Specialist, Product Planning

Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer fostering an inclusive, accessible environment. We are committed to building an environment where all employees and customers feel valued, respected, and supported. Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc. will support applicants requiring accommodation during the recruitment process.

All employees are required to espouse MMSCAN’s company values, MMC WAY, and conduct themselves accordingly:

1. Think of Our Customers First; Strengthen Trust
2. Enrich Society
3. Welcome All Facts; Share Difficult News First
4. Conduct and Challenge Yourself Professionally
5. Respect All; Work as Part of a Broader Team

PURPOSE:

The Specialist, Product Planning supports the product team in many aspects of product development, from the conception, through launch and post-launch phases to achieve business goals, maximize the return on investment and communicate business value. The Specialist supports a strategic and tactical role and pivots between different functions by intersecting between business technology and user experience, and between corporate and industry vendors. The Specialist helps define the product portfolio vision by assisting in the gathering, and summarizing of data to support the why, what, and when of a product which allows the team, dealers, vendors, and customers understand the purpose behind the product. The Specialist contributes to the research for new and existing product strategy, line up, and pricing by reporting the market and customer demands alongside the competition.

This role reports to the Manager, Product Planning.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Advanced Planning & Strategy

Development

• Supports the Product Planning team in the development of new models, full model changes, model refreshes, Special Action Models (SAMs) by assembling the required information, analytics, data, and user feedback of product to drive enhancements, ensuring it is relevant to the Canadian market for use in market presentations by management.

Relationship Management

• Develop close relationships with other department members at MMSCAN to ensure clear and consistent communication.
• Develop close relationships with dealer Product Advisory Group (PAG) to ensure Canadian dealers and customer voice is represented to the Product Planning team through regular meetings and information sharing and requests for feedback.

Market Research & Intelligence

Product Reports

• Assisting the creation of product overview reports by use of industry analytic tools like Jato, S&P Catalyst, Ipsos mTab syndicated New Vehicle Customer Survey (NVCS) and internal data sources for use by other departments to support their product and market knowledge and departmental strategies.
• Assist in the creation of in-depth product reports and utilize to forecast competitor’s product timing and offerings. Sourcing of information using public domain sources such as automotive reviews, news, press releases, blogs, industry reports and government data sets to provide a well-rounded overview of market conditions and factors influencing automotive industry in Canada.

Production Trial Vehicles (PT)

• Support in the scheduling of units across different departments within the company and maintain service and maintenance records, proper destruction, and reporting of end of import term with Canadian authorities including Canadian Border Services, Transport Canada and Environment Canada as well as MMSCAN compliance group and MMC (for compliance).

Operational & Systems

Ordering

• Create the links between different company systems for MMSCAN ordering from factory and dealer ordering from MMSCAN by loading of the Order Management System (OMS) by means of creation of OMS Product Planning Letter (PPL) and order templates.

Pricing

• Performing data entry process of pricing into OMS according to JSOX protocol.
• Supporting the entry of pricing fees and system tables required by other departments to appear on invoices or official documents.
• Entry of compliance/government related fees including Environmental Handling Charges (EHC), tire tax, duty (to be submitted to Canada Customs) and updating of tables in timely manner so other departments can reconcile reporting and provide payment to government.
• Entry of Dealer/MMSCAN related Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI), freight charges (Dealer and Customer), Dealer Advertising Association (DAA), Dealer Flooring Assistance (DFA) in accordance with department requests.
• Collection, loading and reviewing of data that is used for official documents required in the sales process like the New Vehicle Information Statement (NVIS) used for registering vehicles, and the window sticker (Monroney label).

Communications & Information Sharing

Information Outflow - Creation of information to be supplied to internal stakeholders, vendors, and external stakeholders to load their systems that facilitate the sales process.

• Price Guides - Preparation of specification information and pricing within the price guide. Price guides are required in both French and English and are used by various stakeholders without which sales processes cannot occur. Ensuring the timely delivery, accuracy and clear communication of information is critical to avoid confusion.
• Nomenclature guide - Update and assist in the review of yearly guide with new feature and specification terms in English and French. Nomenclature Guide maintains a consistent terminology across departments, platforms, and vendors to aid in customer and dealer understanding of the product. Proper description of parts at an early stage provides a lower cost in translated documents company-wide and is the source document underpinning the MMSCAN automation project that powers the data upload of the corporate website site, Monroney text and price guide automations.
• Product YoY changes – Assist in the creation of overview of model year equipment changes for use by all departments for high-level information at early stage for the purposes of business planning and resource planning.
• Presentations – Assist in the creation and delivery of ad hoc presentations as required to educate various stakeholders within and external to company on any number of product related topics to facilitate stakeholder tasks.
• Sharepoint – Maintain an updated, user-friendly platform of information sharing of product related material.

Information Inflow – First review of assets to be used by internal stakeholders, vendors and external stakeholders that facilitate the sales process to be approved by senior Product Planning members.

• Sales training reviews – reviewing of information modules used to train dealership staff, MiShowroom sales tool and MiKiosk wheelstand information.
• Marketing assets – reviewing of images, videos, radio, copy to be used with various platforms including corporate website, advertorials, campaigns, brochures, and advertisements/commercials.

Lifecycle Support & Analysis

Monthly competitive reports

• Preparing and reviewing monthly key management reports on competitive status for VIVA that look at the Value index (“VI” = MSRP) and Value Adjusted (“VA” = feature value) as a gauge to pricing activity and specification competitiveness.

In-market vehicle support – supporting MMSCAN departments and dealers after the sale of vehicle and through the course of vehicle on-road lifecycle for customer inquiries, suggestions, map updates and product questions. In-market vehicle support can span from previous models and model generations to current products just launching.

REQUIREMENTS:

• 2 - 4 years automotive industry experience, preferably in product and/or strategy planning.
• BA/BS in Marketing/Business/Communications (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• Experience in market analysis & research an asset.