Global Escalator Business Offering Director

Did you know KONE moves two billion people every day? As a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, we employ over 60,000 driven professionals in close to 70 countries worldwide joined together with a shared purpose, to shape the future of cities. In 2024, we had annual net sales of EUR 11.1 billion.

Why this role?

The Global Escalator Offering Development Director is the business owner of the Escalator product range and portfolio across KONE. He /She develops and implements a product line strategy based on customer, business and product understanding to ensure product range and portfolio competitiveness in the market offering in all areas according to the Kone strategy with an end-to end life cycle approach developed across all business lines.

The offering director works together with the Area Offering Manager (AOM) of the business lines, to offer optimal solutions. The Offering Development Director, via the AOM is the primary interfaces between areas and the Tribes development team, He/ She works hand in hand with the tribe leads and tribe teams, supply chain, quality and safety, Dod and all Business Lines relevant teams.
The Global Escalator Offering Development Director (ODD) is part of the Global Escalator Leadership team.
 

What will you be doing?

• ODD Combines customer / business / product understanding for Escalators, obtained through governance, AOMs and own activity within customer interface.

• ODD Is accountable for the market competitiveness of the designated product range/portfolio globally (or in Area).

• ODD leads the determination the product characteristics, or product changes, needed to meet the Area/frontline needs, business targets of the Business Line and in order to achieve differentiation from competition.

• ODD prioritizes product requirements from all Areas & change needs for designated product range/portfolio. Engages Platform and Category management and Supply organization for analysis. Drives through the needs into execution within the governance and Solution Creation process. Can use 3rd party when needed. 

• Using key stakeholders, drives together product business cases for decision-making, as often as possible on KONE-level, follows-up the materialization of the business case for deviations.

• ODD is a decision-maker for offering impacting product changes (CR) and often for other product decisions following the offering governance model.

• ODD Leads the definition of designated product range/portfolio strategy and roadmap, including product cost targets, range and range extension needs, time to market, performance criteria, and features, install ability and quality targets.

• Leads the life-cycle management for the product range/portfolio – provides BLUE input, drives for product targets and business case, follows-up and supports development, ensures readiness in full-chain, tracks post-release performance, is involved deciding retirement/termination, takes into account Modernization/replacing product's needs, when needed involves GSS and Maintenance business.

• Is responsible for driving the favorable cost development of the designated product range/portfolio, leads the identification of the needed cost reduction actions together with Platforms and Categories, follows-up execution.

• Sets & tracks technical and business KPIs regularly, including target setting and follow up of maintainability, install ability, quality. Pushes for corrective actions when needed.

• Supports PD projects in reaching their targets, acts as business owner.

• Is knowledgeable of the product range/portfolio volumes, and what options are selling what not, in order to be able to manage the development focus of the product range/portfolio.

• Is often involved in preparing for the Full Chain pricing discussions of the product range/portfolio.

• Understand competitor solutions within the designated product range/portfolio, partakes actively in competitor intelligence work. Uses this information to strengthen KONE product range/portfolio competitiveness.

• Defines how KONE solution differs from competition, and what is the basic value that KONE solutions provide to our customers.

• Leads the work to define a KONE favorable product spec for designated product range/portfolio to be used in tendering cases influencing customer requirements.

• Actively supports AOMs and Area NBS/Mod/Service Heads in optimizing the offered solution

• Actively, when needed, participates in customer interface, supporting sales and marketing needs

Are you the one?

• At least 5 years of experience in similar capacity as a director in a sizable geographical area or a global position.

• Exceptional business acumen, strategic and conceptual thinking

• Deep understanding of escalators, auto walk or related business environment and customers

• Business leadership experience and skills

• Understanding of full-chain business related KPIs and success factors

• Ability to effectively connect and interact at all levels of organization

• Good value creation, selling, marketing and customer relationship skills

• Commercialization and business model capabilities to scale and capture the value to KONE

What do we offer?

• Contribute to business growth / development in a rapidly growing business area.

• Contribute to a smart and sustainable urban living in cities

• Working in a diverse yet inclusive and collaborative culture.

At KONE, we are focused on creating an innovative and collaborative working culture where we value the contribution of each individual. Employee engagement is a key focus area for us and we encourage participation and the sharing of information and ideas. Sustainability is an integral part of our culture and the daily practice. We follow ethical business practices and we seek to develop a culture of working together where co-workers trust and respect each other and good performance is recognized. In being a great place to work, we are proud to offer a range of experiences and opportunities that will help you to achieve your career and personal goals and enable you to live a healthy and balanced life.

Read more on