ABOUT LABEL INSIGHT:

Label Insight is the market leader for transparency and digital transformation, providing a full-stack data platform for CPG product attribute data and images covering more than 80 percent of top selling food, pet, and personal care items in the U.S. The company's technology combines supply chain and on-package product information and employs proprietary data science and machine learning capabilities to create more than 22,000 high order attributes per product. This solution set delivers transparency to consumers and powers digital transformation through analytics, marketing, merchandising and e-commerce solutions for leading organizations across the Retail, Brand Manufacturer, Government and Technology industries. For more information, visit www.labelinsight.com

The company, with locations in Chicago and St. Louis, recently announced closing $21M in third-round funding to power expansion and hiring, supporting industry leading clients including Unilever, ConAgra, Albertsons, Meijer, Dole and numerous other CPG brands and retailers.

ABOUT THE ROLE:                             

The Vice President of Product Management will provide direction and leadership for the development and execution of product management initiatives.  This individual will lead the product management team working in close collaboration with the other functional leaders in overseeing the design, development, coordination and implementation of products throughout their lifecycle, from strategic definition to end-of-life planning.  The VP of Product Management will work extensively in the marketplace to gather intelligence from customers, partners, competitors and influencers for the purpose of leading our company to a clear and concise product vision in support of our business vision, strategy and operations.  He/she will also set and maintain the continuous improvement mindset for the overall product management function, including the ongoing enhancement of processes and procedures while driving product development and expansion.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Among other responsibilities, the Vice President of Product Management will:

• Lead product strategy and operational planning to achieve business goals by fostering innovation, prioritizing product initiatives, and coordinating the evaluation, deployment, implementation and management of current and future products across the organization.
• Continuously gather external and internal stakeholder and influencer perspectives, help validate and lead our team in the organization, inclusive prioritization and disciplined management of an agile based product roadmap and delivery discipline.
• Inclusively lead, develop and mentor a product management team by delegating responsibility, empowering decision making, fostering collaborative communications and optimizing product-role based execution in the delivery of product to the marketplace.
• Position products for rapid and sustainable growth; working closely with Engineering and Data Operations to insure scalability, flexibility and reliability.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum Experience: 10 to 15  years of Product Management experience with at least 5 years leading product strategy and management in a venture-backed, growth stage, cloud-based software product as a service company.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.

ROLE-SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES:

We are seeking a dynamic, creative, and hands-on product executive who has demonstrated cross-functional leadership and collaboration inside a business as well as across a multi-faceted marketplace.  Candidates with significant experience in rapidly growing, venture capital-backed, cloud-based software as a service product business will receive the greatest consideration.

• Requirements Gathering and Translation: Demonstrated ability to serve as a "translator" of both outside voices (including customers, prospects, market influencers, competitors and partners) and internal voices (including management, product owners, customer success, sales and marketing).
• Product and Decision Making Leadership: Proven capacity to influence, both indirectly and directly, product management roles in the development organization.  Proven ability to lead others in making decisions and communicating those decisions to all stakeholders.
• Product Roadmap Prowess: Expertise in quantifying and validating stakeholder perspectives as well as reconciling priorities and leading decision making in the execution of an agile based roadmap discipline supported by a product-role based delivery organization.
• Software as a Service/Cloud Products: Mastery of the nuances of building a successful SaaS/cloud product business (versus custom software, enterprise software, professional services, etc.) grounded in a solid technical acumen.                                                                    
• Product Management: Successful experience creating high level product management capabilities for a growth stage company in an emerging, changing/developing multi-faceted market.
• Senior Executive level Credibility: Deep knowledge of the product function in the data industry, able to be a credible peer to the senior organization.          
• Agile-based, Product-role Management Competence: Proven knowledge of agile-based, multi-team, cross-functional management principles and success applying them to the development of a product suite.
• Collaborative: Using the team around you, both inside and outside the product team, ability to work closely with passionate and thoughtful team members, top to bottom, in the delivery an industry leading product set.
• Team Building: Has set the appropriate organizational structure and culture of productive product management teams, recruited and retained top talent.
• Technical Savvy/Credible in Data Industry: A working understanding of data and analytics; knowledge of internal systems (PLM, PIM, DAM, ERP, etc.) and how to position data to customers' and partners' systems (GDSN, PIM, and marketing activation).                                                                        
• Industry Intelligence: High mental capacity to understand, analyze, and act on marketing, technology, and data.                                                                                                                                    
• Product Packaging and Market Delivery: Ability to collaborate with Marketing organization to package products enabling sales and BD in the delivery of the product to the marketplace.
• Revenue Focused: Driven to understand and prioritize based on revenue implications; working externally with customers and prospects to build products that have broad market applicability but also drives the industry forward; working internally with stakeholders to articulate the potential revenue impact of their decisions.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES:

The successful candidate will possess personal and professional integrity of the highest order, and excel in:

• Clear Oral Communication: Ability to speak clearly and fluently.  Demonstrates a logical, structured approach, adapts to the needs of the situation and the nature of the audience; confirms the audience has understood the message.  Beyond presenting clearly, this competency is also concerned with ensuring strong two-way communication.
• Clear Written Communication: Ability to write clearly and succinctly.  Adapts style and content; meets demands of the situation and audience.  Communicates clearly and effectively uses well-structured, logical arguments and avoids unnecessary technical or complex language.
• Cooperative Teamwork: Builds supportive relationships within a team, based on trust and respect.  Requires listening to others, adapts to other people's different work styles and focuses on shared goals.  Willing to challenge others and accepts challenges as a way of getting the best results for the team.
• Customer Focus: Develops strong, lasting relationships with clients.  Possesses desire to understand and satisfy customers’ needs and exceed expectations whenever possible.  Concern with clients inside or outside the organization; internal customers may be other departments or individuals from the same organization.
• Flexibility: Responds well to change.  Positive attitude toward change and a readiness to adapt when presented with new information, new situations or shifting priorities.
• Initiative: Constantly looks for things to do.  Self-confident and proactive; generates activity for themselves rather than waiting for instruction.  Prepared to take risks if potential benefit in results.
• Innovation: Turns creative ideas into original solutions.  Produces new or different approaches in current situations and enables creativity in others.  Involved in generating ideas and seeing them through to implementation.
• Management of Others: Enables others to perform.  Remains cool, calm and collected under pressure.  Sets a clear direction and delegates fairly and appropriately allowing direct reports the means to achieve their goals.  Looks for opportunities to develop individuals by encouraging them to take on greater responsibility and make decisions for themselves.

OUR VALUES:

• Transparency: We’re transparent and open regarding our work
• Collaboration: We’re team players. We support and trust our co-workers, celebrate each other’s wins and learn from each other’s failures. We help to create an environment that makes everyone feel comfortable
• Iteration and Innovation: We’re not afraid to challenge assumptions and make suggestions for better solutions, try new ideas or take smart risks. We challenge the status quo, and feel safe to make mistakes and learn from them rather than repeat them.
• Intellectual Honesty and Humility: We pursue the best answer, not being right. We are aware of your own biases and admit when we’re wrong. We’re willing to ask for help when we need it.
• Accountability: We take responsibility for our own work quality, problems and solutions, and how our actions affect those around us.
• Quality Driven: We strive for quality in our work and our approach to our role. We make data-driven decisions.

OUR PERKS:

• Flexible paid vacation plan
• Flexible work hours
• Kitchen stocked with snacks, drinks, a kegerator and more!
• Casual, dog-friendly, open-layout workspace
• Company subsidized Health Insurance, and 401(k) and commuter benefits
• Competitive salary and stock options
• Catered team lunches every other week
• Mentorship opportunities
• Regular team events and happy hours
• Maternity/Paternity Leave

Check out more about Label Insight, our culture, and our employees here.