SVP, Seating

Job Purpose:

Position will lead the seating product roadmap strategy for North America. This position is a strategic operator that will serve as the cross functional seating executive between Product Development/Management, Marketing & Design, Sales and most importantly our Dealer and End-User Customers. This senior leadership position will understand the customer needs, position our products, assist with development direction and launching line enhancements and new products, enable go-to market sales teams, and communicate-train on our competitive advantages of the seating portfolio to the contract dealer base.

Primary Job Duties:

Product Development/Management

• Assist team with developing the annual and three-year NPD product roadmaps for the seating category within Global, Global Healthcare and Offices-to-Go
• Assist team with vertical market segment intel for future product roadmap projects
• Provide recommendations on product maintenance, product rationalization and end of life decisions and announcements
• Maintain relationships with key global seating component suppliers, alliance partnerships with materials + finishes jobbers, contract furniture industry-focused industrial designers, as well as OEM seating and components global partners

Product Marketing Strategy

• Develop and execute the company’s product marketing strategy aligned with corporate marketing and overall sales revenue objectives
• Establish clear positioning, messaging, value propositions and differentiation across products and market segments
• Assist with building a scalable, consistent and enhanced product marketing model for line enhancements and new product introductions
• Lead promotional campaigns as needed to support targeted growth by customer market, region, vertical market segment or sub product category
• Partner with executive leadership to identify market opportunities and shape to-to market strategy

Market & Voice of Customer (VOC) Insight

• Translate market insights into product strategy, messaging, promotional pricing and go-to market recommendations for sales teams
• Establish an ongoing feedback loop between contract dealer customers, our sales reps and regional sales leadership with ongoing field travel into targeted key North American markets

Go-To Market & Product Launches

• Assist with the go-to market strategy with product line enhancements, new products, major alliance partnership programs and key announcements or initiatives
• Utilize launch frameworks that define target audiences, positioning, messaging, channels, sampling, launch promotions and success metrics
• Provide sales rep, sales leadership as well as customer training for all launches
• Ensure launches have new product reporting established

Sales Training & Enablement

• Create compelling sales narratives, presentations, battlecards, competitive playbooks, case studies to support sales success
• Equip sales and customer service teams with product value proposition and differentiation tools
• Ensure proper sample program for internal sales team as well as for key contract dealer partners
• Assist marketing and design team with proper showroom layout with key/new products, necessary options and featuring top selling and new partner materials and finishes

Assist with Brand and Market Teams

• Assist with seating category narratives and thought leadership that strengthens the company’s market position
• Partner with corporate marketing and design to ensure consistency across product, brand, and customer messaging, especially with social media platforms
• Identify opportunities to establish or redefine market and/or product category positioning (i.e.: low-mid, mid-mid, high-mid marketing, list price points)
• Work closely with marketing and design team on selection of co-branded alliance partners as well as the right mix of price point options, on trend options and new product launches

Leadership Team Member

• NPD team member representing the seating category as well as providing insight to adjacent product categories
• Cross functionally, lead seating category initiatives within Global, Global Healthcare and Offices-to-Go; work closely with Canadian Product Managers, US Product Solutions and Sales Management
• Establish clear revenue goals, accountability, as well as marketplace feedback communication
• Foster a culture of customer obsessiveness, analytical detail, product and program creativity and cross functional collaboration
• Provide recommendations on strategic partnerships (North America and International) as well as merger and acquisitions opportunities for the US and Canada