Job Description

Job Title:  Senior Product Manager – Small Project Paints Segment

Location: Vernon Hills, IL     

Department: Product Management

Direct Reports/Manages others: Yes

Hybrid Schedule: Our hybrid work environment includes two (2) remote days/week.

Rust-Oleum Corporation is a worldwide leader in protective paints and coatings for both home and industry. We offer a wide range of products including decorative fashion paints and finishes, durable industrial, roof repair, and flooring coatings and, of course, our famous rust-fighting formula that started it all.

Summary:

Are you a passionate brand builder? An innovation leader focused on consumer goods? This is the role for you. As a Senior Product Manager in our Small Project Paints segment, you will be the driving force behind innovation, growth, and brand activation in one of our most creative and consumer-loved categories.

This is more than a product role—it is a strategic leadership opportunity. You will shape the future of the category by developing forward-thinking strategies, identifying white space opportunities, and launching products to create a best-in-class user experience for DIYers and Professionals alike. You will collaborate across functions to bring bold ideas to life, while mentoring and supporting a high-performing product team.

Responsibilities:

• Strategy Development: Develop and execute long-term product strategy plans and roadmaps that align with business growth goals, innovation roadmap, competitive analysis, and market trends.

• Innovation Leadership: Lead the ideation and development of breakthrough products and enhancements that set the standard in the category.

• Growth Acceleration: Identify and capitalize on opportunities to expand market share, drive revenue, and increase brand relevance.

• Brand Activation: Partner with marketing to bring the brand to life through compelling content, storytelling, positioning, packaging, and go-to-market campaigns.

• Team Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with R&D, sales, operations, and customer insights to ensure seamless execution and continuous improvement.

• Partner with sales teams to provide them with the tools and information needed to effectively sell innovative spray paint products. Develop sales materials, presentations, and training programs.

• Direct market research and market intelligence gathering to ensure understanding of applications, users, competition, and market trends.  Analyze and leverage data and insights to develop and formulate category and product recommendations.   

• Driving new product development activities through Stage-Gate product management and market research.

• Ensuring profitability within the assigned market segments, including supporting the product commercialization process.

• Define and develop product positioning, messaging, feature specifications, unique selling proposition and pricing strategies.

• Travel is approximately 5% annually for customer presentations, trade shows, etc.

Leadership Traits

• Technical Understanding & Business Acumen: Knows the business and the mission-critical technical and functional skills to perform the job at a high level. Understands various types of business propositions and how the business operates. Learn new methods and technologies easily. 
• Learning Agility: Learns quickly when facing new problems. Is a relentless and versatile learner and is open to change. Enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks and can quickly discern the underlying structure of anything. 
• Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly and can anticipate future consequences and trends.  Is future oriented and offers broad knowledge and perspective.  Can scenario plan possibilities and outcomes.   
• Critical Thinking & Judgement: Provides the essential critical thinking to determine the necessary approaches to get things done.  Offers good judgement about which creative ideas and suggestions will work; can facilitate effective brainstorming, can project how potential ideas could play out in the marketplace. 
• Create New & Different: Ability to recognize the next great breakthrough. Is creative, visionary, and can create and bring exciting ideas to market.
• Action Oriented: Enjoys working hard and is full of energy, steadfastly pushing self and other for results.  Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully and is consistently a top performer. 
• Excellent communication skills to all levels of the organization. Strong interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.  Is clear, concise and persuasive.  Experience creating and presenting business proposals, handling objections and overcoming obstacles 

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field; MBA a plus
• 8+ years of relevant Product Development or Brand experience (consumer packaged goods preferred).
• Strong new product development experience required.
• Exhibit understanding of the product commercialization process and documentation and information sharing needs and protocols.
• Exhibit understanding of retail, independent paint/hardware, and distribution business models.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Passionate problem solver and creative thinker, with ability to pitch new ideas and be open to feedback.
• Analytic and strategic thinking skills, with ability to digest complex information and make data-driven decisions.
• Team player who will work well on cross-functional teams including Operations, Finance, Sales, Research & Development, Customer Service, etc.
• Confident public speaker with the ability to influence senior level management.

Salary Range: $115,000-$145,000 (bonus eligible)

From big benefits to small, we take care of our associates!  After 30 days of employment, you will be eligible for a benefits package that includes medical, dental, life, disability and business travel insurance, flexible spending accounts, EAP, stock purchases and vacation/sick days/parental leave. 

We also offer a 401(k) plan after three months of employment and offer a company match. Associates are vested in the RPM Pension plan after completing five years of service.  Rust-Oleum offers nine paid holidays and two floating holidays per year.  You are also eligible to earn three weeks of vacation on an annualized basis.

Rust-Oleum is an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, or any other protected class.