Product Manager

About us:
Smeg is an Italian home appliance manufacturer formed in 1948 by the Bertazzoni family and is based in Guastalla, near Reggio Emilia in the North of Italy. In 1986, the Smeg brand was introduced to Australia in its own right, with exclusive distribution rights then being granted to the company. Since then, the Smeg brand has become a household name in Australia for premium cooking and kitchen appliances, and in January 2011 the franchise was reinstated into the Smeg Group as a wholly owned subsidiary known as Smeg Australia Pty Ltd.
About the role:
Responsible for communication and management of Major Domestic Appliances, covering however not limited to cooking, cooling, dishwashers and laundry product categories (ovens, freestanding cookers, cooktops, rangehoods, refrigeration, dishwashers and laundry) within the MDA portfolio. To manage the New Product Introduction and End Of Life process for the selected MDA category requirements for Smeg manufactured and OEM sourced products.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
· Develop and maintain Smeg Australia product launch, pricing and promotional strategies in accordance with company policies for relevant major domestic appliances
· Liaise with the Head of Marketing & Product regarding product strategies and assist with pricing and competitor analysis for benchmarking and positioning.
· Liaise with General Manager of Sales across Retail and Commercial divisions for the development and roll out of go-to-market plans and distribution strategies
· Be accountable to all profitability results on market "go" and promotional product pricing
· Liaise with Smeg HQ (Italy) product teams to deliver new product in market effectively and on-time
· Liaising with local and international OEM suppliers regarding product sourcing, specification development and technical data collection.
· Work closely with the Head of Marketing & Product and the marketing team to create marketing messages and develop copy and communications, and brief in materials to support new and existing products (Eg. feature/benefits comparisons, tech spec sheets etc).
· Deliver clear and concise product information to all internal stakeholders for all new product launches, including spec sheet development, system and data input
· Deliver up to date information on new product launch timings and phase in/phase out inventory management to internal teams
· Provide ongoing communication of new and existing products to internal and external stakeholders via product strategy meetings and retailer meetings
· Co-ordinate all new product testing, sampling and any other product performance requirements that require analysis and internal reporting
· Work with Sales to determine new product forecasts based on display requirements, run rates and market intel
· Leverage market data and intel to analyse, develop, distribute and present new product line ranges in line with trends and sales results
· Maintain and update key competitor product analysis by product category, and evolve product strategy based on actionable insights
· Work in conjunction with the National Product Training Manager to develop and rollout product training modules and priorities, staying up to date with all product knowledge.
· Conduct product communication meetings across AU and Italy, ensuring AU staff are up to speed with new product developments and status.
· Review and maintain product catalogue and liaise with Italy to ensure accuracy on PI and Smeg PIX.
· Review and maintain Megasite (AU content repository) for categories of responsibility.
· Pricing maintenance (agency promotions and special pricing sign-off).
· ROI analysis on product assortment (product on display/ranged vs. sell out), SKU performance assessment and rationalisation
· Effective management of display clearance price ticketing in EOL management process
· In-store POS recommendations based on product USPs
· Development and analysis of promotions $$ or % off campaigns
· Comply with relevant WHS policies and continually look for improvements in the office.
Key Performance Measures:
· Clear and concise delivery of product information to all internal stakeholders for all new product launches.
· Deliver profitability calculations on all new products to Head of Marketing & Product, when required.
· Deliver on product category, range and aesthetic model strategies.
· Maintain high level of
confidentiality
, which is required in regard to marketing, costs and statistics (or other market information).
· Create, manage and support the Head of Marketing & Product and General Manager Sales – Domestic Appliances in regard to meetings, presentation support and up to date product information.
· Maintain and update information of the new product database.
· Deliver up to date information on new product launch timings and relevant information to internal teams.
· Maintain and update key competitor product analysis by product category (head-to-head analysis when required).
· Attendance to all internal product training sessions.
· Support marketing team with all products related discussions and provide any information requested by the team.