About the role
Company Overview
Nikkiso Applied Technologies, a business unit of Nikkiso Clean Energy and Industrial Gas, is one of the world’s foremost suppliers of cryogenic equipment and systems. We offer our customers world class reliability, quality and safety.
Job Overview
As a strategic senior member of the Product Management team reporting to the Sr. Vice President of Applications and Product Management for Nikkiso Applied Technologies Business Unit, the individual entrusted with holding this position will be responsible for Product Management of all Marine Systems for the Business Unit. The Product Director serves as the driving force for a product’s end-to-end success within the business unit, guiding products from concept through development to launch and beyond. This role pushes that product into all markets globally, combining industry knowledge, innovation, best engineering practices, and all resources within Nikkiso Applied Technologies. This role will be directly responsible for the following for all Marine Systems: life cycle management, product strategy & roadmap, market research & value proposition, continuous product improvement, identifying customer needs, proactively understanding market trends and competitor landscape, new product development & innovation, sales support & customer engagement, and actively marketing the products to increase sales, market share, and overall product positioning globally as well as optimizing the manufacturability of the products.
Product Family Includes but is not limited to
FSRU Product Offerings
Vaporizer
Packaged Systems
FGSS
Vaporizer
Packaged Systems
BOG Recovery
Main Process Equipment
Packaged Systems
Note that products from other Product Families are integrated into this Product Family, this role is responsible for the integration of the products as well as the specific products.
Responsibilities
Life Cycle Management
managing each products journey from initial idea, through development, manufacturing, service, maturity, and eventual retirement
Product Strategy & Roadmap
Develop and execute a clear product strategy and multi-year roadmap for the assigned product category, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives. This includes defining the product vision and updating it as market conditions evolve.
Market Research & Value Proposition
Conduct thorough market, industry, and competitive analysis to identify customer needs, market trends, and gaps. Leverage these insights (including direct Voice of Customer feedback) to define compelling value propositions and requirements for new and existing products.
Continuous Product Improvement
develop better manufacturing processes, operating configurations, enhanced features and benefits, leveraged low-cost manufacturing techniques / centers to create competitor separation by incorporating closed-loop feedback systems with engineering, operations, sales, and our customers.
Identifying Customer Needs
very close interaction with customers and the sales team to clearly define customer requirements to consistently provide the optimal product offering
Understanding Market Trends
in depth market knowledge and understanding to proactively pursue opportunities with either developed products or innovative new products. New products can be close to home or far from home to current offerings to market.
Understanding Competitor Landscape
key insights into what our competitors are offering, what their differentiators are, and how we can use that information to better our product’s position.
New Product Development and Innovation
Identify and evaluate new product opportunities and enhancements. Build robust business cases for investment in new product development, including ROI analysis and justification for projects. Lead Voice of Customer research and translate customer pain points into clear product requirements for engineering. Serve as an active core team member in product development projects to ensure customer needs are met and technical challenges are addressed.
Working with Cross Functional Department and Teams
communicating with sales, marketing, and engineering to ensure alignment of product configurations and features with customer/market needs. Includes working with Sales and Marketing to develop marketing strategies and materials in coordination with Nikkiso Applied Technologies overall marketing scheme.
Inorganic Developments / Growth Opportunities: Develop at least 1 per quarter inorganic opportunities that align with the Business Unit’s strategy for growth for the product family and the overall strategy for Nikkiso CEIG. This includes acquisitions, joint ventures, conglomerations, or other approaches to bring our product portfolio to our target markets. Strategies for an inorganic opportunity are not limited and may include Horizontal/Vertical Integration, Product/Market Extension, Roll-Up Potential, or similar.
Sales Support & Customer Engagement
Serve as the product expert and champion. Provide ongoing support to the global sales team and channel partners by addressing product-related inquiries, joining customer calls as needed, and delivering product training sessions. Gather customer feedback and monitor customer satisfaction with the products, using this information to drive continuous improvements. Act as an advocate for the customer internally, ensuring the product roadmap and features remain aligned with solving real customer problems.
Key KPI’s
Product Line Revenue Growth
Year-over-year increase in sales revenue for the product category, indicating market success and growth. This can be measured in total dollars and as a percentage growth.
Profitability & Gross Margin
The profit generated by the product line after costs, often tracked via gross margin percentage and overall product line contribution to profit. Maintaining or improving margins while growing revenue is a critical indicator of healthy product management.
Market Share Expansion
The product category’s share of the relevant market, and its growth over time. An increasing market share signifies competitive success. (Where exact market share is hard to measure, proxy metrics like win/loss rates against key competitors or growth in key customer accounts can be used.)
New Product Introduction (NPI) Success: Effectiveness of launching new products on time and within budget. KPIs may include
time-to-market
(actual launch dates vs. planned schedules), and the percentage of annual revenue coming from new products (e.g. products launched in the last 1-3 years). A shorter time-to-market and higher adoption of new products indicate successful innovation.
Product Adoption & Sales Mix: The uptake of products in the portfolio, measured by units sold or revenue by product, especially for recently launched products. Tracking product adoption rates and the
product mix
helps ensure the portfolio is aligned with customer demand.
Customer Satisfaction
(Quality and Service Metrics) : Customer satisfaction scores related to the product, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) or Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) surveys, as well as product-specific metrics like warranty claim rates or return rates. High customer satisfaction and low return rates signal that the product meets customer expectations in performance and quality.
Qualifications
- Knowledge of industry best practices and standards of excellence
- Extensive experience with relevant product lines
Specific industry experience and knowledge in the following (amongst others):
Cryogenics
LNG
Industrial Gas
Hydrogen
Clean Energy
- Exceptional problem solving, negotiating, time management, and general management skills
- Financial skills and strong familiarity with the following: revenue, bookings, gross margin, EBIT, project budgeting, cost structure / management and ability to learn other financial metrics required to perform job functions
- Ability to motivate a result driven