Franklin Electric

This position with Franklin Grid Solutions provides an opportunity to work with a highly committed and successful team in a fast- paced, global environment where we deliver customer focused solutions. Your career at Franklin will be well rewarded with competitive compensation and benefits--and more. We understand a fulfilling family life is the foundation to a successful professional one. We strive to promote from within and help every employee realize their professional potential.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POSITION

Responsible for the Grid Solutions product line and overall product management including, but not limited to, providing strategic direction of the product portfolio, leading project management efforts, forecasting, financial analysis, identifying product needs, working across functions to develop new products and manage the product development road map, understand competition, overseeing product design and application engineering as needed, and providing sales, customer service and technical support. 

Key Responsibilities

• Play integral role in assuring the Franklin 5 Key Factors – Quality, Availability, Service, Innovation, and Cost are effectively maintained for assigned products. 
• Manages the product management organization and drives product line strategic direction and maintains product development road map, defines new product opportunities and develops robust business cases in support of new product development projects. 
• Leads and prioritizes product line related projects and project team activities including new product development, quality improvement, and value improvement projects.
• Perform constant customer need assessments while understanding the competitive landscape in order to direct strategic actions that will improve market position and profitability.
• Analyzes new product requests, conducts pricing research and competitor research to manage products and product lines.
• Manages existing product line based on forecast, performance, and profitability, while implementing required changes or modifications.
• Identifies opportunities to achieve corporate sales goals, objectives, and action plans. Seeks new customer opportunities and maintains current customer relationships while achieving corporate goals.
• In conjunction with the market development manager, analyzes the market to clearly understand and position the product line in the marketplace while identifying potential acquisition targets. 
• Develops short- and long-term forecasts, budgets, inventory plans, strategies and marketing programs required to meet sales objectives.
• Attends market specific trade shows, state and regional shows, and territory seminars and report on key trends, customers, competitors, market drivers and technologies. Travel requirement up to 30%.
• Works with the marketing communications team to ensure that marketing tools such as collateral, packaging, catalogs, Internet presence, etc., meets customer needs.
• Supports various company departments regarding specific product line information including but not limited to Sales, Customer Service and Technical Services teams.
• Performs other related duties as required or assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervises supervisory and non-supervisory employee(s).
• Interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance, rewarding, and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
• Informing Human Resources of employee issues.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise

• Strong business and analytical skills to formulate product line strategies
• Enjoys and can work effectively with a technically orientated product line 
• Thrive working in a truly global, and fast paced work environment 
• Works effectively leading cross functional teams including both technical and commercial resources
• Knows arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, and their applications
• Deals with problems involving several known variables in situations of routine nature and can make a recommendation on path forward to resolution
• Analyzes information and evaluates results to choose the best solution and solve problems
• Identifies the underlying principles, reasons, facts, or information by breaking down information or data into separate parts
• Effectively communicates information and responds to questions in person-to-person and small group situations with customers, clients, the general public, and other employees of the organization
• Maintains confidentiality and uses discretion with business information
• Reads and understands documents such as policy manuals, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals
• Writes routine reports and correspondence
• Utilizes common-sense understanding in order to carry out written, oral, or diagrammed instructions
• Plans the time, method, manner, and/or performance sequence of own work; may also occasionally assist in planning work assignments performed by others within a limited area of operation
• Frequently makes decisions of both minor and major importance, which may affect the work operations of other employees 
• Review excess and obsolete material and make recommendation for use or disposition with supporting evidence

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Engineering, or related field required, MBA a plus.
• Three to Five Years of experience in Product Management/Project Management required.
• Experience with utilities, telecommunication or data center market is a plus.

Computer Skills

• Intermediate/Advanced: Excel, PowerPoint