Product Line Manager PU Belts

What to expect

As Gates Corporation looks to the future, the Product Line Manager Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) plays a key role in driving the next phase of our company’s growth within the EMEA region.

This position is responsible for developing and executing the regional strategic plan for TPU Products – encompassing both organic and inorganic growth initiatives within EMEA. The PLM leads market and competitive analyses, identifies regional strategic opportunities, and manages product roadmaps in close collaboration with Engineering and our regional as well as global Innovation Centers of Excellence.

Key responsibilities include defining and overseeing new TPU product development projects based on customer insights, managing the full product lifecycle, and achieving regional financial and operational targets such as revenue, profitability, market share, and product vitality.

As part of the EMEA Innovation organization, the PLM acts as a matrix leader across regional Sales, Operations, and Engineering teams, ensuring alignment and delivery of short- and long-term business objectives within the region. The role also supports inorganic growth through identifying potential partnerships or M&A opportunities aligned with the regional TPU product line strategy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Owns the P&L for the defined product line within EMEA Power Transmission, including business planning and execution. Leads regional commercial derivative programs, new platform introductions (NPI), and VA/VE initiatives, all validated by business cases and tracked against operating plan targets.
• Establishes clear regional goals and performance metrics drives problem-solving and provides leadership in project and program management to ensure successful delivery of approved initiatives across the EMEA region.
• Collaborates closely with regional channel and sales teams, as well as global counterparts, to engage end customers, capture the voice of the customer, conduct competitive research, and represent Gates in relevant industry associations within EMEA.
• Defines, implements, and manages regional product value propositions, market positioning, and pricing strategies. Supports local country teams in achieving sales, marketing, and service objectives.
• Leads key customer interactions within the region, including RFQ responses, internal business case reviews, and negotiation processes related to the sale of company products.
• Analyzes and interprets internal and external regional business factors, recommending best practices to enhance products, processes, and services in alignment with the EMEA strategy.
• Solves complex, cross-functional challenges by applying innovative, broad-based approaches. Works independently within the regional framework, seeking guidance only in the most complex or strategic situations.
• Influences business outcomes by effectively communicating complex concepts, anticipating objections, and aligning regional stakeholders toward shared objectives.
• Directly contributes to achieving regional customer satisfaction, operational performance, and strategic growth targets, ensuring alignment with both EMEA and corporate goals.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None
• Requires specialized depth and/or breadth of expertise in own specialized area and general knowledge of related areas
• May lead functional teams or projects with moderate resource requirements, risk, and/or complexity
• Leads others to solve complex problems; uses analytical thinking, tools and judgement to identify innovative solutions

Requirements and Preferred Skills

• University degree in Science, Engineering, Business, or Marketing with minimum 8 years of professional experience in product management, sales, application engineering, or business development.
• Must have experience and knowledge of TPU.
• Strong commercial business acumen with proven ability to drive customer-oriented solutions and revenue growth.
• Proven track record of managing complex, cross-functional projects and delivering results in matrix organizations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and lead across all organizational levels — both with and without direct authority.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills with a structured and analytical approach.
• Experience working in global and cross-cultural environments; exposure to private sector, government, or military organizations is an advantage.
• Confident in presenting to senior leadership and external stakeholders, with the ability to translate complex topics into clear, strategic, and customer-focused messages.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 30%

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