Product Category Director

Job Title Product Category Director

Advert Sage is a global company with a local heart. The market leader for cloud-based accounting, financials, enterprise management, people, and payroll software, we empower the world’s business heroes—from single-person startups to large enterprises. Our people are passionate and positive. We inspire our colleagues to serve business builders everywhere and champion their success. As a FTSE 100 company with 14,000 colleagues across 24 countries, we do business the right way, while giving back to our local communities through the Sage Foundation. Be Sage, build on.

Job Description We’re looking for Product Category Directors to head up our Accountants and People & Payroll product categories for the Sage UKI region.

The Product Category Director is responsible for leading a large product category for the UKI region. This includes:

• Building and executing end-to-end growth strategies and plans within the UKI
• Ensuring strong interlock between Central product teams (who define global strategy) and Region GTM functions (to drive execution)
• Actively managing the performance of the category, including identifying and executing on improvement opportunities

This is achieved through leading a small team of Product Managers and Product Marketeers to establish a deep understanding of customer needs, the market and competitors. These compelling and structured requirements are then either fed into Central product teams or used to establish strategies for Regional-owned products.

The Product Category Director is also responsible for forming both a simple, clear product and proposition strategy and growth plan for the category consisting of the end-to-end execution delivered through leading a virtual cross-function execution team. The key success metrics of this role will be based on ARR growth, customer retention, customer acquisition, NPS, colleague engagement.

We’d love someone with experience in the Accounting/Payroll/Accountants industry but the main requirement we’re looking for is a background in a customer and commercially-led Product Marketing and/or Product Management role. From this, you’ll have a track record of building and executing product and proposition growth strategies and plans.

As this is a managerial role, you’ll be an strong leader with the ability to instil trust and confidence across a multi-functional team. You’ll enjoy working in an matrix environment and will have proven experience of working collaboratively whilst also leading through influence.

#LI-JB2

Key Responsibilities Key accountabilities and decision ownership:

• Builds product, proposition and commercial growth strategies and plans (“the category plan”) for the product category to deliver revenue, profit and customer engagement goals (ownership of £60m to £150m ARR)
• Establishes deep understanding of customer needs, the market and competitors; and turns this into structured and well thought out requirements
• Establishes strong interlock with global product teams – feeding in requirements, supporting the definition of strategy (for native cloud and cloud connected products) and ensuring regional plans are aligned
• Leads the end to end execution of the category plan across the region – delivered through the virtual category team.
• Creates strong interlock and engagement with regional GTM functions; creating clarity of plans, belief/excitement and fostering a culture of innovation and strong execution.
• Localises customer value proposition (and pricing) for products sold in region and contributes to best practices
• Localises cut-through messaging, proof points and storytelling (and provides local customer references) for products sold in region and contributes to best practices
• Ensures fit for purpose campaigns, communication briefs and Sales/Partner toolkits for products sold in region and contributes to best practices
• Leads, coaches and develops the capability of a small team of Product Managers and Product Marketeers.

Skills, know-how and experience:

• Proven experience in customer and commercially-led Product Marketing and/or Product Management role
• Strong track record of building product and proposition growth strategies and plans – and effectively executing these across multi-functional teams to achieve strong results
• Good people leadership skills – able to instil trust, belief, and confidence in a distributed team
• Thrives when working in a matrix environment, where colleagues need to be supported, driven, influenced to deliver even bigger results
• Strong communication and writing skills in English and ability to work across business lines, presenting to senior leadership and at different levels of management.
• Strong team player with proven ability to lead through influence.
• Proven skills managing multiple projects with very tight deadlines.
• Strong knowledge of the Accounting/Payroll/Accountants industry

Technical / professional qualifications:
• Bachelor/Master degree or equivalent

Key performance indicators:
• ARR growth
• Organic Revenue Growth
• NPS
• Customer retention
• People Engagement

Direct reports:
• 3-6 Product Managers and Product Marketeers

Key stakeholders:
• Global Product Team
• Regional GTM functions
• Other Category Managers and Teams

Function Product

Country United Kingdom

Office Location Manchester; Newcastle; Reading

Location Region