Data product manager Jobs in Köln

Reporting to: VP Group Portfolio Management, Interior

Employment location: Germany, France, Poland, UK or Czechia - Hybrid

General Job description / Key responsibilities

The Group Product & Portfolio Manager - Shelving Solutions is responsible for developing and managing ITAB's shelving platform as the foundation of our retail interior solutions across the Group. The role combines product management, commercial strategy, market insight and portfolio development to ensure ITAB remains a preferred partner for retailers seeking modern merchandising solutions.

Shelving is one of ITAB's largest and most strategically important product categories with a growth ambition of 30% over the next 3 years. It is frequently the starting point of our customer relationships and creates opportunities to introduce higher-value products, services and technologies. The role is therefore responsible not only for the core shelving systems, but for developing the wider shelving ecosystem that creates value for retailers.

The position works closely with customers, Market Business Units (MBUs), Sales and Key Account teams, Product Managers, Engineering, Operations, Procurement and external partners to understand retailer needs and translate these into commercially successful solutions that strengthen ITAB's competitive position.

A key responsibility is to identify successful local products, applications and innovations across ITAB's regions and evaluate opportunities to standardise, scale and commercialise these across the Group. The role also drives continuous portfolio optimisation, value engineering, simplification and innovation to improve profitability and differentiation.

Scope of the shelving ecosystem

• Core shelving systems and shelf accessories

• Under-shelf lighting and integrated lighting applications

• Refrigerated shelving and related merchandising applications

• Bakery and produce merchandising solutions

• Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL) and digital shelf technologies

• Smart shelf applications, sensors and related retail technologies

• Sustainability, refurbishment and reuse solutions

• Third-party complementary products that strengthen the total offer

Travelling

The role is global with a European focus. Frequent travel is required to support MBUs and customers, understand market developments, and visit suppliers and internal and external partners.

Approximately 30-40 international travel days annually are expected, primarily within Europe with occasional travel to Asia.

Job description / key dependencies

The Group Product & Portfolio Manager - Shelving Solutions owns the annual product and portfolio plan for shelving solutions, including range strategy, lifecycle management, launch and discontinuation strategy, value engineering priorities and commercial activation. The role governs the portfolio together with the Product Council and ensures that future development is based on customer needs, market insight, commercial potential and operational feasibility.

The position is expected to act as an ambassador for Group Commercial Shelving and to make shelving an attractive, profitable entry point for wider ITAB solutions. The role creates the roadmap, aligns stakeholders and drives execution through a matrix organisation, supported by R&D, Product Owners and manufacturing capabilities across the Group.

Portfolio Strategy

• Develop and execute the long-term strategy for ITAB's shelving platform and associated merchandising solutions.

• Create and maintain a competitive portfolio balancing customer needs, market trends, innovation, sustainability, manufacturing efficiency and commercial performance.

• Own the annual product roadmap, launch strategy, lifecycle management and portfolio rationalisation.

Market Intelligence

• Maintain expert knowledge of retail merchandising trends, store format evolution, competitor portfolios and customer investment priorities.

• Track emerging technologies and sustainability developments relevant to shelving and merchandising.

• Translate market insight into clear portfolio priorities, product opportunities and commercial recommendations.

Product Development and Value Engineering

• Lead continuous development of the core shelving platform through product improvements, modularisation, standardisation and simplification.

• Plan, prioritise and initiate value engineering activities with Operations, Manufacturing and Procurement.

• Drive cost reduction, material optimisation, manufacturing improvements, margin enhancement and sustainability improvements.

• Develop robust product specifications and business cases for Product Council investment decisions.

Portfolio Ecosystem Development

• Develop the complete merchandising ecosystem around the shelving platform, integrating ITAB products and complementary third-party solutions.

• Work closely with Product Managers in Lighting, Digital and other categories to create integrated solutions around the shelf.

• Develop, onboard and introduce portfolio partners that increase customer value and support outcome-based solutions.

Objectives / Key deliverables

• Be the Group expert on shelving, merchandising applications, market trends and competitor activities.

• Deliver an annual portfolio strategy and maintain a rolling three-year product roadmap.

• Perform a complete annual business analysis of the shelving portfolio and recommend actions to improve growth, margin and competitiveness.

• Drive value engineering programmes and measurable annual savings across the portfolio.

• Increase attachment sales around the shelving platform through lighting, ESL, refrigeration, bakery, produce, digital and other complementary solutions.

• Identify successful local products and applications within MBUs and assess opportunities for Group-wide deployment.

• Drive standardisation and reduce unnecessary portfolio complexity and duplication across the Group.

• Create and maintain a clear approach for sharing best practice, customer applications and successful solutions across MBUs.

• Lead product launch and training strategy to secure successful adoption of new products and concepts.

• Create commercial tools, application guides, launch kits, product documentation and training material that make the portfolio simple for sales teams to understand and sell.

• Support strategic customer opportunities, tenders and RFQs as the product expert for shelving solutions.

• Build strong relationships with selected retailers, merchandising teams and strategic partners to understand future needs and validate portfolio direction.

• Develop pricing and cost strategies that secure the right market position and margin development.

• Support business development in new markets until the appropriate portfolio and applications are ready for commercial deployment.

• Govern range strategy, launches and discontinuations through the Product Council and ensure decisions are based on facts and clear business cases.

• Measure performance through portfolio growth, gross margin, value engineering savings, cross-selling, Group product adoption and successful launches.

Key Competences / Skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Product Management or equivalent relevant experience.

• Experience from retail fixtures, shelving systems, shopfitting, retail interiors, store equipment or merchandising systems is highly desirable.

• Experience in product management, portfolio management, commercial product strategy or category management.

• Strong understanding of retail merchandising and the wider product ecosystem around shelving.

• Experience of value engineering, product development and portfolio optimisation.

• Strong commercial mindset with the ability to identify opportunities and translate them into scalable business propositions.

• Strong customer focus with an outcome and ROI orientation.

• Experience working directly with sales teams, key accounts and customers.

• Demonstrated success in a matrix organisation and the ability to influence people who do not report directly to you.

• Analytical and data-driven, while action oriented and pragmatic in execution.

• Ability to balance attention to detail with a clear strategic view of the market and future portfolio.

• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.

• Fluent English; additional European languages are an advantage.

• Team player with a strong "get things done" mindset and ability to keep complex topics simple.

• ITAB Values & ways of working: We Care, We Challenge, We Collaborate.

Success measures

• Portfolio turnover and gross margin development.

• Value engineering savings and cost competitiveness.

• Growth in attachment sales and cross-selling around shelving.

• Adoption of Group standard products and successful regional solutions.

• Reduction in portfolio complexity and duplication.

• Successful introduction and adoption of new products and applications.

• Quality and timeliness of product roadmap and Product Council delivery.

• Customer and MBU satisfaction with the shelving portfolio and commercial support.

The successful candidate will contribute to developing innovative, commercially successful and sustainable retail solutions that help our customers grow and strengthen ITAB's position as a leading solution provider.

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone is treated fairly and with respect, and where people from all backgrounds can thrive. We actively challenge discrimination in all its forms and welcome applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, as well as socio-economic background, caring responsibilities or any other personal characteristic.

Our recruitment process is designed to be fair and transparent. Every candidate is assessed solely on their skills, experience and potential to succeed in the role. We are happy to make reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process. Please let us know what would help you perform at your best, and we will treat this in confidence.

We value the different perspectives people bring and believe a diverse team makes us stronger. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we’d still encourage you to apply.