Category Manager

City: Chicago

State/Province: IL

Country: United States

Division: Corporate

Job ID: 13086

Since 1952, Lawson Products has worked hard to make our customers' jobs easier by improving their operational efficiency, productivity and overall performance. As a leader in the MRO industry, we partner with customers to make sure they have the right maintenance and repair parts on hand when needed.

We’re looking for a Product Manager with effective communication skills and knowledge of common industrial products. The Product Manager is responsible for strategic positioning and execution throughout the product lifecycle, including: defining the vision of the category; gathering and prioritizing market requirements; and working in conjunction with sales, marketing, pricing, sourcing , engineering, and supply chain in order to meet the customer satisfaction, strategic, and financial goals of the organization.

Our corporate headquarters is located in Chicago, IL. This role operates on a hybrid work model; employees spend two days working in the office and three days working remotely. We offer retirement benefits, plus medical, dental, and vision benefits, as well as a paid holiday and PTO package.

Responsibilities:

• Manages one or more product categories.

• Leads the development and execution of category strategy to profitably grow the business.

• Owns P&L for assigned category and is responsible for driving top line sales and product margin objectives for the lines, within the context of the corporate sales and margin expectations. Sales revenue, gross product margin and product marging % will be key metrics.

• Responsible for growing top line sales, working with sales, marketing and education teams to ensure growth targets are met.

• New Product Introduction is a critical element and key metric of the function and role will oversee all aspects of this process through execution.

• Responsible for all aspects of Go-to-Market strategy, including branding, pricing and promotions.

• Manages margin, working with sourcing,vendors and pricing teams to ensure margin objectives are met.

• Serves as Subject Matter Expert for the product categories, leveraging industry knowledge and insight, ongoing customer and supplier interactions, market research, and participation in relevant trade events.

• Prepares annual business plans which include activities to improve category performance.

• Supports the Strategic/Segment Products Managers in defining product go-to-market strategy including: branding, pricing and stocking strategy; establishing product road map, and market positioning strategy in support of category or segment growth targets.

• Works with the Strategic/Segment Products Managers to refine the product offering to best fit customer needs and company goals for the category/segment.

• For margin management, ensures cooperation in defining sourcing strategies, product requirements and supplier selection, working closely with vendors, internal stakeholders, including Product Management, Engineering, Strategic Planning, Operations, Logistics, and Legal.

• Ensures a stable and quality vendor base, working with Product Sourcing to support negotiation with suppliers to ensure optimal product quality, cost, and delivery conditions.

• Prepares product training materials for sales team and conducts new sales representative training sessions.

• Works in conjunction with sales personnel and customers to better understand market needs.

• Attends and participates in industry conferences, conventions, and trade shows to ensure product offering is up to date, new innovations are reviewed and customer market needs are understood.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business or Marketing preferred, with at least three years' related experience in industrial distribution, purchasing, sales, product management or marketing, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. A minimum of 1 year in a product management capacity with a demonstrated track record of success is required with Private Label experience preferred.

• Strong business accumen

• Strong Project Management skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• PC literacy in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Lawson Products is an Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.