Product Planning Manager

**Product Planning Manager** **-* **AUD001617*
**Primary Location**: Canada-Ontario-Ajax

**Description**
**Audi Canada**

**Some call it work. We call it passion.**
**We could offer you an ordinary career.**
**Trouble is, we only deal in the extraordinary.**

Audi stands for Vorsprung durch Technik. Progressive. Sophisticated. High Performance. Passion. Uncompromising standards.

Just as Vorsprung brings out the best in vehicles, a career with Audi can bring out the drive and dedication of some of the finest people around. The Audi family recognizes the fact that even though we craft some of the finest vehicles on the planet, our work would be in vain without the people we serve, and the people with which we share our passion.
Become a part of the Audi success story full of growth opportunity and personal career development. Join a team of performance driven professionals who value motivation, responsibility, collaboration and exciting work. Audi, with its leading global presence, offers its employees numerous developmental opportunities locally as well as internationally.

**We are currently looking for a Product Planning Manager**
**in our Canadian Headquarters in Ajax, Ontario**

As a Product Planning Manager you will be responsible for the individual car line strategy in the Audi portfolio, including pricing, offer structure and lifecycle management of current and future products. You will successfully implement simplified consumer journey. You are an individual with strong work ethic and internal motivation to succeed.

Reporting to the Director, Product Planning, you will perform strategic analysis to support senior management in determining future goals, actions and business/product strategies at Audi Canada.

**Primary Responsibilities**:

- Perform strategic analysis to support senior management in determining future goals, actions and business/product strategies.
- Drive and communicate successful product launch strategies and direct implementation for respective models.
- Develop all strategic product, pricing and volume assumptions for respective models.
- Gather direct customer insights through industry data sources and other means
- Research competitive product information and prepare comparison reports.
- Develop close relationships with product marketing (VT) and other departments at AUDI AG.
- Ensure that Canadian market requirements receive strong consideration at AUDI AG.
- Coordinate preparation of materials to AUDI AG that define and request desired AC product offerings for respective car lines
- Ensure factory build requirements (MBV) are complete, accurate and on time respective product lines.
- Support the digital team in the development of the online configurator and other online product materials
- Review media and PR releases with the Marketing department.
- Create Product Guides and Order Guides for dealer use.
- Maintain key management reports to track pricing history, competitiveness and market activity.
- Prepare related product presentations to AUDI AG, as necessary (including VT meeting, BPD meetings, etc.)
- Ensure effective communication of all related information to internal and external stakeholders.
- Drive and communicate successful product launch strategies and direct implementation for respective models.

**Qualifications**
**What we’re asking for**:

- Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Economics or similar preferred
- A great attitude and proven ability to be an effective business partner, team player, and collaborator
- Strong work ethic with internal motivation to succeed
- At least two (2) years of experience in a product planning position including pricing, offer structure and lifecycle management of current and future products or a minimum of five (5) years of working experience in the automotive industry, specifically in Sales or Marketing
- Proven success in product strategy development
- Partners at all levels of the organization, with ability to negotiate and influence to achieve results
- Excellent communication and presentation skills; German language skills considered an asset.
- Knowledge of Canadian automotive industry is desired.
- Flexibility for up to 20% travel within North America and Europe

**What you’ll get in return**:

- The opportunity to shape and grow an exciting, world-class brand that has huge ambitions in Canada
- A flexible, collaborative, dynamic, and fast-paced work environment with an award-winning employer
- Many opportunities for personal and professional development
- Opportunities to participate in exciting brand and company events that give back to the community
- Competitive employer paid benefits, pension and compensation package
- And much, much more