Vice President of Product Management

American Vintners Wine Company is seeking a Vice President of Product Development to lead the overall development, innovation, and lifecycle management of its wine portfolio. The role is responsible for driving new product development from concept through launch, aligning product strategy with consumer needs, market trends, brand positioning, quality standards, and business objectives while partnering across winemaking, marketing, sales, supply chain, finance, and operations.

Responsibilities:

• Develop the company's medium- to long-term wine product development strategy and product innovation roadmap
• Analyze, optimize, and manage the existing product portfolio throughout its lifecycle
• Identify product innovation opportunities based on consumer needs, market trends, sales performance, and the competitive environment
• Establish portfolio strategies across different price ranges, grape varieties, regions, and product lines
• Drive the development of core products, seasonal products, limited-edition products, and emerging categories
• Lead the entire development process of new wine products, from concept to commercial launch
• Collaborate with winemakers, product development, and quality teams to determine product style, flavor, specifications, and quality standards
• Participate in the evaluation of grape varieties, regions, raw materials, and suppliers
• Organize product testing, consumer testing, and internal tastings, and continuously improve based on feedback
• Establish product development phases, approval processes, timelines, and commercialization standards
• Continuously research wine consumption trends, consumer preferences, channel changes, and competing products
• Analyze the needs of different consumer groups regarding flavor, packaging, price, and product positioning
• Translate market research and consumer data into actionable product development directions
• Collaborate with the marketing team to develop product positioning, brand story, and launch strategies
• Monitor new product launches and product portfolio changes by competing brands
• Develop new product launch plans in collaboration with marketing, sales, and channel teams
• Ensure product development is aligned with sales channels, customer needs, and business objectives
• Coordinate production capacity, inventory, packaging, and time-to-market with the supply chain and operations teams
• Work with the finance team to develop product cost, pricing, and profit models
• Establish cross-departmental collaboration mechanisms from product concept to large-scale commercialization
• Participate in the development of wine bottle shapes, labels, packaging, gift boxes, and related product materials
• Ensure packaging design aligns with brand positioning and target consumers
• Work with design, marketing, and supplier teams to drive packaging development and updates
• Optimize product specifications and packaging formats based on channel requirements
• Work with quality, production, and regulatory teams to establish quality requirements during the product development phase
• Ensure product development complies with applicable food and beverage labeling, packaging, and production regulations
• Participate in the development of product quality standards, specifications, and acceptance procedures
• Conduct cross-departmental analysis of product quality issues and drive improvement measures
• Establish a post-launch performance tracking system
• Analyze sales revenue, sales volume, gross profit margin, market performance, and customer feedback
• Develop expansion, adjustment, repositioning, or exit strategies based on product performance
• Report regularly to senior management on product portfolio performance and innovation project progress
• Lead product development, product innovation, and related cross-functional teams
• Establish a goal-setting, responsibility, and performance management system for the product development team
• Develop product managers, R&D personnel, and related professionals
• Establish an efficient, data-driven, and collaborative product development culture

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or above in Business, Marketing, Product Management, Food Science, Oenology, Supply Chain Management, or a related field
• Over 15 years of experience in product development, consumer products, food and beverage, wine, or related industries
• Extensive experience in product innovation, portfolio management, and commercialization
• Experience in senior management or leading cross-functional teams
• Familiarity with product development, production, packaging, distribution, and business operations processes in the wine industry
• Experience in complete project lifecycle management, from product concept to market launch
• Familiar with wine products, consumer markets, and industry trends
• Possesses product strategy, market analysis, and business planning capabilities
• Strong project management and cross-departmental coordination skills
• Able to make product decisions based on consumer insights, sales data, and financial indicators
• Familiar with product cost, pricing, profit, and ROI analysis
• Possesses excellent supplier, production, and partner management skills
• Excellent communication, negotiation, decision-making, and team leadership skills
• Priority will be given to candidates with an MBA, advanced degree in Viticulture and Oenology, Food Science, or a related field