An important element of the Vanderlande Material Handling portfolio is AIRTRAX: the hanging conveyor family. To enable this solution products like AIRTRAX Pocket, Hanger, Trolley and Transporter are made available as building blocks within our Platforms, Market Leading Solutions and Functional Modules. The AIRTRAX products are at the moment applied within market segment Warehousing General Merchandise and Fashion (GMF) but possible in the future also in other market segments.
AIRTRAX is a young development within Vanderlande. The technological backbone and basis has been developed and is successfully piloted at various (key) customers over the past years. To safeguard the competitiveness towards the future, customer- and market demands are continuously translated into an AIRTRAX roadmap that can be used globally and cross-platform. Global roll-out, cost and value engineering, competitiveness, automation and robotization, sustainability and Warehouse platform integration are keywords for the product roadmap.
This role combines the best of two worlds. On the one hand, you will act as a Product Manager of the product AIRTRAX. Where you are responsible for the AIRTRAX roadmap and strategy, together with the representatives of the business units and other stakeholders like Supply Chain, Engineering and Service. On the other hand, you are responsible for execution of the roadmap you created, together with the development team in Bielefeld (Germany).
Your department
In R&D, no two days are the same. Our activities are based all over the world and each project is different. Every one of our talented R&D specialists is committed to solving the next challenge, and enhancing Vanderlande’s competitive position.
AIRTRAX is developed in Bielefeld, where the competence center for hanging technology within Vanderlande is located. Sales support, Engineering, Manufacturing and R&D are all organized at the satellite in Germany. R&D Bielefeld is connected to the R&D centrally, located at the headquarter of Vanderlande in Veghel (Netherlands). Your home location is Veghel, but you will also be part-time working in Bielefeld.
Your position
Within R&D we are looking for a colleague who will be responsible for the role of Technical Product Manager AIRTRAX. In this role you are both responsible for Product Management of the Product AIRTRAX. Next to that, you are also responsible for the R&D team in Bielefeld (as line manager) and act as Programme Manager for the development projects.
You report to R&D Manager in Veghel and have a functional reporting line to the Manager of Product Management.
You are the linking pin between all disciplines working on the solution and are able to set clear requirements for the development team by maintaining a good overall view on the multidisciplinary scope (Mechanical, Electrical, Software). Support for Sales, Engineering and Service, related to your product is part of the job.
Tasks and responsibilities:
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You support the Customer Centres with your technological knowledge and system understanding to sell the right (technical) solution;
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You have a focus on customer needs as well as technology, with the right skills to manage the various stakeholders, inside and outside the organisation;
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You use your understanding of the solutions Vanderlande requires for the future, to create the Vanderlande vision on our AIRTRAX portfolio. Resulting in a product roadmap that is supported by business cases and stakeholders;
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You chair cross-functional teams with a strong focus on the entire product configuration portfolio across its life-cycle (from concept to until phasing out)
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You are sharp in defining boundaries in developments and keen on requirements;
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You lead the development team in a positive and lean way
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You manage in-time and within budget agreed deliverables as part of the development process
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You support with practical product- and process knowledge, our internal customers (e.g. sales and service) in technical questions, non-compliances and customer specials
Your profile
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You have a bachelor or university degree, Mechanical Engineering/Electronic Engineering/Industrial Engineering/Software engineering with technical background
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At least 5-10 years of experience within a technical organisation (preferably R&D) of which at minimum 3 years in a line management position
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Pro-active, self-starting professional
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Good stakeholder management skills, analytical skills and know how to effectively deploy these
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Multidisciplinary thinking and knowledge
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Strong communication skills and acting as a team player
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Interested in travelling up to 30% of your time
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Experience in product management and Vanderlande is a pre
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You are able to speak, read and write in English and German
Our offer
You get the opportunity to contribute to the growth and profitability of Vanderlande. Our organization has been named for several years in a row a ‘Top Employer’ and ‘Best Employer’. We offer a full-time position in an informal and professional working environment with a lot of possibilities for your own personal development. Besides your primary salary, you will receive the following secondary conditions:
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27 days of vacations & 13 ADV days
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Flexible working hours
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Training and coaching to support personal development
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Collective pension scheme and insurance facilities for healthcare.
Our company
Vanderlande is the global leader for value-added logistic process automation at airports and in the parcel market, as well as a leading supplier of process automation solutions for warehouses. In this world of technology, we believe in people – especially those who are totally dedicated, customer-driven and keen to continue learning throughout their career. This is embraced by our Vanderlande Academy and International Talent Development programs, with over 800 courses conducted every year. The focus is on freedom while being trusted to deliver, and this is one of the reasons why we received the highest rating of three stars in the Best Employer survey (The Netherlands).
If you are ambitious and take your long-term career seriously, then please contact us to explore this global opportunity to join a company at the top of its game.
Contact
If you want to take on this demanding challenge, apply now by filling in the application form and upload your resume. For more information contact Eric Everstijn, Senior Recruiter on +31413495288.