Product Manager: Service and Digital Solutions

Plan, implement, control and evaluate the marketing strategies for Services and the Digital Solutions product portfolios for Sub-Equatorial Africa, in line with the local and global strategies

Position details:
Type: Permanent
Reports to: HOD: Marketing.
Primary purpose: Plan, implement, control and evaluate the marketing strategies for Services and the Digital Solutions product portfolios for Sub-Equatorial Africa, in line with the local and global strategies.
Travel requirements:

- In SA, 3-6 times per year
- In Africa, 2-4 times per year
- International, 1-2 times per year

Job description / core competencies:
Key Objectives
- Facilitates and enables the sales of Services and the Digital Solutions product portfolios within Sub-Equatorial Africa region
- Promotes the Service and Digital Solutions offerings
- Involved and actively contributes to planning in conjunction with the respective stakeholders
- Ensure local product promotional capabilities are maintained through training, seminars, information distribution and technical guides
- Collaborates with the Local Industry Managers and local Marketers to align the industry plans and contributes to the business planning
- Consolidates and implements the different Service and Digital Solutions tactics defined in the industry plans
- Support Sales at high level acquisition of service and Digital Solutions projects to execution teams
- Launch New Service and Digital Solutions Products

Product Training
- Conduct internal staff and customer promotional trainings, ensuring that the products are supported through regular training on new and existing products,

product selections and software tools available
- Ensure that the necessary training is given to sales /projects and service or external customers when required or on scheduled dates in accordance to the training plan, skills matrix and with assistance to the Training Manager or Local Industry Managers

General
- Build market position by locating, developing, defining, negotiating, and supporting the sales of services including contracts and asset life cycle management
- Assist and drive the sales of product portfolios to customers from technician level to top management level
- Actively involved in the acquisition of services including customer visits, marketing support and technical /product support to sales, service and project functions
- Identify potential solutions for maintenance and optimisation challenges
- Maintain and develop medium to long term customer relationships
- Plan, implement and evaluate the product strategies for the Services and Digital Solutions products with the relevant stakeholders
- Assist Marketing Communications with product specific marketing initiatives and assist with promotional activities
- Responsible for product awareness and internal marketing communication of the products
- Responsible for the product line launches and ensuring that these are identified, included and implemented via Marketing and Industry Strategic Plans
- Ensuring that the analysis and information gathering on competitors is regularly completed
- Attend Marketing Functions as and when required

Pricing of Products
- Support price calculation, price list maintenance and discount structures formulation with consideration of the impact on Service Net Contribution, if and when required
- Responsible to ensure that pricing remains competitive in the local market
- Monitoring of competitors
- Rendering support for the product
- Offering technical pre-sales support to the sales, projects, service departments and customers
- Assistance to service department in the after sales phase if required

Location (country, city): Sandton, Gauteng

Job Qualification & Experience:
Job Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

- National Diploma in Instrumentation, or Trade Certificate as Instrumentation Mechanician / Technician
- In-depth knowledge of company products and service portfolio
- At least 8-10 years sales and service experience

Advantageous:

- A BTech / Degree in Electrical Engineering or Instrumentation
- 3-5 years’ service experience
- Post-graduate diploma or degree in Marketing/Business will be an advantage

Personal attributes and skills required:

- Good communication skills (written and oral)
- Good organisation and planning skills
- Good presentation skills
- Strong customer liaison skills
- Good media relations skills
- Good supplier liaison skills
- Good strategic thinking & deployment skills
- Good business development planning skills
- Negotiation skills
- Analytical skills
- Develop a working knowledge of the industries in which the company operates
- Understanding of local media

Skills required:

- Strong market knowledge
- In-depth knowledge of Instrumentation, Measurement and Industrial process/ automation technology solution products and service portfolio
- Ability to transfer knowledge to all relevant staff
- Consultative Selling Skills
- Good business acumen
- Good organizational and p