Associate Product Specialist

Position Mission

The Product Specialist will provide technical product expertise, contributing to the strategic direction of the Category Managers and Directors strategies. This role will understand the technical differences across private label and branded products to provide a full range offering to our customers. In addition will work closely with supplier and manufacturer teams to bring the latest innovation, competitive intel, and end user insights back to the category team.

Position Performance Metrics

Financial (to defined budgets):

• APG and ASG Category Sales
• POS Sales Out
• APG and ASG gross profit (GP)

Operational:

• Adherence to Private Label product hierarchy / strategy

• Product quality control

• Packaging quality control

Customer:

• Support product development in line with the Category Manager's strategy

• Identify changing trends in End User needs and expectations of Private Label Product

Responsibilities:

• Presents as a category expert with vast knowledge across the category from product benefits to top consumer needs to latest technology trends

• Translates business requirements into technical specifications and vice versa.

• Leverages market data and research to identify and develop new product opportunities for the category team

• Supports product financial analysis to understand profitability of line extensions or new categories

• Understands and clearly outlines product quality and feature differences to effectively build a "good, better, best" strategy for each subcategory

• Creates and tracks design sprints for new product designs and sample reviews.

• Establishes priorities across a brand or category's innovation fields and provides clear direction to cross-functional support teams

• Collaborates on sell story creation for customer facing presentations to support new product launches

• Understands category segment annual P&L targets, consistently identifying opportunities to deliver against the aligned upon target

• Executes against clear objectives from the category team and can articulate the category and segment vision for short and long-term success

• Works with Category Teams to help manage all aspects of the product's life cycle.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrate company values and lead by personal example

• Focus on GPC core competencies

• Commercial acumen

• Customer oriented

• Relationship builder

• Communication

• Influencing

• Collaborative working

• Decision making

• Analytical thinking

Experience, Education, and Abilities:

• Tertiary qualifications in business or related discipline

• Sourcing

• Negotiation

• Project Management

• Strong financial acumen

• Work is performed in a typical office and retail store environment, along with travel to manufacturing facilities. There may be exposure to noise, dust, fumes, or temperature shifts

• Travel expected 40-50% of the time

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GPC conducts its business without regard to sex, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, military status, status as a veteran, or any other protected characteristic. GPC's policy is to recruit, hire, train, promote, assign, transfer and terminate employees based on their own ability, achievement, experience and conduct and other legitimate business reasons.