Leatherman Tool Group Selects New Senior Director of Product
180one recently partnered with Leatherman to help them identify and select a new Senior Director of Product Development. Check back soon for more details!
About the Company
We invented our category, and we make what we sell. We employ over 550 people in Portland, OR where we are headquartered, and where we also manufacture, package, and ship all our products from. We buy steel from Ohio, bring it to the east end of our building, and then ship our tools to 80 countries around the world, from the west end of our building.
We create products that prepare you for the expected and the unexpected and unlock your potential to empower you to be part of your own epic tale of triumph. We facilitate epic tales of triumph not only through our products, but also through resulting relationships, careers, community, and social responsibility – environment, fair trade, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
LTG Guiding principles:
- Dominate multi-tools (in product excellence and revenue)
- Make what we sell (in Portland, OR)
- Privately held – in the Leatherman family (debt free)
- A great place to work for committed employees
Leatherman’s Manifesto: We believe we are here to empower people for whatever life throws their way. Regardless of who you are, we believe that with the right tools in hand, anyone can achieve greatness. We believe we can make significant contributions to the world through innovation, so we value perseverance in our work and ingenious design in our products. We believe in growing and supporting our most valuable asset – our employees. That’s why we believe in integrity and authentic collaboration, which instills trust in one another and allows us to create global solutions that our competitors cannot copy. We believe in self-honesty and humility, which fuels change and growth from our failures.
And when we reflect these values, we believe we’re building a thriving culture that celebrates diversity promoted personal and professional growth, develops respect for one another, and cultivates a community that can solve any problem.
About the Opportunity
In direct support of LTG growth goals the organization has added a new role, Senior Director of Product, reporting directly into the CEO and a participant on the organization’s senior leadership team. In addition to standing up a new internal strategic product function, this position will be responsible for the design, implementation, and leadership of comprehensive product line strategies for targeted industries, including identification of opportunities, market needs, product roadmap, product solutions, market potential and sales potential.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is energized by:
- Articulating opportunities and insights that we can act on gathered through research, consumer testing and observations.
- Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders and subject matter experts for opportunity identification, definition, and prioritization.
- Serving as the global expert of targeted industries, maintaining current knowledge of Leatherman’s consumers, markets, and competition.
- Leading innovation that is both relevant to and supportive of our brand values.
- Developing strategies for product, pricing, market entry, and management of products in the NPD Process from Strategy through Post-Launch evaluation to meet corporate objectives for revenue, profit, and brand.
This new addition represents a critical investment in LTG’s strategic growth plan. Come make an impact with a premium brand, category inventor and dominate leader.
Essential Functions
It is essential for all employees to adhere to Company policies.
- Applies business acumen to maximize the units sold, revenue and profit from our existing categories while supporting our brand values.
- Identifies and prioritizes consumers segments that we should target for new products.
- Identifies consumer needs that are valuable and relevant and feasible to address with our resources.
- Articulates consumer needs in a way that enables our design, engineering, and manufacturing teams to be able to innovate solutions.
- Develop and lead the product line strategy for targeted industries including price positioning and product development in market segments and channels.
- Successfully implement product plans to achieve industry objectives and strategies.
- Develop and implement market segmentation strategies and plans.
- Lead the process for product ideation and opportunity identification.
- Works with cross-functional colleagues to anticipate and resolve priority challenges
- Lead the process for updating industry, channel, market data and trends.
- Develop preliminary budgets (at NPD milestones) for product plans including development resources.
- Evaluate product recommendation from existing and potential customer for product feasibility.
- Develop strategies to improve product position domestically and in global markets.
- Create pricing strategies to support targeted channels.
- Lead the Voice of Customer and Voice of Channel Partner process.
- Own the product life cycle and execute exit strategies.
- Develop and implement processes to assess and develop packaging that satisfies customer needs and corporate packaging strategies.
- Lead cross functional team(s) to develop channel and key customer promotions.
- Development of new product budget: including capital expenditures, marketing and sales expenditures required to execute product launch.
- Participate in the creation and adherence to the department budget.
- Leads, hires, and manages a team of professionals. This includes supervision, individual and team performance, and mentoring to ensure effective execution of individual and team responsibilities
- Participates as a member of the LTG senior leadership team.
Competencies
- Strategic thinking engagement, involvement, and alignment. Defining how the role fits in and influences a positive business outcome.
- Builds trust, able to tie in and gain support at all levels, sees what is happening and accurately predicts and articulates what will happen. Teaches. Possesses curiosity and optimism. Respectful.
- Customer focus, creates value, present and always engaged
- Collaborates and provides leadership among our sr. leaders, a resource to accomplishing goals for company, team and individuals.
- Business acumen, ability to connect the decisions they make and tangible outcomes that support our Mission, Vision, Values, Guiding Principles, and strategy.
- Confident & accountable for self, team to which they lead and belong. Articulate and able to inspire excitement and lead people to a vision.
- Passionate, skilled, and experienced in the role.
- Attracts top talent – Attracting and selecting the best talent to meet current and future business needs.
- Builds effective teams – Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.
- Cultivates innovation – Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
- Decision quality – Make good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
- Drives vision and purpose – Painting a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action.
- Ensures accountability – Hold self and others accountable to meet commitments.
- Global perspective – Taking a broad view when approaching issues, using a global lens.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s Degree required. MBA with marketing focus or related experience preferred.
- Ten or more years of progressively responsible product marketing and project management experience preferred.
- Strong track record of leadership and the ability to attract, develop and retain talent
- High level of analytical thinking with demonstrated talent for identifying, scrutinizing, improving, and streamlining work processes
- Flexible team player who thrives in environments requiring ability to effectively prioritize and juggle multiple concurrent projects
- Ability to build collaborative partnerships cross-functionally
- Ability to deal with ambiguity and be comfortable in a situation that is not always well defined or changes frequently
- Good communication skills, a professional attitude, and enthusiasm for one’s work are all prerequisites for this position.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to speak and communicate effectively.
- Work independently and possess a high level of self-motivation and initiative.
Leatherman Tool Group Inc. believes that each employee makes a significant contribution to our success. That contribution should not be limited by the assigned responsibilities. Therefore, this position description is designed to outline primary duties, qualifications, and job scope, but not limit the individual nor the organization to just the work identified. It is our expectation that each employee will offer his/her services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of our endeavors.
Interested in learning more? 180one is a retained search firm engaged by Leatherman to conduct this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Tom Haley at 180one at: tom@180one.com.
Vice President, Aftermarket ABOUT THE COMPANY Dover’s Vehicle Service Group is the global leader in designing and manufacturing vehicle service, collision and automotive OEM equipment. It is one of the founding companies of Dover Corporation, an eight billion dollar diversified global manufacturer. VSG consists of fifteen leading vehicle lifting brands (Rotary, Forward, Blitz, Ravaglioli, etc.), collision repair (Chief), wheel services, diagnostics (Butler, Rotary, Chief and Ravaglioli) and tier-one automotive brands (WARN Automotive) with operations worldwide, including regional business operation centers and large manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. ABOUT THE ROLE Responsible for developing and executing the VSG Parts and Service business strategy in the Americas. This is a critical leadership role that requires strategic thinking, operational excellence, and the ability to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams to achieve Aftermarket objectives while exceeding customer expectations. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Develop and implement a Parts and Service strategy to increase market share and add growth opportunities by leveraging complimentary products to the existing offering’s portfolio. Create a marketing strategy for recommending parts and services to existing customers and an outlet to attract new conquest customers using the Parts and Service area of the business. Partner with internal Supply Chain teams to develop an inventory stocking and replenishment model to ensure business success. Partner with dealers to develop a shared inventory and consumption model with clear visibility of parts supply in addition to developing incentives to drive the right behaviors. Stay current with industry and market trends and apply learnings to the VSG Aftermarket strategy. Create detailed budgets and forecasts, including annual sales and profitability targets to meet business and company financial and growth goals. Track and report internal progress to targets, utilizing technology and automation to reduce errors and administrative burden. Direct and coordinate activities relating to part quotations, including ensuring e-commerce ease of use. Developing innovative techniques for recommending parts and services to customers that generate incremental sales. Appraise existing offerings compared to competitors in terms of price, specifications, and delivery model and recommending changes in sales techniques, process design, or other procedures as necessary to achieve goals. Communicate regularly with internal functional teams including Operations, Service, Training, and Sales to effectively manage and grow and develop the parts and service processes. Motivate and inspire a team to achieve company goals and foster an environment of personal development and leadership growth opportunities. CRITICAL SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES Develop and implement the Aftermarket structure and business strategy that: Expand parts and service market share. Improve supplier and customer network capabilities. Create higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Generate growth and expansion of the business into a new segment. Access and align internal resources needed to execute the enhanced Aftermarket business strategy. OVERALL QUALIFICATIONS – Skills and Experience Deep understanding of Parts and Service market in the Americas. Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience with parts and service delivery models. Proven track record of successfully transforming parts and service organizations to improve efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes and implement effective corrective actions. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively communicate complex concepts to diverse audiences. Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt to changing priorities within all levels of the organization. KEY DOVER COMPETENCIES Customer Impact : Creates value for customers addressing known and unknown needs. Knows and understands all aspects of the global market, including: economics (regulatory issues, corporate compliance, etc.), products and services, channels, the customers and their end-markets. Strategic Mindset : Has understanding of global industry or market; creates breakthrough strategies that alter the competitive dynamics in a market, and establishes a series of competitive advantages yielding profitability that exceeds expectations for the organization. Results Driven : Produces results that exceed Dover’s strategic objectives via a combination of planning and implementation, while living the Dover Values. Strong Business Acumen and Sound Judgment : Uses instinct as well as data to accurately assess business situations and industry trends; makes timely, appropriate decisions and implements appropriate plans while living the Dover Values. Winning the Right Way : Operates with High Ethical Standards, Openness and Trust. Conducts him/herself with high ethical standards and fosters a culture in the organization to conduct business aligned with those standards. Builds and Manages Collaborative Relationships : Establishes and nurtures numerous relationships within Dover. Takes action to partner with the communities in which we operate and to be an appropriate corporate citizen. Interested in Learning More? 180one has been engaged by VSG to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Lisa Heffernan / 971.256.3076/ lisa@180one.com .
Vice President of Sales & Marketing ABOUT THE COMPANY Dover’s Vehicle Service Group (VSG), is the global leader in designing and manufacturing vehicle service, collision and automotive OEM equipment. It is one of the founding companies of Dover Corporation, an eight billion dollar diversified global manufacturer. VSG consists of fifteen leading vehicle lifting brands (Rotary, Forward, Blitz, Ravaglioli etc.), collision repair (Chief), wheel services, diagnostics (Butler, Rotary, Chief and Ravaglioli) and tier-one automotive brands (WARN Automotive) with operations worldwide, including regional business operation centers and large manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. ABOUT THE POSITION Reporting to the Vice President (VP) & General Manager, VSG NSA , the Vice President (VP) of Sales and Marketing will lead the strategy, development, and execution of all sales and marketing initiatives to drive profitable revenue growth, market share, and brand visibility for VSG, NSA. This position will build, mentor, and manage high-performing teams while working cross-functionally to align business goals and customer needs. The VP will play a key role in shaping the company’s growth strategy and ensuring its leadership position in the market. RESPONSIBILITIES : Sales: Develop plans and strategies for achieving the company’s sales goals. Own the Annual Sales Plan and three-year strategy for driving growth in core business, identified adjacencies, and initiatives. Define sales processes, systems, and infrastructure that drive desired sales outcomes, identify improvements, and provide detailed and accurate sales forecasting. Create a culture of success and ongoing business and goal achievement. Become known as an employer of choice and a customer-facing team that top sales and customer service professionals want to join. Manage customer expectations and serve as the chief customer advocate within the business. Manage key customer relationships and participate in closing strategic opportunities. Travel for in-person meetings with customers and channel partners to foster key relationships. Drive product / services roadmap and definitions with Product Management including corresponding business models and pricing backed by marketplace analysis of customer requirements and competitive offerings/positions. Identify product gaps and improvement opportunities to provide superior, customer focused products. Collaborate with Product Management and cross functional teams to realize products in a cost effective, timely manner. Pursue alternative sales channels and customer segments to expand and leverage penetration of product offerings. Develop sales tools and sales management approaches to maximize effectiveness of direct sales and channel sales forces. Pursue sales force automation (leverage CRM solution) for all field sales personnel to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve communication. Marketing: Assist in transitioning an internally focused business with strong Brand and Product reputation to that of a customer centric organization focused on delivering broader service and experiences customers will pay for. Develop and lead Voice of the Customer programs and insights, managing and scaling our support teams, and working closely with Product Management, Engineering, Sales, IT, Dover Central functions, and management to continuously improve the customer experience Establish KPIs to measure achievement of objectives across the organization, especially in activation, qualified leads, conversion, NPS and end customer satisfaction. Ensure marketing effectiveness, customer engagement, and conversion. Manage monthly review of promotions, product launches, trade shows, catalog, and digital activation with respective commercial and product leaders. Maintain 18 month rolling view, ensure spend aligns to budget, and track spend to results. Partner with Corp Marketing function to ensure consistent marketing across global Brands, and aligned internal and external communications. CRITICAL OBJECTIVES NEXT 2-3 YEARS Develop and execute VSG’s long-term Sales, Channel, and Customer strategy. Consider existing and new product portfolio, regions, channels within core and non-core business. Evaluate core Sales and Marketing organizations to drive sales and streamline responsibility for VSG team, Partners, and National Rep agencies. Make recommendations and implement a new organization, key talent, and investments. Optimize customer and partner focus to drive growth through most valuable and growable customers. Ensure highly professional account-based sales planning/management occurs with all top customers (weekly, monthly, quarterly). Put in place a predictable sales planning and execution tool that supports business planning and SIOP. Ensure clear metrics and tools are utilized to provide stakeholder clarity. OVERALL QUALIFICATIONS – Skills and Experience Master’s degree in applicable field of study Minimum 10 years experience in related roles supporting premium brands Self-motivated work ethic with a strong sense of urgency Demonstrated transformational leadership experience Extensive experience with leading successful sales and marketing teams Confident presentation and public speaking skills Excellent verbal and written communication skills Ability to build positive relationships at all levels of the organization Strong business acumen; strategic and analytic thinker Ability and willingness to travel KEY DOVER COMPETENCIES: Builds and Manages Collaborative Relationships: Establishes and nurtures numerous relationships within VSG and Dover. Takes action to partner with the communities in which we operate and to be an appropriate corporate citizen. Change Leadership: Aligns an organization and its people to drive for improvement and adopt new, challenging directions. Energizes a whole organization to want to change in the same direction. Influences others in a mature and empowering manner. Motivates and Inspires: Creates an environment that stimulates others to follow. Builds teams that fully use individuals’ capabilities, creating results beyond just the sum of the parts. Self-Awareness and Personal Development: Role models a personal leadership style that includes self-awareness; accepts feedback, understands and maximizes strengths while working to overcome weaknesses. Interested in Learning More? 180one has been engaged by VSG to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Lisa Heffernan / 971.256.3076/ lisa@180one.com .
At 180one, we see A LOT of resumes. Some look like they were typed on a Brother Word Processor 30 years ago, some are 6 pages long, 2 pages long, some have different fonts and sizes of fonts throughout, and then there are third party professionally written resumes - easy to spot, hard to comprehend, and make the reader ask the question – if the candidate can’t write their own resume, what else can’t they do that they said they’ve done? In the high-stakes world of job hunting, a well-polished resume is believed to be the gateway to securing an interview. As a result, many job seekers turn to professional resume writers to boost their chances. While this can be helpful, it can also create inconsistencies and red flags that hiring managers and recruiters quickly learn to recognize. If you're on the hiring side or the job seeking side, here are 5 factors to consider when reviewing or submitting a professionally written resume. 1. Overly Polished or “Corporate” Language One of the most obvious signs is language that sounds more like a press release than a personal statement. Phrases like “forward-thinking professional with a proven track record of leveraging synergistic strategies” may impress at first glance—but they often signal a generic, massaged resume. Why it’s a red flag: Recruiters are increasingly wary of “buzzword bingo.” In fact, a 2022 study by Cultivated Culture found that over 50% of resumes included vague jargon or fluff that made it difficult to identify actual achievements. Many professionally written resumes are filled with generic buzzwords like "results-driven," "synergy," and "dynamic leader." While these terms may sound impressive, they often lack substance and fail to convey meaningful information about a candidate's actual skills or achievements. According to a study by Cultivated Culture, 51% of resumes included fluffy buzzwords, clichés, or the incorrect use of pronouns, which can turn off potential recruiters. 2. Mismatch Between Resume and LinkedIn Profile Professionally written resumes often use a distinct tone, layout, and terminology. If a candidate’s LinkedIn profile is far less polished or completely different in format and language, it could indicate the resume was outsourced. Why it’s a red flag: Consistency matters. Hiring managers want to see that a candidate has a clear sense of their professional identity. Discrepancies raise questions about authenticity. 3. Inability to Explain Resume Content in Interviews When a resume is written by someone else, candidates often struggle to elaborate on the content. They might stumble over project details, metrics, or use terminology incorrectly. And sometimes, the candidate just comes right out and say that they had someone else write it for them – which then opens up a bunch of assumptions of the candidate. Why it’s a red flag: You can’t trust a resume at face value if the candidate can’t speak to it with confidence and clarity. It shows that they lack ownership of their work product (or the work product of someone who they hired). 4. Generic or Inflated Achievements Third-party writers often try to make every bullet point sound impressive, even when the underlying work was basic. A line like “Spearheaded initiatives to drive cross-departmental alignment” might describe routine weekly meetings. Why it’s a red flag: Inflation makes it harder to evaluate the real value a candidate brings. It also shows a disconnect between what they actually did and how it's being presented. Plus, does your organization need another blowhard in the conference room who controls the meeting with word salad? 5. Too much information being presented While everyone thinks that AI is controlling the review of every resume and that you need to have every keyword included in your resume to make it to the next step when applying, the truth is that at some point the resume will be reviewed by a human. Professionally written resumes tend to be jam packed with information with visually stunning sections, tables of information, and varying fonts to draw the eye – but it’s just too much for the reader to comprehend what you’ve actually done. Why it’s a red flag: Employers are looking for future leaders who know how to convey their thoughts, ideas, questions succinctly. So if you are unable to accomplish this with your resume – that you’ve had plenty of time to write, edit, modify before distributing – what will happen when you’re on the job presenting in the boardroom? Final Thoughts A professionally written resume isn’t inherently bad, many candidates benefit from outside help, especially if they’re unsure how to present themselves. However, authenticity matters. When hiring managers sense that a resume doesn’t align with the person behind it, they’ll dig deeper and often move on to more transparent candidates. Resumes are personal. They are a summary of all that one has accomplished in their career. This is their professional fingerprint and no one else should have the same fingerprint. So, make sure that the next time you are updating or creating a new resume, make it yours, not someone else’s or trying to be someone you’re not.
