Product Marketing Manager

Location: Irvine, United States of America

Thales people architect solutions that enable two-thirds of planes to take off and land safely. We create in-flight entertainment systems that engross 50 million fliers every year and we develop the avionics that control the world’s largest commercial aircrafts. Our simulators train the next generation of pilots for fighter jets, transporters and search and rescue helicopters. And, together, each and every member of our aerospace team makes a difference.

Product Marketing Manager

Irvine, CA (Hybrid)

Position Summary

Thales is looking for a Product Marketing Manager (PMM) to be responsible for ensuring the competitiveness of their assigned product portfolio. He/she is responsible for managing your product line, its products and their evolution and commercial performance throughout their respective life cycles: from start to finish, from feasibility study to product end of life. The PMMs will focus on translating customer and market requirements into products and services with clear and differentiated value proposition to increase order intake and net margin which is supported with evidence based market needs, competitive positioning and pricing and value analysis.  He/she will work collaboratively with the Strategy, Business Development, Customer Success and Product Delivery teams, to create a campaign to ensure products are desired in the market by binding the strategic business plan and gross margin at order intake. 

In this position, you will also ensure the product and service within their assigned portfolio are delivering solutions that the market values, is willing to pay for, and willing to select over the competition which requires expertise as a market analyst and a pricing analyst.  Responsibilities require identifying and articulating competitors current and future strategies and “ghost” target market pricing for products and services by logically analyzing available information.  The PMM will influence the product strategy and direction with evidence of market needs, voice of customer, and competitive market intelligence and ensure our positioning and messaging resonates with the market.  He/she will define a dollarized value proposition and a solid competitive positioning, and a differentiation of the Product Line with Competitive & Market Intelligence and be responsible for end to end go to market for their products and solutions.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Lead analysis of market trends, market/customer needs, segmentation and competition positioning regarding the valuing of their services/product line, with Competitive & Market Intelligence and Segment Marketing by expertly understanding customers’ wants and values and then defining and updating market requirements; Collaborate with Customer Success team to map customer requirements to product strategy, identifying gaps and weaknesses, and developing plans to address.
• Define a winning product action plan and manage the delivery of the Marketing and Sales Kit with Marketing and Communication as part of the Marketing plan; Collaborate with Product Delivery to define robust roadmaps and lifecycle strategies for each product and service that mitigates competitive gaps and future threats, and highlights our competitive strengths and leverages our opportunities in a credible manner, based on real world metrics to defend value and influencing and driving the product portfolio to ensure we have a competitive message; Develop a go to market that includes presentations, proposal language, cost and value analysis, pricing targets, brochures and regular sales and bids training; Prioritize areas for investment that provide the highest return based on customer needs and competitive analysis.
• Act as the primary thought leader internally and externally, supporting the sales team on the problems we solve and value we deliver, and represent Thales as subject matter expert at tradeshow and industry events; Support strategic sales activities to maximize win potential including bid strategy, solution positioning and price targets; Support Account Teams, Sales, Capture Leaders and Bid Managers during pre-sales and Bid activities. Participate in customer, prospect and partner meeting; Responsible for ensuring customer success teams have the appropriate pricing, proposal and presentation tools and associated training. 
• Develop and dollarize the product’s value proposition with a focus on how to bring unique value and solve our customer’s needs by working closely with the Product Delivery team to track performance and use real world data to defend value analysis; Develop and constantly refine pricing strategies for products and services based on a comprehensive Total Value of Operations analysis in light of market needs and competitive market intelligence to ens