Marketing Product Specialist - Apprentice Position

Company Description

Do you want beneficial technologies being shaped by your ideas? Whether in the areas of mobility solutions, consumer goods, industrial technology or energy and building technology - with us, you will have the change to improve quality of life all across the globe. Welcome to Bosch!

Job Description

Marketing is vitally important to all businesses providing the insight to develop and deliver new products and services to meet ever-changing customer needs. It is the process of researching, developing, promoting and distributing, products or services through effective channels to engage with a range of target audiences.

The Marketing Product Specialist Apprentice will help shape, support and deliver marketing plans, working in conjunction with the other members of the marketing organisation and the sales teams. By working closely with the various members of the marketing organisation, the Marketing Apprentice will also gain an understanding of the various roles that exist with a focus on acquiring the skills required to fulfill a product specialist role. This is a highly audience focused role which requires creativity, communication and project management skills - these individuals are responsible for planning and executing tactical and targeted marketing activity.

The Product Specialist for the UK and Ireland customizes the global product portfolio for the local market requirements. They are the technical expert in customer discussions and convey future product requirements back to the product managers of the global business unit. The product manager of the business unit and product specialists in the countries form the knee joint between the go to market and go to source sides of the organization.

The PS is the expert for their specific products in the UK and Ireland from the technical and commercial perspectives and drives product related activities. They are responsible for product specific turnover, gross margin, product positioning and image in the UK and Ireland in agreement with the business unit.

Product Specialist responsibilities include:

• Development and implementation of the product strategy in conjunction with the business unit.
• Define positioning of product line (specification and pricing) by distribution channel.
• The expert in market intelligence for their products (competitors, pricing, service, coverage, features and benefits etc.)
• Management of growth projects and launch activities for new products within their product portfolio.
• Creation of the marketing plan for their products and subsequent delivery of the plan.
• Internal product training for the channel marketing and sales teams.
• Product expert at events and exhibitions

Qualifications

The Marketing Product Specialist Apprentice will acquire an understanding of:

• The fundamentals of marketing theory that support the marketing process e.g. the extended marketing mix (7P’S: Product, Price, Place, Promotion, Physical environment, Process, People), product development, and segmentation
• The concepts of brand positioning and management and implementing process to support corporate reputation
• The principles of stakeholder management and customer relationship management (CRM), both internal and external, to facilitate effective cross-functional relationships internally, and channel and customer relationships externally. 
• The characteristics and plans of the business and sector they work within, including their vision and values
• How marketing contributes to achieving wider business objectives
• The target audience’s decision making process and how that can influence marketing activities
• The sector specific legal, regulatory and compliance frameworks within which they must work, including current Data Protection regulations.
• The principles of effective market research and how this can influence marketing activity e.g. valid data collection sources and methodologies and usage, including digital sources, and when to use quantitative and qualitative methods. 
• Basic principles of product development and product/service portfolios
• The marketing landscape and how routes to market interplay most efficiently, e.g. franchise model, distribution
• The features and benefits of different marketing communications channels and media, both digital and offline, and when and how to apply these

The Marketing Product Specialist Apprentice should be able to demonstrate:

• A tenacious and driven approach to see projects through to completion
• Being a proven ‘self-starter’ and have an adaptable approach to meet changing work priorities. 
• A creative and analytical mind, with a willingness to think of new ways of doing things
• They come up with ideas and solutions to support the delivery of their work.
• A willingness to learn from mistakes, as not all activities go to plan, and improve their own performance as a result. 
• A high level of professionalism, reliability and dependability with a passion for the customer
• A collaborative approach is central to how they work, showing empathy and being mindful to the needs/views of others
• Ethical behaviour in the way they approach marketing activities and their work, valuing equality & diversity. 

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to complete this apprenticeship - Marketing executive / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education

• You must be a UK resident and live in England 50% of the year.
• Have lived in the EU or the UK for the previous 3 years continuously.

The successful candidate will also be required to have the Right to Work at the time the course and employment begins.