Company Overview
Young Innovations is a manufacturer and marketer of high quality dental equipment and supplies with sales in excess of $150 million covering a broad portfolio of market-leading products across a variety of dental categories. With an outstanding reputation for quality, our company has a broad portfolio of market leading products across a variety of categories. We are a fast-paced, lean organization with tremendous opportunity for growth through hands-on experience with diverse and challenging projects.

Young Dental, a subsidiary of Young Innovations, is a leading US designer, manufacturer and marketer of clinically advanced dental hygiene products with locations in St. Louis, MO and Algonquin, IL. Young Dental has been developing dental products since 1900 having launched and built some of the industry’s most revered products. Young’s flagship product is the disposable prophy angle which set the stage for innovation in dental hygiene over forty years ago. Trusted by dental professionals worldwide, Young manufactures over 200 professional preventive products including hygiene handpieces, prophy pastes, fluoride varnish and infection control products while maintaining strategic partnerships with well-known consumer brands like Oral B and Wrigley. For more information on our market leading products and innovative brands, please visit youngdental.com.


Role Overview
Young Dental is looking for a strong Product Specialist to join our team at our Algonquin, IL location. The Product Specialist is the subject matter expert for one or more of Young Dental’s key oral health categories. The Product Specialist oversees the implementation of commercial initiatives to meet product line revenue targets for new and existing products, develops and delivers technical and commercial training, conducts product line forecasting, and executes ongoing competitive and market analysis.


Responsibilities

• Define robust and effective commercialization plans and project manage the implementation of commercialization activities for all New Product Development launches to ensure attainment of financial objectives within launch timelines.
• Conduct ongoing competitive and market analysis. Lead competitive benchmarking sessions, prepare competitive product feature comparison spreadsheets, prepare competitive pricing analysis and conduct ongoing market insight. Synthesize insight for input into product road maps, market positioning and strategic planning.
• Partner with Creative Services to develop end-user targeted marketing campaigns. Ensure all marketing and sales collateral reflects current product line with accurate data.
• Prepare price recommendations to ensure attainment of revenue and margin targets.
• Update all collateral, tools and online applications to ensure accurate and timely pricing.
• Provide technical and application training to sales and distribution partners
• Provide direction on the creation and delivery of advertisements, press releases, and other marketing materials in line with market strategy
• Plan marketing and branding objectives that are in-line with Voice of Customer (VOC) analysis
• Participate in and develop sales funnel structures around product line utilizing data driven decision making.
• Work with operations as needed to support supply chain initiatives impacting product development, forecasting, pricing or margin.
• Work with regulatory and quality team on claim development and approval with R&D and Legal
• Assist in management of product life cycles, identify and execute cost reduction and SKU rationalization opportunities
• Exercise judgment within broadly defined practices and policies in selecting methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining product line results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• 3+ years of post-graduate professional experience, ideally in a marketing or product capacity or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Multi-disciplinary background by education and/or experience, including basic financial analysis, marketing and management skills is required
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Power Point, Word and Outlook), advanced knowledge of Excel.
• Strong leadership ability – driving initiatives across and through many cross-functional teams
• Must possess intellectual curiosity and a desire to work in a fast-paced, meritocratic organization on diverse and challenging projects
• Experience applying data analytics to sales outcomes
• Strong project management and implementation skills
• Maintain excellent communication cadence with leadership team
• Ability to work under pressure and time constraints and at times manage multiple job assignments.
• Ability to be a self-starter, follow-through and have a strong sense of urgency in accomplishing goals consistently.
• Ability to travel up to 20%.

Young Dental/Young Innovations, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and E-Verify participating employer