Product Manager

Job Description:

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW) is a Fortune 200 global multi-industry manufacturing leader with revenue of $16 billion in 2025. The company’s seven industry-leading segments leverage the unique ITW Business Model to drive solid growth with best-in-class margins and returns in markets where highly innovative, customer-focused solutions are required. ITW’s approximately 45,000 dedicated colleagues around the world thrive in the company’s decentralized and entrepreneurial culture.

From state-of-the-art dishwashers, ovens and refrigerators in restaurants and hotels, to automobile components inside vehicles all over the world ... the products we manufacture and the solutions we design are all around us. The buildings where we live and work are built with ITW construction and welding products, and our ITW test & measurement solutions help to ensure the quality and safety of millions of products.

With gross revenues near $250 million, Traulsen is proud to be known as the premier name in refrigeration for the foodservice market since its founding in 1938. We provide professional expertise and high-quality equipment for savvy food service customers. Every Traulsen product is engineered, fabricated, assembled, and tested at our facilities in Fort Worth, Texas.

TOTAL REWARDS PACKAGE

Our total rewards package is broad and offers comprehensive support from health and wellness to retirement and financial stability. For more details see https://www.itw.com/careers/benefits\-compensation/

POSITION SUMMARY

The product manager is responsible for leading market-driven innovation and growth by translating customer insights and market trends into product opportunities, developing and executing product and vertical marketing strategies, and guiding go-to-market initiatives. The role supports the innovation pipeline, contributes to stage-gate product development, and provides strategic market analysis to identify growth opportunities, expand into new markets, and drive revenue, share, and profitability for the division.

Within the company, this role works closely with our one-FEG sales team to drive organic growth. This position also works with Traulsen colleagues from engineering, operations, finance, quality, and customer service. Outside the company, the position collaborates closely with customers, independent sales representatives, end-users, dealers, and specifiers / consultants.

This position reports to the Director of Marketing, North America Refrigeration.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Innovation Process:

• Division expert on market dynamics, industry trends, competitors and customers’ current and future needs.
• Capture and translate Voice of Customer (VOC) and market trends into incremental, differentiated product commercialization opportunities. Leverage understanding to build customer confidence in Traulsen’s ability to be the partner of choice.
• Identify serial innovation opportunities that successfully address market needs and generate sustainable and profitable growth that aligns with the division’s strategic intent.
• Drive innovation pipeline with division leadership pulling from a screened opportunity list.
• Key team member in the innovation stage gate process working with engineering and core project team. Actively participate and deliver marketing requirements for each stage gate.

Strategy Development and Execution:

• Obtain and leverage market insights to develop and effectively execute thorough vertical marketing strategies aligned with the division growth objectives.
• Lead the development of product line strategies aligned with market segment strategies and clearly identify, validate, and articulate value propositions to each market sub-segment.
• Develop business cases for new target markets, product innovations, services or customers.
• Develop and execute go-to-market strategy around product portfolio, with division commercial leadership.
• Drive the deploy stage of product launch to market, including participating in product launches.

Market Segment Leader:

• Provide strategic leadership with the ability to size markets and determine attractiveness of adjacent markets.
• Provide strategic insights, analysis, directional input and drives the execution of key growth and sales initiatives.
• Drive and execute segmentation and market research (primary and secondary) as needed to identify growth opportunities and articulate how Traulsen can capitalize on them.
• Report on customer and market segment results for assigned portfolio, including revenue, growth rates, share gain, and profitability metrics and can explain key drivers of change.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Engineering, or Business required
• MBA preferred

Experience/Skills:

• 5+ years of progressive business experience, including 2+ years of strategic marketing, sales development, pricing and product management experience required.
• 2+ years of big three consulting experience preferred.
• Excellent strategic thinker and a proven record of delivering business growth, with an aggressive growth mindset.
• Highly effective cross-functional leader and influencer, with excellent collaboration, communication and presentation skills.
• Strong ability to navigate the complexity of Traulsen’s market reach, bring focus and simplify strategically.
• Well-versed in deploying and leveraging various marketing research methods and translating end user requirements into successful innovative solutions in a B2B environment.
• Excellent analytical skills, pricing strategy experience and financial acumen. Experience with P&L management a plus.
• Up to 30% travel.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee will:

• Operate common office equipment, i.e. PC, phone, copier, printer, fax
• Regularly required to sit or stand using computers and various communication devices
• Frequently required to interact with employees and agency representatives
• Occasionally required to lift less than 20 pounds

Working Conditions:

• Work in a climate-controlled office environment
• Occasional exposure to factory and warehouse environments

Hours of Work:

• Monday – Friday, 8 hours per day with flex starting times
• Infrequent weekend work based on business needs

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential.

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.