Senior Manager II, Product Development (1BW Process Standardization Team)

Position Summary...

What you'll do...

The 1BW Process Standardization team has an opening for a Senior Manager II. This individual will report to me and will be responsible for facilitating a standard way of working between multiple facilities in the Supply Chain environment. This could apply to establishing a foundational process in a new network or linking to a project that improves the way we operate when we’ve already defined a standard. The position could be field based or HO based and 30% of domestic travel is required.

What we do:

The 1BW Process Standardization team resides under WPS and is responsible for the “Excellent AWIs” component of the WPS Standard Operating System. We utilize field resources and key stakeholders to help establish a standard for all other components of WPS to operate. By defining a standard, we determine a common way to train associates, develop Standard Work and enable Focused Improvement.

Job Summary

• Drives the execution of multiple business plans and projects by identifying customer and operational needs; developing and communicating business plans and priorities; removing barriers and obstacles that impact performance; providing resources; identifying performance standards; measuring progress and adjusting performance accordingly; developing contingency plans; and demonstrating adaptability and supporting continuous learning.

• Provides supervision and development opportunities for associates by selecting and training; mentoring; assigning duties; building a team-based work environment; establishing performance expectations and conducting regular performance evaluations; providing recognition and rewards; coaching for success and improvement; and ensuring diversity awareness.

• Promotes and supports company policies, procedures, mission, values, and standards of ethics and integrity by training and providing direction to others in their use and application; ensuring compliance with them; and utilizing and supporting the Open Door Policy.

• Ensures business needs are being met by evaluating the ongoing effectiveness of current plans, programs, and initiatives; consulting with business partners, managers, co-workers, or other key stakeholders; soliciting, evaluating, and applying suggestions for improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness; and participating in and supporting community outreach events.

Job Description

• Develops, monitors, and manages product specifications through the product life-cycle to ensure quality and customer needs are met by collaborating with and updating internal and external partners to determine product needs, drive initiatives, resolve issues, and ensure alignment; conducting industry benchmarking to identify product details, specifications, and trends; reviewing and managing broad sample assortments; creating product specifications; submitting color, product components, and aesthetics for approvals; providing reports through the development, approval, and production process; identifying potential issues during the product life-cycle; performing root cause analysis and communicating findings; recommending solutions to resolve issues; performing visual in-store review of items to identify variances; and evaluating products against specifications.

• Directs implementation of department objectives and activities related to product strategies by conducting research to gain insight into current and future customer needs; analyzing data to determine impact to the business; streamlining processes for product development and delivery; aggregating research information to provide business intelligence; benchmarking within the industry to identify trends and opportunities to grow profit and sales; and communicating protocols to teams and making recommendations to senior leaders on new or enhanced product offerings.

• Manages communications with internal and external partners through multiple communication channels to drive product development initiatives by providing updates to cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on product development initiatives; identifying potential issues during the product life-cycle; investigating causes to ensure production timelines are met; performing root cause analysis to validate issues; recommending solutions to resolve issues; ensuring solutions are implemented; and updating information and communicating it to stakeholders.

• Manages sourcing activities to support business unit strategies by ensuring necessary sourcing documents are completed according to set timelines; validating data and documentation to ensure accuracy; working with cross-functional teams to ensure all necessary data points are attached to items to ensure accurate audit reporting; and assisting sourcing managers in completing special projects.

• Ensures that products align with merchandising strategies by guiding the creative direction for new products; collaborating with merchants and providing advice related to product strategies; providing direction regarding product needs to drive financial performance; tracking performance metrics to ensure alignment with goals; evaluating the entire product life cycle to identify potential issues; working cross-functionally to develop options to address issues; resolving issues to minimize business disruption and ensure products are delivered on time; and ensuring communication with internal and external partners to drive product development initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications...

Outlined below are the required minimum qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no minimum qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications...

Outlined below are the optional preferred qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no preferred qualifications.

Primary Location...