This opportunity is located within our AFB International business, the global science and technology leader in pet food palatability. We develop and produce a full range of liquid and dry palatability enhancers using high-quality ingredients proven to optimize companion animal response and consumption. Click here to learn more.

Job Description

Product leadership is the primary responsibility of the Regional Product Manager.  This position, working closely with Global Marketing and Regional sales, is responsible for executing category plans and providing associated marketing and sales support for the region.  Responsibilities include regional product portfolio management, pricing and proposal requests, sales project management, market data management, and regional marketing communications execution.  The Regional Product Manager is an important contributor to achieving AFB’s regional sales and profitability plans.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The Regional Product Manager will work closely with Global Marketing and R&D, and Regional sales and supply chain to:

Ensure the regional product portfolio meets the current needs of the market.

Recommend product solutions and pricing proposals to create mutual value for the regional customer and for AFB.

Train, equip, and support the regional sales team to effectively present AFB’s regional solutions.

Provide leadership for cross-functional customer-specific projects

Develop deep understanding of the regional pet food market to provide market knowledge, feedback, and direction to shape and guide product development.

Work with category managers to develop new products that ensure future success in the region.

Participates and/or manages regional product management and marketing initiatives including:

Product life cycle management

Product launches

Pricing requests

Budgeting

Forecasting

Data management

Competitive Intelligence

Marketing communications

Closely collaborates with all functional areas to successfully implement strategy/strategic initiatives.

Achieve regional revenue and profit growth targets.

Supervisory Responsibilities                                               

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Education and/or Experience                                             

Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or other applicable discipline; minimum of five (5) years progressive, professional level industry experience required; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Previous experience in a global B2B environment desired.  Bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, or other related field is required. Three (3) to five (5) years progressive, professional level industry experience is required. Specific experiences desired include project management, brand management, selling, and marketing.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities 

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

Demonstrate the capacity to manage changing priorities and ambiguity while remaining controlled and positive.

Demonstrate initiative and resourcefulness; Results oriented.

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, as well as ability to present and engage audiences.

Ability to communicate effectively in a multicultural, multinational environment and mobilize cross-functional high performance teams.

Ability to effectively communicate with executive leadership and employees.

Excellent technical presentation skills.

Exceptional team building skills

Strong relationship management skills.

Ability to effectively collaborate with others to reach mutually agreeable outcomes.

Ability to effectively build relationships and work across functions and regions.

Experience in a collaborative team environment, delegating workload and responsibilities.

Ability to lead and manage large-scale projects.

Exceptional marketing skills

Ability to identify key data sources and utilize data driven insights to build business case, effectively improve business decisions and enact positive change

Demonstrates a strong customer orientation

Experience conducting market research, marketing or advertising

Experience in product marketing, new product development and product launch marketing research

Strong analytical and organizational skills

Ability to read, analyze, and utilize complex business and financial reports; ability to assess financial, market, and technical data and make product recommendations

Effectively uses data to drive decisions, establishes relevant metrics

Project management experience/training

Proficiency with Microsoft Excel

Ability to travel domestically, up to 20%.

AFB International is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, or veteran status.