Director of Product Development - Ashville, NC
General Job Activities:
- Responsible for new product leadership, product line vitality/modifications and developing
pipeline of products to ensure sustainable stream of innovative product introductions.
- Use customer and consumer insights to identify potential new product opportunities.
- Manage new product development projects to maximize speed to market, completeness and
accuracy.
- Establish plans that include product positioning and branding strategies.
- Provide leadership and creative and strategic oversight throughout the process.
- Use judgment, influence, and gating process to stop less viable projects early to avoid
unproductive consumption of resources.
- Manage new product development costs to ensure budgetary constraints are met.
- Drive new product/brand development via collaboration with peers across the organization,
working closely with the executive management team, sales & marketing, and manufacturing
segments, as well as outside consultants.
- Work with other functional areas to gain a complete understanding of market needs,
competitor price points, propose pricing, merchandising, packaging and promotional
strategies.
- Developing and presenting new product business cases including cost/benefit analysis and
resource planning.
- Reinvent, reposition and grow an established and recognized line of branded products in a
very competitive category via new product and brand development efforts.
- Develop brand positioning/re-positioning strategies.
- Responsible for direct management of new product development personnel to include
establishment of objectives, key work assignments, and performance management.
- Initially responsible for activities highlighted above in the gable top packaging area, but may
later be utilized in other paper manufacturing areas as deemed appropriate.
Specific Job Activities:
Project Selection: Work with Marketing, Sales, Manufacturing and Customer Marketing teams to identify new product opportunities.
Feasibility Study: Work with Marketing & Commercial accounting to develop initial
Feasibility study to include both Management & Commercial presentations.
Project Planning: Develop comprehensive project plan to include:
- Budget
- Time line
- Internal resources
- External resources
- Deliverables
Project Management:
Position will be responsible for the overall deliverables as agreed upon in the project document including the management of commercial relationships through the initial start up phase.
Commercial Presentations: Position working with the Sales organization will work to
Develop commercial opportunities for the project.
Management updates: Position will update management on a monthly basis or as required.
Education, experience, skills, special training (required/desired):
- BS degree (engineering, technical, marketing)
- 7-10 years of industry experience. (Packaging or Converting preferred)
- Proven record and specific examples of driving sales growth and market share for business-
to-business or branded consumer goods products.
- History of playing key role in new product introductions, launching new products and bringing
innovation to existing brands/products.
- Strong leadership and team building skills.
- Ability to lead teams at all levels of the organization and effectively balances multiple
projects/initiatives.
- Assertiveness and strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
- Entrepreneurial nature, ability to make timely decisions and willingness to take calculated
risks.
- Excellent presentation and communication skills (both written and oral).
- Mastery of Microsoft computer software applications (especially PowerPoint and Excel)
- Technically skilled
- Attention to detail
- Excellent problem solver
- Creative & resourceful
