Product Line Specialist
Posted by Shimano North America Holding, Inc. on 04/07/2021
Job Basics
Industry Sector: Fishing, Lifestyle, Outdoor
Job Categories: Sales - Company Rep & Support
Company Type: HardGoods/Equipment, Retail
State: SC
City: Charleston
Country: United States
Required Experience: 1 - 3 years
Job Type: Full Time
Salary:
Required to Relocate: Yes
Required to Travel: Yes
Employee May Telecommute: Yes
Job Seeker Must Live Within:
Job Description & Requirements
Product Line Specialist - Fishing Rods & Reels
Fishing Division
Shimano North America Fish, Inc. is a global company offering the world’s sporting community with top labels and brands including Shimano, G. Loomis and Power Pro. We are seeking a Product Line Specialist – Fishing Rods and Reels to join our North Charleston, SC team!
We are proud of our staff; diverse in talent, interests and backgrounds. Job seekers can find unique, one of a kind opportunities in our fishing division, including national and regional sales, marketing, retail services and distribution. We offer an exceptional array of employee benefits and we are proud of a workforce that takes advantage of the health and wellness benefits we offer. Those that seek opportunities with employers that focus on reducing negative impacts on the environment need look no further than SHIMANO NORTH AMERICA. Our company is an ISO14001 certified business where environmental compliance and continual improvements are part of our business philosophy and operations. If you feel you can bring talent, innovation and enthusiasm to our workforce then please consider the opportunities we have available.
Job Summary:
The Product Line Specialist (PLS) - is responsible managing fishing rod, reel and other products throughout the products lifecycle. Primary responsibilities include ongoing market research into current and potential future product trends, changing product requirements, measuring product successes and evaluating competitor developments. It is a requirement for this position to complete a two (2) year assignment at Shimano’s global headquarters in Sakai, Japan. This position will report; to the Manager of the Product Planning Team.
Job Level:
Entry to Mid-Level
Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
Phase 1 Requirement:
Develop an understanding of the North American fishing tackle market.
Fisheries
• Develop knowledge of the size and share of the market of each major fishery which includes:
• Bass and other freshwater species
• Saltwater species
• Fly fishing
• General use
• Within each major fishery, determine the most influential sub-markets along with size and share. Gain the following knowledge of product ranges for each major fishery:
• Key products
• Size and share of various products and product categories
• Size and share by price
• Size and share by competitor
• Determine past and present “trends” in each major fishery and how each fishery transitioned over the last 5 years.
Competitive Landscape
• Continuously obtain an understanding of the competitive landscape. Conduct competitive assessments.
• Develop core competencies in competitors’ product performance. Gain thorough knowledge of products by learning what are they good at and why.
• Determine their market approach/strategy.
- Research markets they do/do not touch
• Understand key market strengths/weaknesses.
• Study competitors’ history and future.
• Determine market share by category.
Business Operations
• Learn and embody team Shimano’s Mission and Philosophies
• Understand how and why we do business the way we do
• Gain significant knowledge of how the fishing market operates at the trade level
• Learn distribution model, customer types and ranges
• Substantial study of various internal teams at Shimano American
• Determine sales structure
• Understand pricing/terms/commissions, etc.
Time allocation during training period
Office: 45%
- Learn SMN business process and KPI
- Build reports
- Know SMN team/resources
- Interdepartmental immersion
Retailer visits/work: 30%
- First hand consumer experience/requirements
- Learn value of different retailers in the marketplace
- Study how retailers sell and consumers buy
Fishing: 25%
- Substantial understanding of SMN performance and competitor performance
- Develop a vision for how SMN can innovate with our capabilities
Phase 2 Requirements: Overseas Assignment
• Reports to Shimano Japan Fishing Division planning senior manager
• Learn total Team Shimano product planning process
- Total immersion into Shimano’s design/development process
- Broaden understanding of development and manufacturing
- Study pre-planning, market segmentation and lifecycle management
- Create product proposals
- Maintain year product plans
- Represent the OVS markets in planning decisions and strategy
- Lead various projects as assigned
Phase 3 Requirements: Return to Shimano North America as Product Line Manager
• Apply experience to review/improve the product management process
• Total product line management responsibilities
Job Qualifications:
- Thorough knowledge and passion for fishing and associated products.
- 1-3 years? experience in market research or product line planning
- Requires general business skills, industry knowledge, financial management and planning skills.
- Possess a unique blend of business and technical savvy.
- Demonstrate market intelligence in the fish arena to assist and guide Sales, Promotions, Service and Supply Chain in the continued growth.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of management in an organized and professional manner. Strong presentation skills.
- Ability to utilize judgment in decision making process and decisions related to job tasks
- Excellent customer service skills. Must establish credibility and build positive and professional relationships with customers.
- Ability to work with teams. Effectively establish and maintain working relationship with all levels within the company, internally, externally and cross culturally.
- Project and time management skills. Must have the ability to prioritize and complete tasks.
- Strong attention to detail.
- Analytical and problem solving skills. Significant data gathering/analysis/reporting
- Must be reliable and resourceful.
- Extensive travel. Must be willing to travel extensively.
- Overseas assignment.
- Basic understanding of the Japanese language or willingness to learn
- Proficient experience in Window?s based programs, including Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Teams and Access). Familiarity with the Internet and Web based applications and familiarity with database marketing (profiles, models, reporting, etc.) required.
Shimano North America is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status or any classification protected by federal, state, or local law.