory standards. The role is responsible for delivering all activity OTIF, using their expertise and knowledge and always striving for a best‑in‑class approach.
Responsibilities
- Working with CPO and Product Director define clear requirement specifications for suppliers in line with consumer needs and category strategy.
- Deliver products with range thinking - minimising complexity, whilst achieving company sustainability and durability targets.
- Collaborate with external suppliers on the design, development, certification, and manufacturing of the products to overcome all technical challenges and issues with appropriate resources to meet project targets.
- Lead external supplier selection for the relevant categories, in collaboration with Procurement, Quality and the Head Quality
- Manage all NPI through the NPI Process and provide business case rationale to support the selection of ODM / off the shelf supply or third‑party OEM originated designs, with Glen Dimplex IP in place.
- Working with the R&D and quality team lead the OEM and ODM suppliers customised mechanical aspects of product design - structural, materials, mechanisms, wiring routing, etc. and agree any required Capex investment as part of the NPI business case for approval.
- Liaise with DCP quality team to ensure product designs conform to all required regulations and standards. Aligning with internal R&D compliance areas for clarification as required.
- Own packaging and instruction manual design process
- Work with the marketing team to develop- the required online content i.e. video, lifestyle imagery and product description highlighting the key selling points of the product
- Build and execute product launch plans with MS&P, Marketing and Sales team.
Essential Skills, Knowledge and Experience
- Strong understanding of core design principles in relevant technology
- Strong background in product design and experience of working for a format NPI stage and gate process.
- Strong background in successfully delivering new products to market.
- Awareness of effective planning and implementation of design activity.
- Strong analytical and critical reasoning skills, problem solving and root cause analysis, and implementation of solutions.
- Team player with excellent verbal and written communication and networking skills with strong drive, initiative, and self‑motivation, able to interface with all parts of the business internally and externally.
- Ability to balance competing priorities and drive issues to completion, working to strict deadline and under pressure.
- Awareness of markets and customers.
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to assimilate and manage information and ask questions to ensure information correct.
Desirable
- Strong UK B2C and B2B appliance market experience and knowledge
Competencies
Excellent technical experience and advanced knowledge of own or professional discipline, and a working knowledge of other disciplines.
Qualifications
- Marketing or business degree or CIM qualification.
Experience
- Significant and relevant post qualification/after degree experience in a wide range of new product design and introduction roles, including significant experience of working with third party suppliers on mechanical, electrical, electronic or software elements (minimum 5 years).
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