Product Specialist

SUMMARY:
The Product Marketing Specialist role for our client in the Automotive Industry focuses on developing strategic product plans to enhance the competitive advantage of the Group's passenger vehicle brand, ensuring planned volumes and market share are achieved. This role will be based in Sandton.

POSITION INFO:
Possible tasks:

• Manage product and customer requirement research.
• Benchmark products against competitors and monitor industry developments to identify threats and opportunities.
• Develop strategic product plans addressing customer needs, including rationale, range, specification, positioning, pricing, volumes, and model mix.
• Represent marketing in cross-divisional project team meetings for product plan implementation.
• Coordinate and negotiate product details in meetings.
• Create product information bulletins for dealers on innovations or changes.
• Approve point-of-sale material for specification accuracy, including website content.
• Manage unique product requirements for car rental and government markets through cross-divisional collaboration.
• Supervise price indexing to ensure correct product pricing and positioning relative to competitors.
• Plan and conduct feasibility studies for potential imported models, including vehicle clinics.
• Oversee new vehicle introduction processes to meet deadlines and prevent launch delays.
• Ensure timely and accurate delivery of vehicle specification sheets and order templates.
• Optimize Functional Unit ordering processes to ensure unit availability for launches.
• Manage SAP Sales Distribution system vehicle specification tables to control wholesale pricing.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Commerce, Engineering, Finance, or Marketing.
• Experience:
  • 5 years of product planning experience in the automotive industry (preferred).
  • 2 years of experience in engineering, sales forecasting, market research, or brand management (beneficial).
• Skills and Competencies:
  • Strategic and conceptual thinking.
  • Strong understanding of Marketing, Sales, and the competitive market environment.
  • Well-developed analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Excellent oral and written communication.
  • German language proficiency (beneficial).
  • Attention to detail and high computing proficiency, including MBV systems.
  • Effective presentation skills (internal and external).
  • Ability to interact with customers in diverse situations.
  • Structured approach and project management abilities.
  • Strong negotiation skills.