Sr. Director, Product Management

Petmate is a global leader in pet supply products. Some of our most beloved brands include Chuckit!®, Arm & Hammer®, Barkbone®, Gamma2®, HyperPet®, JW Pet®, La-Z-Boy®, Mad Cat®, Petmate®, Vittles Vault® and Wild Eats®. 

Over 60 years ago, Petmate began with a single focus on providing safe pet transportation, which resulted in the creation of the first dog kennel. Flash forward to today, and the same love and bond that existed to provide safe travels for our pets now permeates through every step of pet and pet owners’ shared adventure.

Knowing that pets are every bit as much a part of the family, Petmate takes pride in developing new, superior products that improve the quality of life and enrich the bond created between people & their pets. From environmentally responsible manufacturing to rigorous product testing, we place safety at the core of what we make and how we make it.

Our 25 trusted brands continually drive innovation across pet categories, spanning dog and cat toys, feeding and watering, food storage, carriers, shelters, bedding, consumables and more.

OUR WHY: To enrich the lives of families by cultivating the bond between people & their pets

OUR VISION: Families everywhere trust us more than any other company to enhance the well-being of their pets at every step of their adventure

Petmate Core Values

OWN IT!: We take full responsibility for our actions, decisions, and their outcomes

STEADFAST DETERMINATION: Steady pursuit of what's next with unwavering commitment and enthusiasm

DO THE RIGHT THING: Consistent alignment of actions and values in every situation, ensuring you're always true to what's right

SAFETY WITHOUT COMPROMISE: We prioritize the safety of employees, consumers, and pets without compromise

Job Purpose:

The Sr. Director, Product Management, will be responsible for overseeing the entire lifecycle of the product category assigned, including portfolio management, new product development and profitability. This role demands an in-depth understanding of consumer pain points, customer needs and market trends to guide the creation of products that align with both consumer desires and business goals. The Sr. Director will also develop the financial framework for each product, ensuring profitability by establishing cost structures, pricing strategies, and revenue forecasts.  

Collaboration with cross-functional teams is essential, as the Sr. Director will work closely with them to ensure the successful market introduction of new products. This includes aligning distribution strategies, sales goals, and promotional efforts to maximize adoption. The Sr. Director will also manage the product launch process from end to end, coordinating with marketing, sales, supply chain, and teams to ensure a smooth introduction to store shelves and market readiness. 

In addition, this role requires a strategic mindset to drive both short- and long-term business opportunities. The Sr. Director will work to ensure the category remains competitive and profitable, balancing immediate sales goals with a vision for sustainable growth. Leading cross-functional teams and maintaining a keen focus on profitability throughout the product lifecycle is key, as is maintaining a strong understanding of profit and loss, cost structures, and margin optimization. The ability to lead, influence, and manage complex, multi-disciplinary projects is critical to success in this role, as is the ability to manage category growth while delivering innovative products that resonate with customers. 

Responsibilities:

• Create long-term and short-term strategies for assigned product category, aligning them with business goals. Ensuring the roadmap covers innovative product development, portfolio gap fillers, and line extensions.
• Lead the planning and execution of new product launches, ensuring alignment across departments, effective go-to-market strategies, and proper launch execution to maximize market impact.
• Establish specific plans for the product lines within the category, focusing on growth, customer demands, market conditions, and overall product lifecycle.
• Develop a strategy to encourage customers to upgrade or move to higher-end products. This might involve bundling, providing additional benefits, or aligning with customer preferences.
• Defining the pricing approach for the products, taking into account market research, competitor pricing, cost structures, and profitability goals.

• Profitability whereby focusing on ensuring the products and categories contribute positively to the company’s bottom line, this includes analyzing cost structures, pricing, and market demand.
• Manage the P&L for the product portfolio, ensuring that each product or category meets financial objectives and adjusting strategies accordingly to improve performance.
• SKU Rationalization, regularly evaluate product SKUs to identify underperforming items, streamline the product range, and ensure that the portfolio aligns with market needs.
• Oversee the stage-gate process, and ensure all requirements are met before moving on to the next stage.
• Act as strategic partner and liaison for sales team, responsible for annual category planning, including private label, merchandising/assortments by retailer and support ad hoc opportunities.
• Category experts whereby having a deep understanding of sell through performance, identity insights and trends, retailer POS data, competitive analysis, price points, promos, etc.
• Be the go-to expert in category trends, retail and pet industry trade news.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10 years of work experience in leading category management in Pet or Consumer Product Goods (CPG) industry.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with excellent verbal and written communication, networking, and collaborative skills.
• Experience in hiring, coaching, mentoring and training team of product management professionals.
• Strong analytical, consultative, and problem-solving skills.
• Working knowledge of supply chain and manufacturing.
• Self-guided with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Manage multiple tasks and deliver on time deadlines
• Ability to present and communicate across multi levels and audiences within the organization
• Progressive thinker to maintain competitive product line in marketplace.
• Change management and capability management experience is desirable.
• Strong organizational skills.

Petmate is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.