Global Product Manager – Blasting

Purpose of the Role:

The Global Product Manager is responsible for the strategic planning, development, and execution of product categories within the organisation. Their primary objective is to maximise sales and profitability by formulating strategic marketing plans, pricing strategies, and promotional activities to enhance product visibility and drive growth.

Their key responsibilities include; analysing data, driving cost savings, developing exit strategies for unsuccessful products, managing vendor relationships, determining product positioning, and forecasting product demand.

This role works closely with cross- functional teams, such as marketing, sales, and supply chain, to achieve overall business objectives, and is responsible for leading a team of product support professionals.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning: Develop and implement strategies to promote the marketing efforts for the product category. Create strategic marketing plans to boost customer engagement and promotions. Define sourcing strategies to optimise cost, quality, and delivery. Develop exit strategies for unsuccessful products to minimise losses.

Pricing and Promotion: Formulate and execute pricing strategies to optimise sales and profitability. Devise pricing strategies to attract more sales and upsell other products in the category. Determine product positioning to maximise market impact.

Data Analysis and Insights: Utilise data analysis to gain insights into customer behavior, purchasing patterns, and market trends. Use this information to drive growth and improve category performance.

Product Development: Oversee the product development process from concept to launch, through collaborating with engineering, design, and other teams to develop product specifications and requirements, as well as partnering with the Business units and support functions. Conduct regular review of product portfolio, develop and implement initiatives to improve the performance/quality/profitability of respective products.

Performance Monitoring: Monitor category performance and adjust strategies as needed to achieve business objectives. Track and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) related to category management.

Stakeholder Collaboration: Work with teams throughout the research and development stages. Collaborate with internal stakeholders, including procurement, supply chain, marketing, and sales teams. Manage vendor relationships to ensure quality and cost-effectiveness.

Lifecycle Management: Manage the product lifecycle from introduction to end-of-life. Develop plans for product updates, enhancements, and phase-outs. Ensure ongoing product relevance and competitiveness in the market.

People Management: Lead the Product Management team including performance management, succession planning, and implementation/execution of employee development plans.

Knowledge and Experience:

– Minimum of 7-10 years’ of experience in Category Management, Product Support, Marketing, or a related field.

– At least 5 years’ experience working in Product Management in the Mining or Explosives sectors.

– At least 3 years’ Blasting experience.

– At least 3 years’ Commercial explosives experience.

– Sound experience working in a Mining environment

– Proficiency in data analysis tools and procurement software.

– Knowledge of market trends and best practices in Category Management.

– Ability to travel as required for supplier meetings or industry.

Educational Qualifications & Professional Registration:

– Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, or equivalent.

– MBA preferred.

– Blasting Certification is advantageous.

Skills and Attributes:

– Proficiency in MS Office Skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

– Strong understanding of financial principles and ability to analyse profitability and sales data.

– Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and influence others.

– Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.

– Customer Satisfaction.

– Lifecycle Management.

– Product Management.

– Sales.

– Operations.

– Strong Mining technical knowledge.

– Research and Development.