High Brass Product Manager

Company: Conn-Selmer, Inc.
Location: Elkhart
Posted on: January 8, 2021

Job Description:

Conn-Selmer, Inc. is the leading U.S. manufacturer of musical instruments for student, amateur and professional use encompassing a brand portfolio of Vincent Bach, C.G. Conn, King, Holton, Selmer, Armstrong, Leblanc, Ludwig, Musser, Scherl & Roth; and is also the North American Distributor of Henri Selmer Paris woodwinds, and Yanagisawa saxophones.Join our team of entrepreneurial leaders, innovative manufacturers and passionate music educators seeking to improve the music industry worldwide. With a focus on quality craftsmanship and superior musical performance, we empower the next generation of talent to make their mark on the future of the world's most-loved musical brands.We have an opening within our Product team for High Brass Product Manager. This position reports to the Vice-President of Product & International Sales. The role is responsible for the overall Product Roadmap of Conn-Selmer's line of trumpets, cornets and flugel horns. The High Brass Product Manager role is based in Elkhart, Indiana. The successful candidate must reside within a commutable distance to Elkhart upon accepting the position.Position Overview:The role is responsible for the planning, development, implementation and maintenance of a competitive product roadmap for Conn-Selmer's line of trumpets, cornets and flugel horns under the prestigious Bach, King and Conn brands. The High Brass Product Manager will actively collaborate with Operations to establish consistent quality standards and inspection criteria for all high brass instruments. Conn-Selmer Product Managers work hand-in-hand with the Conn-Selmer Creative team to develop supporting marketing materials across the instrument category and to provide technical training support to the internal Sales team, internal and external customers.Primary Responsibilities:

• Leads all roadmap initiatives for a world-class High Brass product portfolio, including extensive market research, competitive analysis and innovative product development.
• Validates prototype builds, gathers testimonials and implements design feedback from global stakeholders, artists and educators.
• Leads and coordinates all product development activities and continuous improvement processes in close cross-departmental collaboration with Sales, Strategic Sourcing, Engineering, R&D and Manufacturing.
• Attends vertical product shows and conferences (both virtual and in-person), clinics and other promotional events. Represents the company at key trade shows.
• Establishes personal relationships with top influencers and artists in the market place.
• Collaborates with Product Information Management (PIM) group to establish and maintain comprehensive product data and digital assets in order to support accurate and consistent content, pricing, specifications and features for all internal and external applications (web platform, e-commerce, price lists, catalogues, ERP etc.)
• Gathers, tracks and maintains information on current product lines with comparisons to competitive products and pricing in all global market places and works with Portfolio Development Manager to implement all data into comprehensive roadmap file.
• Understands all sales and marketing programs related to Conn-Selmer High Brass products. Supports sales & marketing teams on quarterly and yearly promotional plan for domestic and international markets.
• Identifies, and helps to create all support materials (product catalogues, price lists, handouts, social media posts, digital templates, web presence, packaging, consumer experiences. etc.) for the High Brass category.
• Assists Director of Communications with communication campaigns and supports the Creative team on campaign development and press releases.
• Supports Inside Sales & Customer Engagement teams to prepare and provide timely responses to product-specific consumer and customer inquiries.
• Works across organization on forecasting, pricing, product setup and discontinuance with accuracy and speed in order to maximize profitability and market share and provide transition sell-through strategy on current models for all new product launches.Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Music Performance or Music Education. MBA is a plus
  • A minimum of 5 years' experience with brand, category or product management, including marketing communication with progression in roles and responsibilities within a consumer products company.
  • Professional experience playing high brass instruments with excellent skills in trumpet performance
  • Demonstrated needs and behavior based consumer segmentation, target market definition, leading competitive position analysis.
  • Successful track record in product management and development, separating features and attributes in prize of entry vs. market winning differentiators.
  • Ability to manage multiple timelines and projects simultaneously and effectively, lead cross-departmental initiatives and meet deadlines on time or ahead of schedule.
  • Competency in the use of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint). Able to write text and copy for all product-related marketing collateral (packaging, catalogue, web sites, video and rich media content).
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills including command of the English language, listening, and presentation ability.
  • Strong thinking and creative skills combining seasoned judgment, visionary thinking, financial acumen and global perspective. Demonstrated ability to work in complex situations and cross cultural business situations.
  • Comfortable dealing with all levels of the organization and capable to shape strategy and drive efficient and timely execution.
  • Self-starter with strong initiative willing to challenge and disrupt status quo and think outside the boxEssential Functions:
    • Must be able to travel independently both domestically and internationally, approximately 30% of the time.
    • Requires ability to stand on feet for extended periods (up to 12 hours).
    • Ability to remain in a sedentary position for extended lengths of time.
    • Ability to lift over 50 lbs. for display set up and tear down.
    • Excellent hearing.

Keywords: Conn-Selmer, Inc., Elkhart , High Brass Product Manager, Executive , Elkhart, Indiana