Product Manager - Regional Sales

Company Description:

Crown Equipment Corporation is a leading innovator in world-class forklift and material handling equipment and technology. As one of the world’s largest lift truck manufacturers, we are committed to providing the customer with the safest, most efficient and ergonomic lift truck possible to lower their total cost of ownership.

Summary

Provide overall leadership of the Latin America (South/Central America and Caribbean) product marketing function, for Company’s global product range. This includes product road mapping, positioning, competitor analysis and market/application research. Support Sales, Marketing and senior management efforts with commercialization, brand communication, trade shows and event planning. Lead product and soft skills development, e.g., sales training, which includes making available and presenting the necessary materials in Spanish and Portuguese. Build strong relationships and maintain effective collaboration with the Latin American senior management team and the Company’s global Product Management team.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with senior management and regional management, explore, and define gaps to improve product positioning. 
• Develop and implement an international research methodology that includes input from Company and non-Company stakeholders, trend analysis, quantitative surveys, and competitive assessments – making use of all to create a demand model that predicts customer and prospect behavior based on findings. 
• Understand and communicate customer and prospect application needs.
• Segment the market based on industry type or needs based analysis. Identify and specify types of products required to satisfy customer and prospect needs based on Europe (EU) or North America (NA) feature design.
• Work with Regional Sales Managers (RSM’s) and dealer sales management to model competitor pricing to help build strategies for Company products.
• Seek out and collaborate with other Product Managers (PM’s), specialists and influencers in the field to gain insight into needs in Latin America relating to products, marketing, and other support.
• Develop actionable strategies and plans to position the Company and global products for the regional market.
• With guidance and collaboration from product marketing management and senior management, lead the product commercialization efforts through the entire process from concept to launch.
• Utilize, implement, and participate in all aspects of global commercialization to support the product launch process.
• Understand commercialization guidelines and manage the localized strategies.
• Lead efforts required to support RSM’s and dealer sales management when expert knowledge is required for Company and competitor products.
• Collaborate with global PM’s, senior sales professionals, Engineering, and Design departments.
• Work with Company’s global product training teams to execute the translation of all materials in Spanish and Portuguese. 
• Ensure parallel development of product training in Spanish and Portuguese using the learning management system (LMS).
• Promote and maintain the LMS for dealer sales personnel throughout Latin America. 
• In collaboration with the global PM team, support the training required for product launches. 
• Work with Company’s Learning and Development Center to gain certification to deliver sales training material. 
• Organize and lead regional training events for both product and sales content.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5-7 years' related experience
• Bachelor degree (Business or Engineering)

            Non-degree considered if 12+ years of related experience along with a high school diploma or GED

• Extensive travel (over 20%)
• Extensive overnight stays (over 20%)
• Job requires employee to drive a personal vehicle to conduct company business < 20% per week (8 hours) and/or travel locally between company locations during scheduled workday.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated product and application knowledge along with proven communication and analytical skills

Work Authorization:

Crown will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States. This is not a position for which sponsorship will be provided. Individuals with temporary visas or who need sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future, are not eligible for hire.

No agency calls please.

Compensation and Benefits:

Crown offers an excellent wage and benefits package for full-time employees including Health/Dental/Vision/Prescription Drug Plan, Flexible Benefits Plan, 401K Retirement Savings Plan, Life and Disability Benefits, Paid Parental Leave, Paid Holidays, Paid Vacation, Tuition Reimbursement, and much more.

EO/AA Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled