Product Manager

At Herbert Parkinson, a proud and historic part of the John Lewis Partnership, we are embarking on an exciting transformation journey to secure our long-term success. By investing in state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, streamlining our operations, and creating broader, more fulfilling roles for our Partners, we are building a more sustainable and agile future. Join us as we continue to deliver exceptional quality and service for our customers while empowering our partners to thrive.

As Product Manager, you will be responsible for our current and emerging product portfolio. Collaborating closely with the Herbert Parkinson and JL Commercial teams, you will translate market intelligence, customer insights, and competitor analysis to identify & launch commercially successful products. You will help drive market growth by establishing effective pricing strategies and executing Go-To-Market (GTM) plans to increase profitability and delight our customers.

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £5.25 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

• Expected salary - £53,100- £55,000 (depending on experience)
• Contract type- This position is a Permanent role. 38.75 Hours per week
• Location - This role is based at our Herbert Parkinson Office in Darwen, Lancashire. 

Key responsibilities 

• Take end-to-end ownership of the overarching product portfolio, maintaining a clearly defined, up-to-date product catalogue across M2M and Filled goods products & specifications
• Use market intelligence, customer insights, and competitive benchmarking—including comparative shopping ("comp shops")—to identify product catalogue gaps, inform pricing strategies & drive targeted portfolio additions & enhancements
• Define a robust process to ensure a commercially successful product launch
• Manage the product lifecycle, responsible for exiting products from the portfolio in the most efficient way ensuring no business risk or impact to customers
• Work with Operational lead to Identify synergies across customer specifications to reduce variation in manufacturing operations driving workflow efficiency, simplifying the product portfolio and pricing matrix
• Responsible for the careful evaluation and selection of supplier partnerships to procure high quality, cost effective raw materials to maximise commercial margins and supply chain reliability 
• Effective talent management of line reports to identify individual goals and a route for succession. Empower your team to drive results

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Thorough understanding of product lifecycles & demonstrable experience of successful product launch 
• Proven track record of delivering a product pipeline
• Relevant project management qualification
• Excellent negotiation abilities

Desirable skills/experience you may have 

• Experience of working within manufacturing sector
• Sound knowledge of manufacturing ERP systems
• Comprehensive knowledge of soft furnishing industry -  Made to measure (M2M) and Filled Goods

#LI-EB1

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible.

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.