Strategic Product Marketing Manager

Sage Software has an opening for Product Marketing Manager in our Herndon, VA office.  This position is responsible for identifying and managing product marketing activities relating to product/service launches, releases and initiatives that support the business unit?s objectives.  The product marketing manager works collaboratively with Shared Marketing, Product Management, Sales, Customer Support, Product Development, and Management to ensure aligned execution of product marketing activities and is responsible for both strategically and tactically supporting the organization?s marketing and sales programs for specific product lines.

This individual will be responsible for coordinating a large number of resources across several functional areas as well as recommending strategic courses of action affecting long-term investment and profitability.  In addition, the product marketing manager performs results analyses, communicates strategies and product plans, statuses, and results.  They work with other marketing managers to identify synergies, share results and opportunities for joint marketing promotions, and develop a deep understanding of products, markets, and customer needs.

 

Essential Duties:

 Develop long-term product strategy to help achieve product line and divisional revenue and profit (P&L) goals by creating business, sales, and marketing plans, and long-term forecasting.

 Acquire and apply in-depth knowledge of market trends, workflow patterns, user needs, competition, and distribution to develop an intimate knowledge of the products? key markets.

 Identify and recommend new product requirements to further penetrate existing markets and capitalize on business opportunities in new markets.

 Develop business plans that address key product marketing questions (market size, segmentation, forecasts, trends, market share).

 Provide leadership and guidance to a large number of resources across several functional areas or entities. Build productive working relationship with internal teams, external partners, and management staff.

 Work collaboratively with corporate marketing (Lead Generation/Prospect, Installed Base/Customer, Events/Tradeshows, Channel Marketing Electronic Marketing and Marcom) and other product marketing managers to ensure all marketing activities and deliverables appropriately convey key value propositions for the products? portfolio.

 Coordinate with Marcom and Electronic Marketing to create and update collateral, including feature sheets, brochures, whitepapers, and more, as well as web sites to include new solutions, product updates and product enhancements.

 Assist the sales teams to ensure proper understanding and usage of collateral and sales tools to effectively communicate distinctive competence and key value propositions.

 Work with the internal Market Research organization and outside resources to complete research studies including competitive analysis, market opportunities, customer/prospect needs, market trends, market share, and more.

 Engage in customer interviews on a routine basis to understand sales readiness issues that are contributing to or hindering our sales effectiveness.
 Assist in the creation and maintenance of demo data and demo scripts in support of our selling process that clearly communicates value in our solutions by illustrating our ability to solve specific problems within our target markets.

 Assist in the oversight of and attend product- and industry-specific tradeshows in order to promote awareness of the product lines and to engage in feedback loops for attendees to help enhance the products and assist in software sales.

 Analyze business unit functionality and processes and create business plans, long-term forecasts, and the like in order to improve day-to-day operations.

 Work with others across the organization in order to build best practices in Product Management and share techniques and goals.

 Assist in developing the annual operating plan, creating revenue goals, and outlining objectives to be met to reach targets.

 

We are currently seeking candidates who meet the following qualifications:

 Basic knowledge of accounting, project management and time management principles and practices is required.

 Strong oral and written communication skills, excellent analytical, planning, and process development skills, strong business judgment, and high level of initiative are all required.

 Ability to rapidly gain a demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the software sales cycle is necessary.

 Demonstrated ability to respond effectively to multiple conflicting priorities, continuously prioritize and reprioritize deliverables and to respond to unexpected changes is required.

 Relevant BS / BA degree is strongly preferred.

 3?7 years of previous product management, product marketing, and/or marketing experience preferred.  Previous experience conducting primary or secondary market research also preferred.

In addition to working on an award-winning suite of software products, the successful candidate will be working in a dynamic and forward-thinking organization, with an exceptional team of talented software engineers, quality engineers, and product managers, developing leading-edge software solutions with high visibility in the accounting and project management software industries.