Saris:
Director of Product Development Job in Madison, WI, WI

The Director of Product Development is a consumer-centric creative thinker who directs and oversees all aspects of product life cycle management for the Saris Cycling Group (SCG) suite of products. He/she works with the Product Managers to understand market demands and the competitive marketplace and helps define the product strategy and product integration into current product portfolios. The Director of Product Development works with Project Managers to establish, monitor, and maintain systems and procedures to ensure high-quality, on-time, and cost effective products across all SCG brands.

Duties/Responsibilities:
• Defines and executes the product vision and strategy for the SCG product suite.
• Conducts and/or oversees consumer, market and competitive research. Uses the research results to identify consumer issues, behaviors, needs and desires.
o Understands main competitors, including their strengths and weaknesses, how they acquire products, and how they take products to market.
o In collaboration with the Product Managers and marketing department, conducts and maintains consumer research and data across all consumer segments.
o In collaboration with the Product Managers and marketing department, creates and administers market feedback tools via personal communication, surveys, and focus groups with potential customers, existing customers, lead users, and sponsored athletes and teams.
• Leads of committee of Product Managers, Project Managers and engineers to collaboratively identify creative, innovative, and relevant product category opportunities to facilitate growth and development of the product portfolio, taking into account market size and market potential.
• Assists the Product Managers in translating market opportunities into clear, prioritized product requirements/product scopes, developing product initializations, developing timelines and budgets, and determining the overall fit within the product line.
• Aligns internal resources with product development goals.
• Assists the Product Managers in developing financial models including sales forecasts, margin analysis, and suggested price points.
• Serves as a resource and support for the Product and Project Managers during the formal product development gating process. Assists the Product Managers in Portfolio Reviews and Business Case Reviews; assists Project Managers in Product Design Reviews and Launch Reviews.
• Manages and maintains a comprehensive product launch schedule for all SCG products, ensuring that internal resources (sales, marketing, sourcing, manufacturing) have the capacity to support the schedule.
• Collaborates with Product Managers and marketing to create brand awareness through various marketing tactics and key promotional strategies. Identifies new marketing opportunities and develops compelling, relevant, and valuable propositions to drive product sales both domestically and globally.
• Ensures coordinated communications regarding product development timelines and project status among all stakeholders.
• Assists Product Managers in analyzing product usage. Oversees how products are being used and determines what additional needs and services would enhance the consumer’s experience.
• Develops exit strategies for less successful products.
• Cultivates and leads a high performing team of product managers and engineers by building their skills, coaching, and mentoring. Fosters a culture of accountability and ownership within the team.
o Holds DRIs accountable:
- Product Managers for category profitability
- Project Managers for Product Development timelines
- Engineers for product quality