Management Trainee

Role Summary

Accountable for managing the assigned product category (plumbing/sanitary/drainage/agriculture) and delivering top and bottom-line growth for the category. Responsible for end-to-end management of the existing portfolio, defining value propositions, and developing a category plan, including an innovation roadmap. Working in close coordination with the NPD, R&D, Brand marketing, Sales and Production teams.

Roles And Responsibility

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for end-to-end management of products and services in assigned portfolio: range management (no. of SKU’s, extensions), packaging, inputs on pricing, technical product literature preparation etc.
• Track sales and margin growth trends of category and propose corrective actions
• Define value propositions of the category dependent on the end users
• Build a category plan, including an innovation roadmap, translating customer needs into requirements for innovation (products & services)
• Conduct market assessment to confirm market potential and develop business cases (integrated product definition, financials) for new products
• Work closely together with R&D and production to prepare product launch strategy (introduction pricing, roll out pilots, follow up with supply chain, production issues) and implement the same going forward
• Devise promotional strategies for products in own category and ensure execution through close collaboration with the sales and branding teams, covering areas of merchandising, POS Communication, Technical documentation for catalogues/ websites, exhibition participation etc.
• Gather information on market trends and competitor product range / sale prices / distribution channels / market shares, assess competitor strategies for existing products and identify potential opportunities & threats within own category, prepare periodical reports for comparison
• Carry out market visits to attain a better understanding of the current product positioning and perception, customer satisfaction levels, identify latent customer needs and competitive environment
• Actively participate in trade conferences and exhibitions to stay abreast of industry trends
• Recommend new geographies, collaborations & channels in the category to achieve sustainable profitable growth.

Educational Qualification

MBA (mandatory) & Engineering (preferred)

Years/type Of Experience

1-2 years of industry experience.

Technical Skills/Knowledge

• Experience in NPD & stage gate process
• Understanding of the building material and/or sanitary market segments
• Proven track record in managing a product portfolio and category planning
• Business acumen combined with technical knowledge
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills, plus a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• Ability to build relationships

Key skills/competency

• Category Management
• Product Portfolio Management
• New Product Development (NPD)
• Market Assessment
• Business Case Development
• Product Launch Strategy
• Promotional Strategy
• Market Trend Analysis
• Competitor Analysis
• Relationship Building