Senior Manager Product Specialist

The following five KRAs define the core accountabilities of this position:

KRA 1 Product Portfolio Management & Strategy

Own the complete product lifecycle across all SKUs and pack sizes.

Define and execute the multi-year product strategy for each category — positioning, lifecycle management, portfolio

rationalization, and SKU pruning based on volume, margin, and strategic fit.

Develop and maintain product differentiation frameworks — clearly articulating USPs, competitive advantages, and application

benefits for each product vs. competition.

Drive annual and long-term product planning in alignment with Business Head — including volume projections, capacity

requirements, and market opportunity sizing.

Conduct product profitability analysis across SKUs, regions, and channels — identifying opportunities to improve Contribution

Margin through pricing, formulation, or pack-size decisions.

Manage product rationalization: analyse slow-moving inventory, negative-CM products, and regional demand imbalances —

provide structured recommendations for lifecycle decisions.

KRA 2 New Product Development & Launch (NPD)

Lead the innovation pipeline for assigned categories — define new product briefs, prioritize projects, and drive commercialization

through stage-gate process (Pi2M).

Build and present board-level investment cases for new product projects — including market sizing, competitive analysis,

formulation feasibility, financial projections, risk assessment, and go/no-go recommendation.

Coordinate with R&D teams for timely development and launch of new products — define product specifications, performance

targets, and application trial parameters.

Conduct product trials with end-users and distributors — gather structured feedback, manage consumer trial panels, and generate

trial evaluation reports.

Define the annual NPD plan for the category — communicate pipeline progress quarterly to R&D, SCM, and Commercial teams.

Coordinate with SCM and packaging teams for production readiness, BOM finalization, and supply chain alignment for new

product introductions.

Develop launch materials — product technical notes (PTN), USP documentation, sales training decks, application guides, and field demonstration kits. Work closely with R&D to align external raw material sourcing for core business growth and formulation improvement projects. Manage monthly NPD pipeline reviews — track milestone adherence, identify bottlenecks, and escalate delays proactively.

KRA 3 Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis

Develop, collate, and maintain structured market intelligence for assigned segments — covering competitor products, pricing,

distribution, and application innovations.

Identify and analyse key emerging trends in end-use industries (construction, automotive, woodworking, industrial) — translate

insights into product development priorities and commercial strategy.

Conduct regular competitive benchmarking — product performance, pack size, price point, channel strategy, and marketing claims

of key competitors.

Visit customers, their end-customers, applicators, and distributors across India — gather voice-of-customer insights and feed back

into innovation pipeline.

Scout, identify, and evaluate new application opportunities and customer segments for portfolio expansion.

Conduct product replication analysis for new product launches — benchmark against best-in-class global alternatives.

KRA 4 Product Promotion, Branding & Communication

Develop product literature, technical brochures, application guides, success stories, and promotional materials

Create and deliver technical training programs for internal sales teams, distributor teams, and key retail partners — covering

product chemistry, application techniques, and competitive differentiation.

Work with Technical Development / Business Development teams to identify critical Unique Selling Propositions — promote these

through technical presentations, application demonstrations, and field visits.

Develop digital and field-level product knowledge tools — FAQs, quick reference cards, video demonstrations — to enable

effective customer-facing conversations.

Represent at industry events, trade shows, and customer seminars as the technical and product expert

KRA 5 Complaint Management & Technical Support

Manage product quality, application, and packaging complaints — from receipt to closure.

Conduct or support Root Cause Analysis (RCA) using structured methodologies— implement and verify CAPA effectiveness.

Provide technical application support to regional sales teams and key customers — including on-site visits for critical complaint

resolution.

Develop and maintain a complaint tracking system — generate monthly complaint analysis reports for Business Head highlighting

trends and systemic issues.

Liaise with R&D and quality teams to implement formulation or process improvements arising from complaint patterns.

Manage PCMS portal.