Product Director

Product Director Madison,WI Seeking outstanding, customer-focused product leader to define, manage and leverage the companyu2019s winning product portfolio. Reporting to the General Manager, the Product Director will lead definition of the products the company will develop and sell in the future, will enable the sales channel to better sell its current offering, and will sustain current products through effective pricing, maintenance of line (MOL) and obsolescence activities. Additionally, the Product Director will play an important role in the development and execution of the companyu2019s strategic plan, including entry into new market segments and geographies. The Product Director will be the companyu2019s product visionary and champion, leading the product management function and collaborating closely with peers across the senior leadership team in achieving the companyu2019s growth and profitability goals. The company has a rich history of innovation and a capable sales organization. The Product Director will work closely with the leadership of R&D, sales, marketing, production, quality, finance, IT and regulatory affairs to achieve unprecedented innovation, agility, execution and growth. ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Define & Launch Future Product Portfolio: u2022 Propose, create and maintain the companyu2019s product development roadmap through insightful voice-of-customer (VOC), voice-of-sales (VOS), market research and competitive analysis u2022 Lead the development of individual Product Requirement Specifications, proposing new products for development including specific functionality, volume and margin estimates and required cost points u2022 Propose the prioritization/reprioritization of New Product Development projects (NPD. Achieve via close engagement with R&D and Sales organizations u2022 Define and lead the introduction of new products into the market through outstanding product launches, thoughtfully leveraging both the sales and marketing channels. u2022 Act as a passionate and articulate champion of new product launches to the market, direct sales teams and international channel partners, including through outstanding sales guidance and training u2022 Monitor and report-out on the financial and functional performance of new products against NPD goals in the 12 months following launch, executing cross-functional countermeasures as necessary u2022 Leverage Current Product Portfolio u2022 Create, maintain and share a first-hand understanding of the market by traveling with sales representatives and engaging frequently with customers and key industry experts u2022 Identify and define best practices among the sales organization related to product sales, including optimal product positioning and product demonstration. u2022 Establish a cadence of regular communications to the sales organization, ensuring that Product Management is providing actionable, evidence-based guidance. u2022 Define and deploy sales tools that demonstrate the performance, difference or value of company products u2022 Regularly analyze product sales data to identify trends, opportunities and risks u2022 Define and manage the product training that company employees receive during initial onboarding and as part of continuing education u2022 Report in senior leadership meetings on the status of product management initiatives (weekly) and on the trends and performance of company products vs. expectations (monthly) u2022 Monitor and manage the product mix sold through the sales channels, implementing countermeasures where necessary to meet company growth, margin and strategic targets u2022 Identify and launch promotional packages and pricing to support the sales organization, encouraging focus appropriately within the product portfolio u2022 Set and monitor product pricing by utilizing market research data, balancing profitability and volume goals u2022 Create and distribute all product line communications to internal company audiences, especially guidance to the direct and distributor sales organizations u2022 Define core product messaging and positioning to be used by marketing organization for all communications to external audiences u2022 Support marketing organization in the development of effective lead generation materials, leveraging selected products to engage existing and prospective new customers u2022 Engage directly with the companyu2019s largest distribution partners in support of account growth strategies u2022 Directly own sales performance results of select distributors in international markets u2022 Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks with dental/medical customers and opinion leaders; participating in professional societies and fairs Sustain Current Product Portfolio: u2022 Collaborate with the manufacturing and quality teams to identify and prioritize production and quality improvements based on relevance to customers and sales channel u2022 Facilitate inventory turnover and product availability by developing and maintaining product model sales forecasts. Partners with the Materials Management/PSI team. u2022 Support Quality Assurance, Sustaining Engineering, Regulatory Affairs, and Production to ensure appropriate Maintenance of Line (MOL) activities are completed to sustain availability of the existing product portfolio u2022 Support, in partnership with Finance and Sales, the annual price evaluation/increase process u2022 Provide product line volume and ASP estimates necessary for the companyu2019s annual financial planning u2022 Communicate all changes to product features, availability or obsolesce plans to internal and external constituencies, including customers (through Marketing/Customer Care), direct sales representatives and international distributors Supervisory Responsibility: u2022 Directly lead a Product Management team of 1-2 team members, including definition of roles, daily management, goals & objectives, reviews, engagement and development REQUIRMENTS: u2022 Bacheloru2019s degree required u2022 8+ yearsu2019 experience in product management, marketing, sales or similar commercial experience, including defining, deploying and selling great products in close collaboration with direct and indirect sales teams u2022 5+ years strong leadership skills, including inspiring and guiding teams of direct/indirect reports and cross-functional colleagues PREFERRED SKILLS: u2022 MBA strongly preferred u2022 Excellent leadership experience and growth potential, including demonstrated experience gaining action and followership from sales and marketing teams u2022 Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including proficiency using Excel and product/market data to develop and articulate viewpoints u2022 Ability to deliver inspiring presentations to customer gatherings and sales meetings as the companyu2019s product leader u2022 Ability to identify and articulate commercial obstacles and opportunities u2022 Ability to build consensus and generate alignment across peers on the senior leadership team regarding product management performance, priorities and opportunities u2022 Eagerness to go into the market to build perspective, traveling to engage directly and regularly with customers, sales representatives, distributors and dental/medical opinion leaders u2022 Ability to identify, articulate and countermeasure commercial obstacles to growth u2022 Commercial instincts and ability to achieve both customer experience and revenue objectives u2022 Clear and swift critical thinking abilities to contribute on a daily and strategic level u2022 Facility with data and ability to use to uncover insights and drive decisions about daily and strategic priorities u2022 Ability to develop and manage a team, take initiative and follow through on tasks and commitments u2022 Ability to create followership through cross-functional collaboration u2022 Ability to implement strong Daily Management practices within the Product Management function and in support of Sales and Marketing teams u2022 Ability to run reports and analyze data, working within key business applications to define trends and opportunities (i.e. Oracle, Tableau, MicrosoftDynamics CRM, Excel. etc.) u2022 Ability to develop and own an annual Product Management operating budget u2022 Ability to manage talent in accordance with the organizations objectives, policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training team members; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining; addressing complaints and resolving concerns u2022 Demonstrated ability to critically evaluate new geographies and segments for investment u2022 Intellectual agility necessary to take ownership for assigned chapter in Companyu2019s annual strategic plan. Job Ref: R1093013

Created: 2025-09-06