North America Business Planning Manager

Lenovo's fundamental belief is that life rewards those who Never Stand Still. Every day at Lenovo we are moving forward always seeking a new way to make the world better. We're seeking a business planning manager responsible for driving market share, revenue, and profit for the North America consumer business. In this role, the candidate will be responsible for managing the cycle and annual plans for the consumer Lenovo PC business. This includes planning and execution of quarterly/semi-annual campaigns tied to Lenovo objectives for units, revenue, and profitability. The position will work closely with the Lenovo consumer sales, product management and business management teams.

The candidate will need a broad skill set including analytical horsepower, excellent business judgment and product knowledge. They will need strong communication skills, which will enable them to become a trusted advisor in the organization and present to internal executives on a regular basis.

Business Planning Responsibilities:

* Align with North America category team and Business Units to set key quarterly/annual business objectives including units/share, revenue and profit

* Manage Cycle planning process, ensuring key dates and deliverables are met

* Work closely with Business and Product management teams to coordinate and consolidate cycle P&L inputs; provide guidance on key metrics (units, rev, profit) to multiple levels of management

* Provide relevant market analysis, including sell in and sales out, utilize PFV to optimize go-to-market strategy, etc...

* Work closely with sales account executives to plan, execute, and track retail cycles.

* Drive initiatives to maximize share, mix, margin and overall product contribution to the portfolio & business.

* Evaluate performance against plan at appropriate intervals (e.g., weekly, monthly) and make corrective actions to keep on track to achieve goals. Present details to management teams on a regular basis.

* Identify opportunity to partner with alliances to grow business

Product related:

* Work closely with Product management team on annual STAMP plan to ensure product level TAM and share objectives are captured within our overall plan objectives

* Effectively monitor Product Transitions with a view to maximizing revenue & profit

* Effectively differentiate Lenovo offerings from competitive alternatives and create distinct customer preference for Lenovo offerings. Knows when to bring elements of competitors' offerings or products into the equation to create the highest yielding deal for the customer and Lenovo.

Position Requirements:

Technical:

* Strong understanding of product life cycle management & retail business model.

* Strong understanding of promotional programs mechanics for consumer markets

* Good understanding of consumer buying behavior (seasonality)

* Good understanding of the PC industry - products and technology

* Maintains mastery of competition's offerings, strategies, and plans

Non Technical:

* Strong drive for results

* Strong interpersonal skill & keen attention to details

* Ability to manage through influence, negotiation

* Strong verbal (presentation) and written communication skills