Product & Marketplace Growth Manager

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY:

The Product & Marketplace Growth Manager is the visionary force behind Baudville's expanding line of trophies, awards, and branded merchandise - a role tailor-made for a relentless idea hunter who thrives on turning insights into bold, creative product strategies. From ASI and PPAI to Amazon Wholesale, this strategic powerhouse will ignite category growth by crafting must-have products, sharpening pricing models, and leveraging data to amplify market impact. We're looking for a dynamic, imaginative, data-obsessed leader who's wired to spot opportunities, push boundaries, and drive profitability.

This role is on-site at our Grand Rapids, MI location.

LEADERSHIP:

• Drive product and sales strategies for Baudville's trophy and award lines, emphasizing growth within ASI, PPAI, and Amazon Wholesale.
• Drive product and sales strategies for our fast-growing Branded Merchandise category, focusing on name brands, bespoke brands and good-better-best assortment methodology.
• Utilize data to identify profitable market segments and optimize pricing strategies to maximize channel margins and improve shipping costs.
• Coordinate with design, sourcing, and marketing teams to align product creation efforts with strategic revenue goals for the trophy and awards category.
• Cultivate strong, agile partnerships with offshore vendors, utilizing platforms like WeChat and WhatsApp to ensure seamless, real-time communication and rapid response to evolving needs.
• Plan and execute catalog creation, working with EVP to deliver on-time and on-budget catalogs for circulation.
• Coordinate all asset creation efforts with designers, photoshoots, and external resources.
• Bring strong leadership to Baudville's creative team by leading individuals at all levels to higher performance through coaching, mentoring, and guidance. Able to manage up and down as needed to improve overall brand communication.

• Lead a cross-functional team to elevate category performance through effective product management, targeted sales strategies, and operational efficiency.

PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITIES

• Champion the creation and development of new trophy and award products, collaborating with internal and external partners to execute innovative and on-brand designs while supporting the development of our growing branded merchandise category.
• Develop high-margin, in-house customizable products that leverage our engraving, printing, and assembly capabilities to accelerate delivery timelines and drive profitability.
• Develop and implement a product lifecycle strategy for trophies and awards, focusing on maximizing sales velocity while minimizing inventory carrying costs.
• Build a multi-departmental team of product line & category idea generators and concept evaluators.
• Consistently seek to understand the Baudville customer and be a steward of serving that customer in the best way possible through product development, positioning, surveying, internal or external focus groups, customer calling, etc.
• Create a product positioning strategy and ensure proper execution and exposure of products. Ability to measure the success of these strategies.
• Work to evolve product messaging, contributing to sentiment creation, and coordinating other contributors.
• Create detailed monthly and quarterly product performance reports, evaluating launch and merchandising efforts, and communicate those findings and takeaways to leadership in a bi-annual product state-of-the-union.

MARKETPLACE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and implement marketplace strategies to increase trophy and award sales on Amazon, ASI, PPAI, and other B2B platforms. Foster constructive and cooperative working relationships with key retail partners
• Work closely with the Product Supervisor and Marketing Director to optimize Seller Central listings, including A+ content, pricing algorithms, and product positioning
• Oversee our Amazon procurement efforts to optimize inventory based on sales history and trajectory, ensuring maximum inventory allowed while maintaining minimum storage fees
• Analyze sales, trends, and economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns and produce weekly & monthly reports to stakeholders
• Develop a strong understanding and working knowledge of the Amazon Seller Central web portal and continue to learn and stay in front of the ever-changing Amazon landscape
• Work in collaboration with the Amazon Product Specialist to maintain Amazon's Seller Central and determine appropriate buy-ins and re-buys for all new and existing product lines
• Budget and manage Amazon PPC advertising strategy to align with sales objectives, aiming to improve overall ACOS while increasing revenue.
• Lead wholesale pricing strategy to maximize profitability and maintain competitive positioning within the ASI and PPAI marketplaces.
• Serve as the liaison for Baudville procurement, distribution center, accounting, and customer service teams to facilitate alignment in wholesale business strategy
• Monitor competitors' products and sales activities to stay ahead of the curve
• Leverage internal sales data and data from retail partners and agencies to make informed, timely decisions

KEY MEASURES OF SUCCESS:

• Sustained growth in the top 2 strategic priority categories of Trophies and Branded Merchandise
• Achieve target Amazon revenue goal and profitability expectations
• Maintain and/or improve planned product margin expectations by category
• Ensure Key inventory is in stock while maintaining inventory value goals for the brand
• Grow Amazon ppc revenue and ad spend while maintaining established Amazon ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale)

REQUIREMENTS:

Education

Bachelor's degree or relevant experience preferred.

Experience

7-10 years of Product &/or Marketplace (Promotional Product experience a big plus) and demonstrated ability to lead effectively and manage a team.

Physical

Demands

The position is mainly sedentary. Must be able to work in an office environment with a sustained posture in a seated position. Requires attentiveness and computer operation for prolonged periods.

Confidentiality

Must be able to work with confidential records in a professional manner.

Initiative

Must be able to prioritize and demonstrate an ability to change priorities. Must be able to handle variations in workload. Must be able to make independent decisions quickly and handle a heavy workload. Plans and carries out assignments independently.

Travel

Desire to travel up to 10% of the time

Interpersonal

Communications

Must have a professional and helpful manner. Must have excellent verbal, written and listening skills. Must be able to interact with various people at all levels of the organization and external contacts. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely; graciously deal with all types of customers. Strong listening skills. Work harmoniously and effectively with others.

Supervision

Supervision of 5-6 personnel, including managers. Comfort and experience in recruiting and oversight

Our Winning Culture Offers

• A world-class work environment:
  • West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work for 17 times
  • National Best & Brightest winner for 12 consecutive years
  • 101 Best & Brightest in Wellness winner 11 times
  • 6-time Great Place to Work Certified .
• Performance-based compensation commensurate with experience, including annual salary and discretionary bonus
• Stability of a privately held, employee-focused business with 42+ years of rich and diverse history
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Long-Term Disability, and Short-Term Disability
• Company-sponsored 401K with vested match
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Parental Leave
• Peer group of proven winners - ready to embrace the same and grow our successful business to new levels.

At Baudville Brands, we offer a challenging but rewarding work environment where employees respect and recognize each other. We are dedicated to workforce diversity and a drug- and smoke-free workplace. Baudville Brands is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, religion, color, national origin, marital status, genetic information, height, weight, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic. We welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview process a great one, please let us know.