Category Manager

Category Manager

At Seaman Corporation, every associate is instrumental to our success. Become a part of our growing team!

At Seaman Corporation, we are dedicated to creating and supplying quality, high-performance fabrics that protect our planet, our people, and our customers. From humble beginnings in 1949 to a multi-million-dollar organization, this family-owned business has grown to be a leading manufacturer in highly durable coated fabrics, supplying products to customers around the globe.

Every Seaman Corporation associate plays a valuable role in our company's continuous growth. We believe by investing in the right people and resources, we can drive sustainable growth across the entire business.

Seaman Corporation products are composed of proprietary knitted or woven base fabrics and coating formulas to produce high performance roofing systems, geomembrane liners, truck tarps, architectural structures, and much more. We work exclusively with authorized fabricators, designers, consultants, engineers, and installers for quality solutions start to finish.

Seaman Corporation is seeking a Category Manager to join our Product Management team! This position will report to the Director of Product Management.

Seaman Corporation is seeking a Category Manager to lead a product category or business segment and drive profitable growth through portfolio strategy, market leadership, innovation prioritization, and cross-functional business alignment. This role provides both strategic portfolio leadership and people leadership, with responsibility for managing and developing Product Managers and Senior Product Managers within the assigned category structure.

The Category Manager serves as the primary strategic leader for the category and is accountable for portfolio direction, market competitiveness, commercialization priorities, lifecycle management, and financial performance. This role works closely with Sales, Marketing, Technical, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Commercial Leadership teams to align category strategy with broader business objectives and operational capabilities.

Individuals at this level are expected to operate with strong strategic perspective, business leadership, and organizational influence. The role requires balancing short-term business performance with long-term category growth, innovation opportunities, complexity management, and evolving customer and market needs.

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Leads the strategic direction, performance, and evolution of an assigned product category or business segment.
• Develops and executes category strategies aligned with business growth objectives, market opportunities, and long-term portfolio direction.
• Owns category-level performance including revenue growth, profitability, pricing strategy, portfolio mix, lifecycle management, and market competitiveness.
• Leads and develops Product Managers and Senior Product Managers within the assigned category structure.
• Establishes portfolio priorities, commercialization focus areas, and resource alignment across the category.
• Identifies market trends, competitive threats, customer needs, and strategic growth opportunities impacting the category.
• Guides portfolio prioritization, innovation direction, rationalization efforts, and complexity management decisions.
• Partners closely with Sales and Marketing leadership to support strategic customer engagement, market development, and commercial execution.
• Collaborates with Technical, Operations, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain teams to align category strategy with operational capabilities, sourcing realities, and technical feasibility.
• Evaluates strategic opportunities using market analysis, financial assessment, business case development, and operational considerations.
• Influences and supports innovation pipelines, product roadmap development, and strategic investment decisions.
• Serves as a key business leader in cross-functional strategic planning and portfolio decision-making discussions.
• Coaches and develops product management team members to strengthen organizational capability and succession development.
• Supports organizational alignment across Product Management, Marketing, Sales, Operations, and Technical functions.
• Leads strategic initiatives related to category growth, market expansion, operational improvement, and portfolio optimization.
• Serves as a senior subject matter expert for assigned markets, applications, customer segments, and competitive positioning.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, Technical, or related field required.
• 10+ years of experience in product management, strategic marketing, engineering, manufacturing, commercial leadership, or related business functions.
• Prior experience leading complex portfolios and cross-functional strategic initiatives required.
• Previous people leadership or demonstrated leadership of high-impact matrix teams preferred.
• Manufacturing or industrial business experience strongly preferred.

Competencies:

To perform the job successfully, an individual should be aligned with our company values and demonstrate the following competencies:

Do What's Right

• Safety: Safety is our priority and everyone's responsibility. If you see something unsafe, you are called to say something.
• Customer Focus: We are in business for the customer. Our (internal and external) customers deserve our focus, and we can create solutions that solve their needs.
• Integrity: Our words and actions reflect our values, and we hold respect for all individuals.

Work Together

• Collaboration: We must share openly with one another, listen actively, and seek to understand the needs of our colleagues. We will respect diversity and work to find common ground.
• Teamwork: We will trust the person and attack the process.

Create Solutions

• Entrepreneurism: Act with a spirit of entrepreneurism, challenge the status quo, and find innovative solutions to our obstacles.
• Continuous Improvement: Everyone is an advocate for continuous improvement. Be willing to learn something new and accept that failure is a part of the process.
• Results: At the end of the day, results are what drive us forward. Hold yourself accountable to remove roadblocks and focus on the outcome over the activity.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Direct leadership responsibility for Product Managers and Senior Product Managers.
• Responsible for coaching, development, performance management, and talent growth within assigned category teams.
• Leads cross-functional initiatives, strategic projects, commercialization efforts, and portfolio planning activities.

Travel Requirements: 25% on average

• Travel requirements will vary based on assigned portfolios and business needs.
• Expected travel may include customer visits, plant visits, strategic account meetings, industry associations, trade events, and commercial activities.

Seaman Corporation is an EEO Employer.

Seaman Corporation provides equal opportunity for employment and promotion to all qualified employees and applicants based on experience, training, education, and ability to do the available work without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, ancestry, or any other status protected by law.

Seaman Corporation is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

If you require reasonable accommodation, as a candidate for employment, please inform Human Resources.