Product Manager - ELIXIR

About the Role

ELIXIR® Strings has long been defined by its relentless pursuit of tools that inspire musicians to create, express, and connect. As we enter the next chapter of innovation, we’re looking for a Global Product Specialist to join our team in Elkton, Maryland where you will to help shape the future of our string portfolio and ensure every product we deliver meets the uncompromising expectations of players around the world. In this pivotal role, you will serve as both a strategic thinker and a hands-on product owner - driving product concepts, ensuring fitness for use, and maximizing value across the global product lifecycle. You’ll work shoulder-to-shoulder with experts across Engineering, Marketing, Supply Chain, Sales, and Business Leadership to translate end-user needs into differentiated products that deliver clear and compelling value. This business-critical role relies on the ability to influence, align, and inspire others in a complex, cross-functional environment. You will represent the voice of the market, shape the product strategy, and ensure every product that ships not only works, but delivers exactly what we promise, every time.

This position will be located at our facility in Elkton, Maryland with the possibility of a hybrid work arrangement.

Responsibilities

• Drive revenue and profit of the ELIXIR Strings portfolio, influencing cross-functional decisions that balance long-term profitability with the near-term needs of the market.
• Develop and execute a clear product strategy by leading new product ideas and concepts for the ELIXIR business. Create and maintain Product Concept Worksheets (PCWs), integrate cross-functional input throughout development, and actively manage the product portfolio throughout the product lifecycle including retiring underperforming sku’s to make room for new ones.
• Develop business cases for new product ideas to ensure volumes, prices, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), and Sales General & Administrative (SG&A) can meet targets. Guide teams on tradeoffs throughout product development projects to timeline, scope, and cost.
• Ensure product fitness-for-use (FFU) by defining clear performance criteria, ensuring that every product meets its promised value, and partnering with Compliance Taskforce teams on product global regulations and labeling.
• Integrate GBS principles such as problem solving, lean daily management, and kaizen to all aspects of work, such as revenue attainment, pricing strategies, and new product development.
• Visit customers and consumers on regular basis using Voice of Customer tools to gather, synthesize, and validate global customer and end-user insights to guide product & business model innovation.
• Accountable for the global pricing strategy and value positioning for all ELIXIR Strings products to grow Enterprise Value, support sales execution, and grow market share.
• Partner with Marketing to create, validate, and approve product claims, ensuring accuracy and alignment with actual performance.
• Maximize product profitability by identifying opportunities throughout the value chain and support key investment decisions across the lifecycle.
• Heavily contributes to the ELIXIR Strategy development, sharing market insight that results in top and bottom-line growth. Own related action plans as part of Strategy Deployment initiatives to grow long term capabilities as required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum of 3 years of experience as a Product Manager OR a minimum of 7 years of experience in a combination of roles that are both technical and market-facing with a global scope and supporting a consumer brand
• Demonstrated experience evaluating product performance and validating product claims using defined performance criteria, test data, or customer feedback
• Proven ability to influence decisions without formal authority, demonstrated through leading cross-functional discussions, creating and maintaining an inclusive work environment and clear understanding of equitable practices
• Experience gathering end-user needs and converting them into clear product requirements and product concepts, including presenting those concepts to cross-functional teams for review and alignment
• Demonstrated financial acumen, including experience interpreting P&L data and influencing product decisions that impact profitability; experience owning product or portfolio-level profitability
• Proven experience developing or executing value-based pricing strategies across multiple regions or sales channels and engaging in pricing discussions with distributors, retailers, or global customers
• Experience developing product strategy using market insights, competitive understanding, and voice-of-customer data
• Proven success driving multiple, complex priorities at the same time, and prioritizing what is most important for the product and business
• Experience with Lean Principles in both manufacturing and business process setting
• Ability to travel up to 30% (domestic and international) for customer meetings, end user engagement, and industry events

Desired Qualifications

• Experience or knowledge of the music industry and competitive products
• Experience as a musician, playing fretted stringed instruments
• Prior experience implementing lean business concepts

This position offers a hybrid work arrangement in the country from which the Associate is employed. Eligibility is dependent on the responsibilities of the role and business needs, and the Associate must agree to comply with Gore’s work arrangement policies.