Commercial Strat​/Planning Assoc Manager

Overview The manager will be a member of PFUS Commercialization organization as the Commercial Execution PAL supporting the commercialization of pricing actions, broad portfolio changes and PEP+ initiatives. Our marketing and sales partners are challenged to execute never done before ideas in ever shortening timelines, providing a constant variety of actions to work and new ways of thinking needed. This unique combination provides access to learning opportunities in many functions and exposure to how a product goes from idea to in-market in PFNA;

an exceptional foundation for future roles. Commercial Execution teams lead commercialization of most growth drivers for PFUS through project and master data management such as Product Innovation, Packaging, Push Volume, Pricing, and Productivity. The team partners with multiple cross-functional teams on any idea that needs a change in behavior tied to a finished good by a manufacturing plant. Ideas are managed using the Business Proposal (BP) process in the Oracle Product Lifecycle Management (OPLM) tool named Cornerstone.

The output is the Manufacturing Notification (Mfg Notif) with production details to supply chain and product information required by sales and their customers. This L9 role is also known as a Programming Leader (PaL) and has accountability for driving creation, problem solving and alignment of cross-functional product commercialization plans for an assigned mix of brands, customers, or channels. The role provides an excellent way to master and influence product commercialization and build a cross functional network while learning the product supply chain, from idea feasibility to hand off to the manufacturing plants.

Metrics center around executing initiatives on-time while providing timely and accurate Mfg Notifications. As speed of governance is directly impacted by the quality of the work submitted, this role will take the lead in training prime movers on BP authorship. The team executes over 2100 BPs a year with activity valued at over $2.0 Billion. One PaL could manage 150-200 BPs annually, pending complexity of their assignment.

Responsibilities PaLs must understand their brand or customers strategic goals which generate specific product impacting ideas to achieve the sales growth or productivity goals. The PaL is responsible for assigning the overall timeline based on the project objective defined by Marketing and/or Sales that can be executed with confidence by cross functional partners to meet the Marketing and/or Sales desired timing.

These ideas range from launching new products, driving packaging changes for promotions, executing volume pushes (cross docks), offering unique merchandising (PPWs, KOs), planning productivity initiatives (such as packaging or formulation changes), managing gross pricing (visual pricing or weight outs) and many other creative ideas. Our partners are challenged to execute fresh ideas so there is always variety and critical thinking required.

The PaL drives and identifies the key activities needed, proper governance required, target timeline, problem solving and execution via cross functional task force meetings, which the Prime Mover also attends. They lead this group (8-12+ people) to create and manage the overarching timeline and commercial process to release of the Manufacturing Notification. The PaL interacts with L6 to LG1+ partners in this space.

  Across the spectrum, this position will work closely with Marketing (Innovation / Brand / Shopper), Customer Teams (Wal-Mart, Sam's, Kroger, Costco, other strategic Supermarket acct's), Sales Commercialization, R&D Product Development, R&D Regulatory, R&D Packaging, Ops Commercialization, Product Supply teams support all delivery methods (DSD, FSV, PWL, Club Direct, Frozen), Material Supply (film/seasoning), Co-Mfg and Repack industry managers, Engineering, Cost Accounting, Finance and the Law Dept. 

Business Proposal Governance - work with Brand, Customer or Channel Director to understand strategic objectives. Work with Prime Mover on fit of individual business initiatives. Scope projects and work their approval through appropriate…