Product Development Manager – Climate

Artika is fast growing design-oriented home product company. We design, distribute and market a wide-range of electrical, plumbing, surface covering and home organization products in North America, Asia and Europe. Artika supplies its products to renowned hardware suppliers and retailers world-wide. Product sourcing in Asia is a stepping stone to our international success. Artika is headquartered in Montreal, Canada with offices located in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, as well as Shanghai, Ningbo, Jiangmen and Ho Chi Minh in Asia.

Role and responsabilities :

Reporting to the Vice-President, Supply Chain, Sourcing and Quality Control, the Product Development Manager will be responsible for managing the entire process of product development - design, manufacture, and distribution to market for the Climate division.

The incumbent will :

• Investigate, select and drive the development of products of the Climate division such as heaters, baseboards, air conditioning, fireplace, etc.;
• Conduct market and trend analysis in order to create and develop successful products;
• Manage the creation of products from the idea to the customers’ shelves;
• Work with engineering and industrial design departments in order to create products and reduce quality risks;
• Coordinate a multidisciplinary teams, in matrix structure, and manage sourcing teams in Asia to expedite product development;
• Prepare mass production planning such as samples, pre-production samples, inspection sheets, production part approval process (PPAP), Bill Of Material;
• Negotiate prices and deliverables with factories;
• Visit suppliers and sourcing managers in Asia to provide support, to do follow-ups and to solve issues;
• Manage the product compliance process in order to obtain certifications (CSA/UL), specification requirements, and to meet customers’ needs;
• Promote your business unit products to the sales department;
• Train customer and sales department on how to use the products and troubleshooting solutions;
• Review and perform cost analysis on a regular basis in order to improve profit margins;
• Increase profitability;
• Other related duties.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND COMPENTENCIES

Education :

• Bachelors in Business, Commerce, Marketing, or Supply Chain Management or other related discipline.

Experience :

• A minimum of 5 years in a similar role;
• Minimum 5 years of experience in sourcing or product development management, as this relates to consumer home products;
• Knowledge of climate related products, specifically certification standards and safety requirements;
• Experience in the heating, air conditioning and ventilation such as heater, furnace, air conditioning, etc.;
• In-depth understanding of the retail industry and consumer needs and consumer behavior;
• Highly effective in the area of project management;
• Thorough understanding of the Speed-To-Market concept;
• Good knowledge of product manufacturing, specifically in Asia;
• Leadership, independence, resourcefulness;
• Ability to meet tight deadlines;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Detail oriented and results-driven;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Strong organizational and management priorities;
• Excellent computer knowledge of MS-Office Suite (Excel and Word);
• Solutions oriented and proven customer service skills;
• Available to travel about 10% of the time.