Accessories Category Manager - EMEA at Microsoft

Reading, England, United Kingdom -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

24 Apr, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

24 Jan, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Category Management, Product Management, Marketing Strategy, Business Planning, Analytical Thinking, Change Management, Market Knowledge, Sales Management, Strategic Thinking

Industry

Software Development

Description

Overview ACCESSORIES CATEGORY MANAGER - EMEA The Gaming Marketing & Sales organization (GMS) is at the core of the Microsoft Gaming division, consisting of a passionate team of marketers, sales professionals, and innovators who are committed to advancing storytelling, partner excellence, and marketing technology. GMS connects and engages with players and partners at scale across our diverse portfolio of experiences, games, and screens through a wide variety of marketing and sales channels. As a member of our team, you will be part of a multi-billion-dollar business, focused on delivering value throughout the entire player journey and collaborating with team members in over 20 markets. You will also be part of a culture that embraces a growth mindset, inspires excellence, and encourages teams to bring their best each day. GMS is the destination for experienced, collaborative, and passionate professionals seeking a rewarding career and the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the gaming industry. If that appeals to you, it’s an exciting time to join GMS. Within Gaming, we accomplish Microsoft’s mission in two ways Drive consumer engagement and revenue at retail: Use consumer insights, market data, store level analysis, and sales information to evaluate our business performance and develop seasonal, launch, & sustain plans to improve our partners’ business, win share, sell units, and drive revenue. Amplify the Xbox brand through our retail partners: Plan and execute thoughtful and impactful through-line-full-funnel-marketing, focused on driving purchase intent, conversion & post purchase advocacy and consumer lifetime value for Gaming devices, content, accessories, and services. What our team offers At the core, we are a customer-focused team that encourages a diverse & inclusive culture. We are respectful, collaborative, accountable and approach work with a fun, positive attitude. The right candidate can expect to have opportunities for career growth and development while shaping our strategic approach to the rapidly changing transactional video and advertising environments. What I will do for you Champion your successes at every level of our leadership. Empower you with the opportunity to gain new experiences and improve upon your strengths. Support who you are as your authentic self. Make career development a consistent priority. Responsibilities How you can make an impact As Accessories Category Manager – EMEA within GMS you will lead the management of the Gaming Accessories portfolio to achieve annual Retail Sales revenue & GM goals. Leading the category strategy, business operations and investments from end to end and serving as a subject matter expert on Gaming Accessories. Build and drive GTM strategy and KPIs at the regional and/or sub-regional level to deliver upon the priorities and initiatives cascaded from Worldwide Category. Drive Accessories category leadership through revealing and pursuing white-space opportunities for growth. This role is flexible in that you can work up to 90% from home. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. RESPONSIBILITIES General Management Leads business operations within a category from end-to-end, serving as a subject matter expert on the product(s) or service(s) (e.g., product/service knowledge; historical context; category trends; where a product/service sits within category strategy), and provides expertise on the broader category and industry. Partners with cross-organizational category management to create alignment between sectors (e.g., consumer, small-to-medium business [SMB]) and develop complementary priorities and strategies to support the One Microsoft approach within the region(s). Reports data-driven product channel insights from partners (e.g., voice of the customer [VOC] data) back to the Worldwide Category team and/or the business group and product team(s) to support product strategy, maximize revenue, and help define future product development. Financial Accountability Manages or owns full accountability for top-line and bottom-line profit and loss for the Gaming Accessories category. Ensures efficient use of organizational resources to execute marketing and promotional plans within the category. Manages the category management team in fiscal year forecasting, planning, and budgeting, and ensures financial compliance. Business Planning & ROB Builds and drives go-to-market (GTM) strategy and key performance indicators (KPIs) for a category at the country and/or sub-regional level to deliver upon the priorities and initiatives cascaded from Worldwide Category. In partnership with key stakeholders (e.g., Sales, Marketing, Finance, Sales Excellence, Business Operations), defines and owns product specific channel strategy and investments, supports development of execution plans, and drives longer-term initiatives for the region. Leads and orchestrates end-to-end rhythm of the business (ROB) cadence for the product(s) or service area(s), including supporting sales in leading regular partner review meetings, and leading review meetings with senior leadership to summarize feedback on business and campaign performance. Execution Manages execution of category strategy and investments with partners. Adjusts programs and investments, and ensures alignment of execution plans as needed using guidance from corporate and performance data. Leverages financial performance data and models to ensure expected outcomes are delivered, and feeds back market insights to corporate to address competitive concerns within the market. Drives executional excellence through identifying and implementing efficiencies to produce higher impact. Measuring and Monitoring Leverages deep knowledge of analyses and results to be able to simplify data and report results. Translates data analytics into actionable business insights. Disseminates insights to ensure that key stakeholders understand the factors driving performance and what course corrections or resources are needed to enable categories to hit their targets. Shares best practices with internal stakeholders and business partners for identifying trends across the product category. Leverages historical analyses and insights to support business planning and provide future projections on trends and impacts. Growth Opportunity Drives category leadership through revealing and pursuing white-space opportunities. Defines (e.g., identifies Total Available Market [TAM], audience, product) and implements solutions (e.g., target setting, investments) that drive strategic impact for Microsoft and partners. Leverages performance data (e.g., first-party, third-party, market trends) and voice of the customer (VOC) information to create and integrate new strategies. Qualifications Experience: 6+ years of experience in category management, product management, marketing strategy, business planning, product planning preferably within the consumer electronics or gaming industry. Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Commerce, Economics or similar work experience. Analytical Thinking: The ability to collect information and identify fundamental patterns/trends in complex data. This includes the ability to gather, integrate, and interpret information from several sources; use information to generate insights; and make decisions. Change Management: The ability to define and implement procedures and/or technologies to deal with changes in the environment. This may include adapting to change, controlling change, and/or affecting change. Market Knowledge: Knowledge of the market context in which the business operates; this includes the understanding of market trends and how they will impact customers and the business. Sales Management: The ability to develop and implement sales techniques that allow the business to consistently hit, and even surpass, its sales targets. This includes knowledge of partner sales or direct sales. Strategic Thinking: The ability to examine and understand the organization's competitive strengths and weaknesses. This includes the ability to: look for opportunities to grow the business and reduce costs; monitor the environment for opportunities; formulate strategies that provide distinct competitive advantages; and consider problems and opportunities from a broad, multi-functional perspective. This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

Responsibilities

As Accessories Category Manager – EMEA, you will lead the management of the Gaming Accessories portfolio to achieve annual Retail Sales revenue and GM goals. You will build and drive go-to-market strategy and KPIs at the regional level to deliver upon the priorities and initiatives from Worldwide Category.