Employment Spot

Job Description

The Senior Manager, Pricing will develop complex price movement factors and pricing models, provide detailed analysis and commentary as it relates to product and/or customer profitability and develop and maintain Pricing tools and models to ensure consistent application of pricing and profitability guidelines.  They will also monitor and optimize pricing strategy through process control and variance analysis and be responsible for managing a team of Pricing Analysts in the maintenance, development, and analysis of pricing of products for multiple customers and trade channels. 
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior Manger, Pricing will be responsible for:

• Establishing controls and protocols for determining pricing in collaboration with Senior Management. The development and documentation of procedures and controls related to the Pricing Department and the order-to-cash process.  Managing adherence to guidelines and delegation of pricing authority.  Managing the approval process through regular reviews of price variance audits and metrics.
• Administrating on-going maintenance of customer contracts / pricing programs, including amendments to add/delete products, change customer pricing, adjust master contract data, or other contract modifications. Maintaining a complete understanding of contract requirements to ensure all relevant contract administrative obligations are met in a timely and accurate manner. Participating and supporting sales in the preparation of RFP's.
• Leading and directing Pricing teams. Providing direction and training to Senior Pricing Analysts and other internal customers on company pricing policies and departmental processes. Using Dairy industry knowledge -- both Federal Order and California -- to train and develop team members
• Making recommendations to Senior Management on pricing strategies, including monthly price changes, and pricing protocols using commodity market data and other outside factors. Integrating monthly cost estimates (via Purchasing) into a reporting tool to enable GM pricing decisions.
• Working with IT to design, test, and implement program changes to enhance order-to-cash efficiencies and support company initiatives.  Developing automated pricing tools based on newly defined protocols.
• Developing departmental KPI's, targets, and reporting packages. Providing management with monthly metrics including win/loss tracking, quote variance to guidelines, sell price trends, speed to quote, etc.
• Identifying and analyzing customer margin issues, through the loading of detailed customer / product specific data including master data, pricing, trade, and price / margin guidelines into a pricing management system.  Assisting in developing margin improvement action plans, and working with Sales Management as well as General Managers to implement.
• Providing ad hoc reporting to Senior Management to support their decision making process
• Performing other related duties as required.
• Working closely with the sales organizations, customers and other members of the corporate sales operations, as needed, to resolve price discrepancies.
• Maintaining product knowledge and regularly monitors industry pricing practices; particularly for major competitors and distributors. Understanding current economic conditions and financial implications for company.  Understanding value position of products against competition, competing alternatives, and internal product offering.
• Participating with new product development teams in defining customer pricing requirements.  Effectively model pricing strategy and margin expectations on new product launches.

Job Requirements

• Education--Bachelor's degree in Business and/or Management-related discipline preferred.  An advanced degree in business is a plus.
• Experience--Minimum of five (5) or more years experience in pricing management experience in consumer packaged goods.  Candidate should also have general management experience with an emphasis on quantitative analysis and process design and administration. 
• Specialized Knowledge--Must be able to understand market movements, pricing, and overall financial analysis/levers, critical reasoning/thinking, ability to convert data into insights for sales/general management, project management, and cross-functional collaboration/influencing skills.
• Additional Qualifications--(1) possess strong analytical skills to manage and develop pricing architecture across businesses, customers, segments; (1) have advanced data mining computer skills with experience in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Access) Cognos, Powerplay, and AS/400 (BPCS, SAP) query tool;  (3) be a strong team player who is able to work across multiple functions, disciplines, and within own team; (3) possess strong leadership skills to drive new processes and leverage IT tools / solutions through the organization; and (4) maintain strong verbal and written communication skills to assist on translating data insights for understanding.