Global Category Manager Appliances

About Franke

We, the Franke company with its three divisions, are a world's leading supplier of products and services for domestic kitchens, the professional foodservice systems and the convenience store sector as well as for professional coffee making. With around 60 companies, we are at home on five continents. Over 8,000 employees constantly take on new perspectives to identify opportunities and turn them into inspiring, innovative solutions for tomorrow’s demands.

The Franke Home Solutions division is the world’s leading provider of smart systems for domestic kitchens. Drawing on a long history of reliability and expertise, we help our partners enhance their businesses and provide outstanding kitchen and cooking experiences to our consumers by offering complete solutions for food preparation and cooking.

About the job

The Global Category Manager is responsible for defining and executing the global category strategy, driving long-term business growth and product portfolio development across international markets. The role combines strategic vision, consumer and market insights, innovation leadership, and end-to-end portfolio ownership to deliver competitive and profitable product solutions. As a key member of the Global Product Management team, you will work cross-functionally with R&D, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance and regional organizations, influencing strategic decisions and ensuring successful execution throughout the entire product lifecycle.

Your tasks

• Define and execute the global category strategy and multi-year product roadmap, translating consumer insights, market trends and regional requirements into profitable growth opportunities.
• Own the global product portfolio, ensuring alignment with business objectives, financial targets and brand positioning.
• Lead complex, cross-functional and multi-family product development programs from concept definition through launch and phase-out.
• Identify, evaluate and develop new business opportunities, adjacent categories and innovation platforms to accelerate sustainable growth.
• Drive the innovation pipeline by leading opportunity assessment, business case development and collaboration with R&D on technology scouting and consumer-centric innovation.
• Take full accountability for the end-to-end product lifecycle, optimizing portfolio performance through data-driven decision making and continuous improvement.
• Act as the global category expert, providing strategic guidance to regional organizations and ensuring alignment across international markets.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing and regional teams to define go-to-market strategies, product positioning and commercial priorities.
• Monitor market dynamics, competitor activities, emerging technologies and consumer trends, proactively translating insights into actionable strategies.
• Lead cross-functional decision-making involving Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain and Procurement to ensure successful product development and delivery.
• Develop robust business cases, investment proposals and portfolio recommendations for senior leadership.
• Track category performance through KPIs, profitability analysis and portfolio reviews, implementing corrective actions where needed.
• Work in cross-functional teams, fostering a high-performance and collaborative culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, Marketing, Engineering or a related field; MBA or Master's degree preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in Product or Category Management within an international matrix organization, including proven experience in cooking appliances. Solid knowledge of relevant products, technologies and market dynamics is mandatory.
• Proven experience defining and executing global category strategies and managing international product portfolios.
• Strong experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Demonstrated success in managing products throughout the entire lifecycle, from opportunity identification to end-of-life.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in business case development, pricing, profitability analysis and portfolio optimization.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to translate data into business decisions.
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills in an international environment.
• Fluent English and Italian, both written and spoken; additional languages are considered a plus.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with business intelligence and product management tools is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel internationally (approximately 30%).

What we offer you

• A highly international and innovation-driven environment.
• The opportunity to shape the future of a global product category with significant strategic impact.
• Exposure to senior leadership and cross-functional decision-making.
• Continuous learning, leadership development and international career opportunities.
• Flexible working arrangements, including up to 2 remote working days per week and flexible working hours.
• The compensation package for this position is expected to range between 65.000 € and 85.000 € gross per year, including a variable bonus scheme. The actual compensation will be determined based on the candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, and the scope of the role, applying objective and gender-neutral criteria, and may be slightly below or above this range. We believe that transparency and fairness are essential to building trust, fostering inclusion, and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. 
  This position is covered by the CCNL Metalmeccanici Industria.

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