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.
Director of Product Management ABOUT THE COMPANY A-dec is the premium leader in the dental equipment industry, designing and manufacturing products that span dental chairs, lights, handpieces, furniture, air management, infection control, and delivery systems found in dental offices and operatories. With over 1300 employees and headquartered in Newberg, Oregon, A-dec’s familial culture and values have been attributed to their commitment to the Newberg community and its employees through various investments and programs. ABOUT THE POSITION Reporting into the SVP of Product & Technology, the Director, Global Product Management leads teams that manage all A-dec products, including dental furniture, consumables, and core equipment (chairs, units, lights). They direct the strategic vision and purpose and are responsible for the long-term financial performance of A-dec’s product portfolio. Critical functions for this position include roadmap development, voice of the customer process, portfolio execution, roadmap execution, and the product section of the company’s business strategy. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Creates the vision and purpose of Product Management. Leads all product management activities for the existing product lines within A-dec Builds and leads a diverse, high-performing product management team. Provides mentorship, support, and guidance, and encourages professional growth and development. Champions the strategic vision and purpose for Product Management across the organization. Implement strategic and tactical plans to meet the company’s objectives while exceeding customer needs. Maintains a constant pulse of dental equipment market developments, including consumer needs, competitive offerings, and brand position. Takes proactive measures to remain competitive with the existing portfolio. Follows industry trends and conducts capability analysis regularly. Executes competitive assessments and market research to gain market and buying preference and insights. Understands and articulates the voice of the customer. Makes tradeoff comparisons to drive decisions that deliver on success criteria. Accountable for concept development selection. Develop strategies in collaboration with Global Sales Team leaders to drive market share growth. Collaborates with Marketing Communications to plan, direct, and execute measurable global actions to drive brand awareness, preference, and demand generation necessary for achieving growth goals. Collaborates with Digital Product Management to ensure complete end-to-end solutions. Reviews revenue and profits on a weekly basis and suggests approaches to marketing and sales to drive growth. Responsible for overall product promotions and analyzing the revenue/net margin trade-offs. Accountable for the standard margins of the portfolio; pricing, positioning, and margins. Works across organizational boundaries to develop a cohesive strategy and ensures smooth execution of cross-functional plans within A-dec. Leads the future portfolio planning with their leadership. QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Extensive project management experience. Excellent presentation, communication, and customer skills. Proven leadership skills and effective problem-solving skills. Demonstrated experience in planning, budgeting, and developing business strategies. Ability to influence up, down, and across the organization. Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business management, or a similar focus. Five years of experience in product management. Five years of people leadership experience. Experience and understanding of the “Chief Engineer/Project Chief” methodology or practice. Preferred Experience Master’s degree in business administration. Experience with strategic planning and managing a category P&L in excess of $100 Million. Interested in Learning More? 180one has been retained by A-dec to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Lisa Heffernan / 971.256.3076/ lisa@180one.com .
Chief Financial Officer ABOUT THE COMPANY Three Bears Alaska (“Three Bears” or the “Company”) is the retailer of choice in Alaska for all essential categories, offering local communities a product selection that is not too big, not too small, but “just right” – at prices that provide value and with great service by locals, for locals. The Company was founded in 1980 by Alaskans, for Alaskans – the store footprints, inventory, and pricing are designed to meet the region’s unique needs. Three Bears offers its customers three types of shopping experiences: signature “Mini-Warehouses” (50k+ square feet with a unique, rationalized merchandise assortment model featuring grocery, outdoor/sporting products and full-service pharmacies), Supermarkets (focus is on grocery) and Convenience Stores (offer a broader merchandise selection and better pricing than a typical C-store and serve communities where population densities do not support a full mini-warehouse). Three Bears is owned by Westward Partners in partnership with the founding Alaskan family. Westward Partners is a Seattle-based private equity firm that partners with lower middle market businesses across a variety of industries based in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Westward partnered with and invested in Three Bears in early 2022, and has worked extensively with the Three Bears management team to successfully turbocharge growth, more than doubling the store footprint over the past four years. At this point in time, Three Bears has shifted gears from a growth mindset to a focus on margin improvement and optimization. As the new stores begin to reach run-rate and Three Bears fully digests and acclimates to its significantly larger scale and methods of operating, management in partnership with Westward has begun to employ a host of profitability improvement initiatives. The new CFO will have a significant role in managing, executing, and tracking these initiatives, as well as the continual development of new initiatives. It’s an exciting time to join Three Bears for an analytically minded senior finance professional who has a deep understanding of how to maximize gross and EBITDA margins (and absolute EBITDA dollars) in a retail/grocery environment. POSITION SUMMARY As a key member of the executive team and reporting to the CEO, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will assume a strategic role in the overall management of the company. The CFO will proactively engage in all areas of the Confidential Company OR “Company”, to bring data and insights, and importantly serve as a key business partner to the CEO and other Senior Leadership. This leader will have primary day-to-day responsibility for planning, implementing, managing, and controlling all financial-related activities of the company. This will include direct responsibility for accounting, finance, treasury, legal, and compliance. CORE RESPONSIBILITIES Assist the CEO and management team in achieving the company's growth and profitability targets: Assist with the facilitation and development of the Company vision, strategy, and planning needed to ensure the success of the organization. Develop and manage financial strategy. Serve as a business partner across functional areas to inform key decisions. Exceed profitability targets through operational excellence and growth in new markets. Advise management on short-term and long-term financial objectives, policies, and actions. Provide reliable forecasting and business intelligence that fuels effective decision-making: Analyze the financial details of past, present, and expected operations in order to identify development opportunities in areas where improvement is needed. Develop analysis to evaluate entry into new markets. Study long-range economic trends and project their impact on future growth in sales and market share Utilize and add to existing analytical tools (data warehouse, PowerBI tools, etc.) to efficiently convey KPIs, reports, and financials in a timely manner at all levels of the organization Exercise good financial management practices and accountability: Ensure company financials comply with GAAP, while also producing useful financial data and KPI metrics to provide senior management with critical business insights. Run a proactive and efficient budget cycle, helping the company tie its investment thesis to its strategy, operational KPIs, and financial forecasts. Make KPIs the centerpiece of the company's performance planning and dashboards. Hold peers accountable. Develop and manage the capital structure Review, oversee and present monthly, quarterly, and annual financial performance reviews. Lead the company’s compliance function with a proactive and business approach, and standardize into business practices: Monitor financial activities to ensure that all legal and regulatory requirements are met Lead the company's compliance auditing program. Proactively identify and resolve potential compliance issues before they manifest. Maintain current knowledge of organizational policies and procedures, federal and state policies / directives. Manage contract renewals and new company contracts to ensure pricing and terms are aligned with business requirements. Manage and maintain contract database to ensure compliance. Develop and maintain internal control program infrastructure throughout the organization Effectively represent the company with external stakeholders: Develop and maintain relationships with banking, insurance, benefits, 401k, and external third-party audit and tax partners. Review, oversee and present financial statements, business activity reports, financial position forecasts, and reports required by regulatory agencies and external stakeholders. DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s degree (MA/MBA preferred) in Accounting or Finance. 15+ years of progressively responsible finance/accounting experience in a high growth grocery/retail organization. Knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting, and cost control principles including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Experience in strategic planning and execution. Ability to analyze financial data and prepare financial reports, statements, 3-statement financial projections, write MD&As, and deep understanding of cash flow forecasting, down to weekly basis. Extensive experience developing multi-faceted bottoms-up company budgets through partnership with internal management team members throughout various levels of the organization, as well incorporating external input and feedback (i.e. a private equity sponsor). Experience managing a levered business and dealing with bank covenants. Demonstrable experience leading and achieving cost savings and profitability improvement initiatives that have made a material impact on the organization by increasing EBITDA over time. Experience and know-how for scaling a growing organization, and anticipating staffing, infrastructural and procedural requirements for a larger business. Ability to deliver board-level financial presentations that accurately summarize business for investors, bankers and vendors. Prior experience with a private equity-owned portfolio company or experience in leading a company through a successful exit is highly desirable. Experience managing the acquisition process and integration of complementary businesses. Experience implementing new accounting software and integrating with broader ERP systems. Knowledge of contracting, negotiating, and change management. Knowledge of automated financial and accounting reporting systems. Experience as a liaison between company accountants, state, and government entities for financial audits. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Accuracy and attention to detail is a must. High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results orientation. Unquestionable personal code of ethics, integrity, diversity and trust. Interested in Learning More? 180one has been retained by Three Bears Alaska to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Tom Haley / 503.334.1350/ tom@180one.com
Corporate Controller ABOUT THE COMPANY With roots going back to the 1960’s, Forest City Trading Group (FCTG), may have started as a small lumber yard run by two immigrant brothers, but has since grown into North America’s largest wholesale lumber product distributor. FCTG facilitates the distribution of products across 6 continents through our network of 12 operating companies and over 750 employees. The company’s impact is far-reaching, especially when considering that one in every ten houses today is built using products sourced and sold by our operating companies. As proponents of forest sustainability, FCTG actively supports suppliers who use sustainable forest management practices that promote forest sustainability and result in long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits. POSITION SUMMARY Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Corporate Controller is a senior finance leader and trusted business partner to the CFO and management team. This role owns the integrity of the Company's accounting, reporting, and control environment while advancing the finance function through improved processes, disciplined decision-making, and effective deployment of technology. This is a hands-on leadership role. The Controller will operate in the details with responsibility for managing the full accounting cycle for corporate and operating companies, commodity position accounting, physical and financial settlement, and daily treasury operations—while building a scalable, high-performing finance organization. The role also operates in a matrixed environment, requiring strong influence skills to align and uplevel financial operations across Operating Companies, and partners closely with the trading desk, risk management, operations, legal, and external auditors. CORE RESPONSIBILITIES Leadership & Culture Build, lead, and develop a high-performing corporate accounting and finance team Foster a positive, accountable culture at the corporate and Operating Company levels Hire, develop, and retain talented accounting, treasury, and shared services professionals Serve as a stabilizing force during system change, organizational growth, or market volatility Assess subsidiary finance capabilities; develop structured plans to up-level talent, processes, and controls Business Partnership & Cross-Functional Influence Serve as a key finance partner to the CFO, Operating Company Controllers, and operations leadership Lead through influence in a matrixed environment—aligning subsidiary Controllers around corporate standards without relying on direct authority Translate financial information into clear, actionable insights for corporate and subsidiary audiences Collaborate with the trading desk to ensure accounting treatment aligns with economic reality and business intent Technical & Functional Oversight Financial reporting and accounting, including trader compensation, commodity futures, and mark-to-market accounting Daily treasury operations and internal cash/collateral management Tax coordination and oversight, including pass-through partnership structures Budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning Internal controls, risk management, and policy oversight Foreign exchange and cross-currency hedging for international procurement and sales Shared services leadership: expense approvals, vendor setup, purchase order controls, and finance policies Decision Support & Systems Apply cost-benefit and ROI thinking to financial and operational decisions Drive automation of routine reporting workflows to free capacity for higher-value analysis Lead ERP implementation and optimization; evaluate best-practice accounting policies as the business evolves Subsidiary Finance Uplift Establish a structured approach to evaluating financial maturity across Operating Companies Develop and maintain a corporate finance playbook that subsidiary Controllers can adopt and execute Provide hands-on coaching and technical guidance to Operating Company finance teams Drive consistent consolidation standards, intercompany accounting, and reporting cadences across subsidiaries Identify and escalate risks in subsidiary financial operations before they affect corporate reporting integrity KEY ATTRIBUTES Trusted Leader & Business Partner: Close thought partner to the CFO; credible with Operating Company Controllers, traders, and senior management. Leads with integrity, sound judgment, and practical business sense. Relationship Builder & Matrix Navigator: Builds trust-based relationships across corporate and subsidiary teams. Leads through influence rather than direct authority in a matrixed environment. Subsidiary Uplift Leader: Assesses and elevates Operating Company finance capabilities through coaching, playbooks, and structured engagement—raising the bar on controls, talent, and reporting quality. Hands-On & Detail-Oriented: Ensures accuracy and follow-through across all finance processes. Process & Technology Focused: Continuously seeks better ways to operate. Leverages ERP and other tools to improve efficiency and data quality; leads system implementation and optimization. Positive, Accountable Leader: Creates a high-accountability finance culture at both corporate and subsidiary levels. Leads by example and develops strong teams. IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE Leadership Track Record: Demonstrated ability to build high-performing finance teams Matrix Leadership: Proven success in influencing and driving change without direct authority over Operating Company teams Relationship Builder: Naturally builds trust across organizational levels—someone subsidiaries want to partner with, not just report to Strategic and Tactical Range: Operates at a senior level strategically and at the transactional level when the business requires it Technology Proficiency: Demonstrated curiosity and initiative in experimenting with and adopting emerging technologies (including AI) to enhance financial reporting, forecasting, and process efficiency Change Leadership: Comfortable reassessing processes and building scalable financial infrastructure from a hands-on starting point Integrity & Judgment: High personal integrity and sound judgment in ambiguous, fast-moving environments Interested in Learning More? 180one has been retained by Forest City Trading Group to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Tom Haley / 503.334.1350/ tom@180one.com
