THE ORGANIZATION

Our client, The Little Potato Company, began its journey in 1996 with the owners (Jacob and Angela – father and daughter) wanting to be able to produce little creamer potatoes, like what Jacob knew from his Dutch roots. They grew their first acre by hand; planting, weeding, harvesting, and washing it themselves. They then packed them into the back of Angela’s hatchback, setting off to farmers markets and restaurants. The potatoes were popular with chefs early on, with one of their first accounts being the Banff Springs Hotel. Jacob and Angela bought their first plant in 2000 and with their continued success, have expanded to increasingly larger facilities over the years with their current production facility located in west Edmonton. With further expansion and growth across Canada and into the United States, the decision was made to open a second production plant in Wisconsin, and a third plant in PEI. Today, Angela leads the organization as CEO and Jacob runs a research and breeding company for little potatoes. The Little Potato Company has grown and operates with over 360 employees across Canada and the United States.

The Little Potato Company continues to experience growth year over year and continue to be the leading farmers of Creamer potatoes. They continue to set their sights high with their purpose being to “Save the Potato. Feed the World, better” where “everyone, everywhere deserves to have healthy, great food”. At The Little Potato Company, they believe in living by a set of deeply held core values representing both their history and how they strive to live every day to make the world a better place. The core values that guide their corporate family are:

Importance of Family:  We are a family-based Company and since our prime support comes from our family, we encourage a healthy work-life balance. We honour the place that family has in our employees’ lives.

Go Beyond:  We acknowledge that employees come to us with their own experience and resources.  We support and encourage our employees to go beyond what they bring, beyond what they envision they can do, and certainly beyond a mere job description. We trust in our employees’ passion and creativity so that they can extend themselves not just for the Company, but for themselves.

Elevate others:  We are a diverse and inclusive work environment that embraces new ideas and ways of doing. When we enhance another by recognizing their skills and expertise we contribute to an overall feeling of worth.

Down To Earth:  We are approachable and recognize the common humanity of all.  We do not pretend to be other than what we are. Whether we are in the office, in the plant, in the field or with a customer we are approachable, genuine, and warm.

Do What You Say:  We walk our talk. Being honest and impeccable really means that we waste no time in pretending, glossing over, or making unfounded promises.  We are reliable, accountable and our words communicate an actual reality.

It is a great time to join The Little Potato Company as they continue to grow and be a global supplier of their unique, healthy, and delicious Little Potatoes! For further information on The Little Potato Company, please visit their website at www.littlepotatoes.com

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Senior Product Manager will report to the Director Brand, Product & Consumer, and will have a primary focus on leading The Little Potato Company’s (LPC) product strategy to ensure the right products are developed and marketed to the right consumer/customer segments.  This role works closely with the Product Development team to bring product ideas to market, and collaborates extensively with team members across sales, marketing, and operations throughout North America.  The critical KPIs for this role relate to sales (trial and repeat) of the product lines, as well as the ROI on sales-related tactics and trade PR.

This position will work closely with the Sr. Consumer Insights Manager and Sr. Brand Manager to understand LPC’s customer and to identify product strategy to meet the consumer needs taking into consideration unique regionalization opportunities. You will have demonstrated excellence in project management including planning, visioning, communication, leadership and influencing teams cross-functionally. You will be accountable to the product roadmap and in identifying the right product mix which includes identifying new product opportunity, working closely with the product development team to create new products, , developing the go-to-market strategy, launching products, and product replacement.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Strategy

• Develops strategy for all products ensuring alignment with business goals, regional differences, and consumer segments.
• Works closely with the sales department and the Category Manager to determine individual product strategy for current products.
• Works closely with the sales department, the Category Manager, and the Senior Consumer Insights Manager to identify opportunities for new products that align with company strategy and address consumer/customer needs.
• Works in partnership with the Product Development team to identify new product opportunities and ensure alignment of new products to consumer needs and market/segment potential.
• Identifies regional variances in consumer and customer preferences and develops retail strategies to address best product mix.

Go-to-Market / In-Store Strategy

• Develops a strategy for marketing products to specific segments in partnership with the Senior Consumer Insights Manager.
• Develops go-to-market strategy for all new products including segment identification, rollout plan, differentiation strategy, and sales training/sales materials.
• Responsible for ensuring sales materials, promotions, point of sale materials are developed in alignment with company goals and adhere to the brand platform.
• Ensures ROI on sales related tactics by developing tracking and reporting methodology, and shares this with sales and category management teams.
• Works closely with sales to develop campaigns which will help meet sales targets.
• Leads the briefing of all product launches to the Marketing Operations team.
• Ensures the consumer journey from in-store to online is thought through and set up with appropriate tracking (e.g. CTAs on in-store materials that drive consumers to LPC’s online content).
• Leads the development and implementation of PR efforts for trade/industry media.
• Identifies best practices in in-store merchandising and promotions, including inside and outside of produce, and brings recommendations forward.

Stakeholder Support

• Provides input to the Senior Brand Manager on product packaging.
• Provides input to the Director, Marketing Operations on the media plan to support product launches (e.g. inbound, paid, owned).
• Ensures learnings from the market/sales teams are shared across marketing team.
• Coaches and develops direct reports.

Stakeholder Management

• Leads the functional relationship with agencies on projects with retail promotions, in-store/merchandising, and PR (trade/industry).

FIRST YEAR – MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Review, re-assess and re-build the current product roadmap.
• Understand the current product mix and identify opportunities for region-specific product offerings.
• Develop a cohesive and collaborative cross-functional team with Category Management and the Product Development teams.
• Sales (trial and repeat) of the product lines.
• ROI on sales-related tactics, including in-store merchandising tools, promotions, and trade PR.

THE INDIVIDUAL

Given the pivotal role this individual will be expected to play in achieving the strategic objectives of The Little Potato Company and in supporting the success of the organization, it is essential that the successful candidate possess the following core competencies, experience, and attributes:

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, with a focus on marketing and product.

Experience

• 7+ years working in a product management role, ideally for a food or produce business.
• Experience in developing multi-year product roadmaps in a matrix organizational environment.
• Experience in developing go-to-market strategies for a range of products within a parent brand.
• Experience in leading implementation of in-store merchandising and promotions and evaluating success.
• Experience in working with PR agencies, publications, and news outlets for trade PR.
• Experience in product marketing to various consumer segments.
• Proficiency in project management, agency management and budget management.
• Experience in presenting to senior leadership teams, as well as all staff.
• Desire and ability to contribute to work in a growing, entrepreneurial environment for a purpose-driven business.
• Desire to own decisions and take responsibility for outcomes.
• Willingness to travel when required.

Competencies and Knowledge

• Understanding of food, produce and/or consumer-packaging goods brands.
• Familiarity with product marketing in the US and Canada.
• Adept in using both sides of the brain – equally creative and analytical.
• Ability to leverage consumer insights, research, financials, and other data inputs to create product strategies.
• Strong ability to project manage simultaneous projects with many inter-dependencies.
• Ability to lead through influence at all organizational levels, across teams and departments.
• Ability to work in an entrepreneurial, unstructured, and highly changing environment.
• Ability to coach and develop direct reports.
• Is a great team member, the type of person that others want to follow; leads by example.

Personal Profile

• Intellectual with high emotional intelligence and creativity.
• Confident without arrogance
• Solution focused using tactics to solve problems
• Strong influencer and collaborator
• Strong communication skills
• Highly accountable
• Unquestioned personal and professional integrity
• Able to respond and pivot quickly to new initiatives and business needs
• Respectful of others
• Positive attitude and energy
• Highly organized with good time management skills
• Critical thinker with problem solving skills
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and without supervision
• A positive attitude when faced with adversarial situations
• Exhibits sound judgment

Compensation

An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.

Location

Edmonton, Alberta or Vancouver, BC preferred with other remote locations being considered.

How to Apply

For the opportunity to join The Little Potato Company in the role of Senior Product Manager, please email your resume to DreamBig@profoundtalent.com referencing Position ID # APWY-414103.

Should you have an inquiry regarding this position, please contact Stacey Laing at 587-200-0114 ext. 104 or Terri Davis at 587-200-0114 ext. 101.

For further information on ProFound Talent Inc. please visit:

Website: www.profoundtalent.com
YouTube: ProFound Talent Inc.

* We thank all applicants for your submissions; however, only candidates being considered for this role will be contacted. *