PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER – DECORATIVE INTERIOR & EXTERIOR HARDWARE, FIXTURES & FITTINGS

“Perfect role for aesthetically strong, style conscious and consumer trend focused Product Development Manager.  Opportunity to take the full product lifecycle lead from concept to launch, introducing new product categories, working closely with key OEM, Retail & Wholesale Key Accounts, and cross functional colleagues in Marketing, Mechanical Design, Technical, Sales & Manufacturing”

Salary:  c£50000 - £60000 plus benefits

Location:  West Midlands

Commutable from Birmingham, Kidderminster, Stafford, Stone, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Wednesbury, Stourbridge, Halesowen, Bromsgrove, Lichfield, Tamworth, Stoke on Trent, Telford, Shrewsbury, Droitwich, Redditch, Worcester, Coventry, Warwick, Sutton Coldfield, Coleshill, Stockport, Crewe

This fast growing and acquisitive client wish to strengthen their product offering with a Product Manager responsible for development of new decorative interior and exterior hardware, fixtures and fittings including mechanically engineered products. You will focus on developing and delivering a pipeline of new product development to time scale and product life cycle management for customers, in the OEM housebuilding/construction, building trade and DIY/hardware distribution sectors.  This would be within three-year rolling launch plans.

Your experience may have been gained within a Product Management role in one of these sectors or in aligned sectors such as furnishings and other home/domestic products, fixtures and fittings.  You will take full ownership and responsibility for your designated product portfolio and will deliver continued commercial success of those products by managing them according to their stage within the product lifecycle. You must have experience of NPD from ‘cradle to grave’.

 The Role

• Evaluate and co-ordinate product portfolio to evaluate market trends and feedback from customer research to identify gaps in the current product portfolio with a view to superseding existing products and introducing new products and new product category strategies.
• In this respect, work closely with key account clients in OEM, Retail and Distributor Channels and internally with cross functional colleagues in marketing, design and technical, quality, procurement and sales to harness cross functional expertise.
• Be the go-to-person in the business for new product ideas, actively promote this and make yourself available to encourage idea generation across the business. 
• Keep abreast of product developments within our client’s specific OEM & Distributor sector and amongst its competitors. Use this intelligence to identify new product opportunities.
• Develop project proposals to be considered for entry into the product development process, paying close attention to cost, price and margin and for projects that merit.progression work closely to the Prince2 product development and Stage Gate processes to deliver products in a timely, high quality and financially compelling manner.
• Monitor project status and communicate to the rest of the business including at Board level.
• Work closely with cross functional colleagues in Marketing, Design & Technical, Manufacturing, Quality, Sales & Commercial to ensure stringent validation approvals against the product design where necessary.
• Monitor the evolving needs of customers and the sales teams to ensure that projects are being treated with the right level of priority at any given time.
• Work with sales, procurement and supply chain to establish initial order quantities and with marketing to deliver a fully featured launch process and collateral and also prepare training material in relation to the new product and ensure it is delivered to all relevant parties.
• In partnership with the sales team and technical teams, stay close to early adopters of new products and gather feedback on experiences of the product feeding back improvements to the design team. Feedback positive comment to the sales and marketing teams to incorporate in pitches/marketing material.
• Conduct a ground up review of the product portfolio understanding the detail and intricacies of the range. Rationalise legacy and obsolete products, classify remaining products and create an action plan for each by revisiting features and benefit and re-launch to the sales force or investigate opportunities for VAVE or replacement.
• Build a category development strategy for the product portfolio and manage all products accordingly including looking for opportunities to reduce the size of the portfolio, categorise & bundle product ranges, review opportunities for VAVE, re-energise products by modernising packaging, manage changeovers and ensure terminated products are sold off profitably.
• Create excitement across the business when stock is available in order that the products are more likely to be talked about to customers by the sales team.
• Be fully involved with colleagues in Marketing to deliver fully featured product launch.

Undertake all training of sales/commercial colleagues so that they are fully au fait with product specifications, features and benefits.

Your Background

• Educated to degree level with a strong track record in product management, ideally but not exclusively, gained within the mechanical hardware/components sector focussing on OEM housebuilding, construction, building trade, DIY/hardware sectors or similarly aligned sectors such as larger home furnishings, double glazing, windows, doors, security systems, kitchens, bathrooms, tiling flooring, garden furniture, architectural or other metal products.
• Aesthetically strong, style conscious and very experienced in analysing and evaluating consumer and market trends in home décor, furnishings and fittings, translating them into fantastic new products.
• Must have experience of NPD from concept to launch as well as product portfolio
• management and product lifecycle management through to termination. This is not a pure marketing or design role however you will be working closely with colleagues in Marketing and Design.
• Must include experience of undertaking VAVE/Value Analysis and Value Engineering to ensure that products can realistically be designed and developed and launched into the market at price points which meet market requirements and profit margin targets.
• May have experience of new packaging design and categorisation of products into compelling product bundles for customers.
• Prince 2 Practitioner preferred or experienced in similar project stage gate management methodology.
• Strong strategic analysis and planning skills and an impressive portfolio of new product development from concept to launch.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills
• Comfortable working in a matrix management environment.  Experienced in presenting value propositions to senior executive level both internally and externally with key account clients.
• Experience of working with design and manufacturing colleagues in both the UK and potentially the Far East/Internationally.

To apply without delay, please email your CV to applications@martinveasey.com quoting reference LX 459220 Telephone 01905 381 320 www.martinveasey.com 

CUSTOMER SERVICE, INSTALLATIONS & AFTER CARE MANAGER – RESIDENTIAL FURNISHINGS & FITTINGS

“Excellent career development opportunity with fast growing online home furnishings and fittings business.  Multifaceted management and leadership role from customer order management to installation via independent contractors through to after care.  Role will entail combination of office and F2F contractor and customer interface.”

C£28-35000 + Benefits including use of Company Van

Sunderland, Tyne & Wear

Our client is a fast growing, innovative and ambitious home furnishings and fittings business offering a unique and flexible online retail consumer offer. As well as plans to diversify their product offer, they are developing technology to make the order management, logistics, installations and customer experience as seamless as possible.

As part of their continued growth they seek to appoint a Customer Service, Installations and After Care Manager. Working closely with colleagues in Marketing, Sales & Surveying and Logistics, the role will entail management, leadership and motivation of a customer service team who process orders and schedule installations; a team of self-employed independent contractors who undertake residential fittings and installations and all aspects of the after care process from on site quality inspection of installations and resolution of customer concerns.  

As our client is experiencing rapid growth, the successful candidate will have experience gained in a similar role shaping and embedding new customer service processes; evaluating and engaging with independent contractors and interfacing directly with householders when installations require inspection and issues require resolution.

The Role:

• To take ownership of the full customer order management and installation life cycle, driving installation team performance, from delivery to high quality completion.
• To define and implement an excellent customer experience from start to finish ensuring “right first time, on time and in full” installations and excellent customer advocacy
• To manage and develop the customer order management team in terms of prompt and efficient customer order processing, allocation and scheduling of installations, monitoring progress of installations with customers both during and post installation in line with targets
• To implement a continuous improvement culture across all aspect of the customer experience journey
• To understand and match the needs and expectations of customers, business stakeholders and installation partners
• To identify, attract, partner and support a network of high calibre installation contractors
• To manage installation standards and compliance to health and safety and legal requirements
• To undertake site visits to customer homes to inspect completed installations, interfacing with customers to ensure excellent customer service and satisfaction
• To review, feedback and resolve post installation issues including strict management of cost control in the unlikely event of remedial works

The Ideal Candidate:

• Current experience of working within a similar residential installation and fittings, customer service and installations management environment.
• This experience may have been gained within residential installations of one of the following: kitchens, carpets, flooring, blinds and curtains, bedrooms, bathrooms, windows, double glazing, conservatories, boilers, central heating, damp proofing or similar. 
• Understanding of the B2C installations sales and marketing cycle, customer order taking and payments process, surveying and fitting service
• Proven ability to influence at all levels across the business and behave as an advocate of the customer service, installation and after care function
• Technical knowledge to a level, sufficient to be able to establish a highly competent installation and to arbitrate when conflicts do occur between customers, installation contractors and the business. 
• Problem solving abilities and capable of working, contributing and influencing as part of a management team within an ambitious and rapidly evolving business
• Full clean driving licence
• Flexible, resilient and adaptable. 
• Energetic, enthusiastic, inspirational and ambitious.
• Computer literate with excellent verbal and written communication skills.  Well-presented and able to confidently engage and influence senior management, customers and installation contractors.

In return our client offers a competitive salary and benefits package including use of a company van during business hours. 

To apply without delay, please email your CV quoting reference  LX 447164 to applications@martinveasey.com Telephone 01905 381320 www.martinveasey.com