REQUIREMENTSAffirmative Action South African CitizenBachelor Degree/ Diploma in Commerce/ Engineering/ Finance/ Marketing5 years product planning experience in the automotive industry (preferable)2 years of experience in engineering, sales forecasting, markets research or brand management would be beneficialESSENTIAL SKILLSStrategic and conceptual thinking capabilitySound understanding of Marketing/ SalesSound understanding of the market and competitive environmentWell-developed analytical skillsGood communication skills (oral and written)The ability to speak German is beneficialAbility and inclination to work with detailHigh level of computing skills and in-depth knowledge of group MBV systemsPresentation skills (internal and external e.g. PPT and Dealer Council)Ability to interact with customers under different situationsStructuredProject management abilitiesNegotiation skills RESPONSIBILITIESDevelopment of strategic product plans which optimize the competitive advantage of the company's passenger vehicle brand and secure the planned volumes and market shareManagement of product specification through the vehicle order, production and wholesale process and systems to ensure that local and FBU vehicles are correctly positioned, ordered, manufactured and accurately pricedManagement of product and customer requirement researchContinually benchmark the company's products vs competitor offerings and monitor industry developments for threats and opportunities to propose appropriate actionDevelopment of strategic product plans to meet customer requirements (i.e. rationale, range, specification, positioning, pricing, volumes and model mix)Implementation of product plans as marketing representative in cross-divisional project team meetings, PPT and Pilot HallCoordination of meetings with and negotiating productDevelopment of product information bulletins for the dealer organization regarding all product innovations or changesApproval of point-of-sale material in terms of product specification in text, visuals and tables for accuracy (includes website specification and pricing)Management and implementation of unique product requirements for the car rental/ government market via cross-divisional interactionSupervision of the price indexing methodology to ensure correct price positioning and model build-up for all products relative to competitorsPlanning and implementation of feasibility studies for potential models to be imported into South Africa, including vehicle clinicsSupervising the new vehicle introduction process to ensure all deadlines are met and launches are not delayedEnsure accurate vehicle specification sheets and order templates are delivered by the department on a timely basisEnsure that the Functional Unit ordering process is operating efficiently to ensure all units are available by launchManagement of the vehicle specification tables in the SAP Sales Distribution system which controls the wholesale pricing of all vehicles