Product Manager - Aftersales x 2

Role Summary
The Product Manager is responsible for leading the future product development for their area. This is achieved by reviewing enhancement requests and translating the most strategic into the appropriate release to optimise product appeal, and where necessary adopting some short term tactical changes. This includes managing these requests as development projects and creating appropriate functional requirement definition documents.

The other key aspect of the role is product communication. This includes marketing the features and benefits of the product area to internal and external audiences to enforce the product’s position as the leading DMS product. The Product Manager will be the focal point for their area and should be proactive in developing this understanding across the markets.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
- To maintain a thorough understanding of the current Dealer Management System products in the area of Parts and Service
- Lead the product development strategy. This includes developing product differentiators to create customer value and competitive advantage
- Manage the integration projects such as Business Intelligence and Digital Marketing
- Provide thought leadership and knowledge transfer to the client Associates on best practise for the Parts and Service business processes
- Line manage the Business Analyst for Aftersales to balance the workload across the team
- Perform an ongoing product enhancement review and document the results for the aftersales aspects of the product
- Validate the functionality of new and enhanced software provided by the development department
- Assist in the development of release notes and other documentation for new and enhanced software to agreed standards and time scales
- Prepare and deliver on-line training for sales & marketing, plus implementation & support on product benefits & return on investment
- Assist in hand-over training of new releases to support analysts and implementation consultants designated for acceptance testing
- Assist in the training and implementation in either new market pilots or pilot versions of new software including attendance at customer sites in the UK and abroad
- Attend any pre and post-sales customer and/or franchise meetings that may be necessary
- Ensure that all client policies and processes (e.g. PDLC) that impact product marketing are adhered to
- Ensure that all documentation development is secured on a daily basis and backed-up to an off-line media regularly (minimum once per week)

Job Function Competencies
1.  Managing Enhancement Requests
- Maintain a balanced focus between the expectations of customers and the best interests of the client

2.  Market and Product Understanding
- Maintain a good understanding of the business and process requirements of the retail and wholesale automotive industry for which we provide IT solutions. Developing a best practice approach to all aftersales processes

3.  Project Management
- Proper utilisation of the SPACE project management system in order to manage collections of enhancements requests to an agreed deliverable

4.  Product Communication
- The production of clear and concise product marketing materials for internal and external audiences that make clear the features and benefits to our customers of using our products

Experience and/or Qualifications Required:
- A working knowledge of the retail and wholesale automotive distribution process, especially in the area of aftersales
- A full understanding of current MS applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
- A good understanding of current and future operating systems (UNIX, MS Windows etc.)
- A good understanding of current and future application development tools (KCML etc.)
- An appreciation of the techniques used to market products and services
- Experience in either a sales or marketing related role would be advantageous
- Line Management experience of running a small team working to tight deadlines

Personal Skills Required:
1. Team working (within formal team structure or virtual team)

2. Communications

3. Customer Focus
4. Problem Solving & Decision making
5. Planning and organising
6. Working under pressure
7. Attitude & Behaviour
8. Initiative

"Due to the high volume of applications we currently receive, we are unable to respond to all candidates.  If you do not hear from a Consultant within 5 working days unfortunately you have been unsuccessful on this occasion"