Jo Sims

I am a highly driven, commercially astute, strategic thinker with a focus on fulfilling customer needs. I have a passion for getting things done and a determination to deliver business goals. I am an excellent team motivator and communicator, with over 20 years of marketing experience.

In the last 15 years, I have gained a wealth of product and project management experience across multiple sectors and project types. I take an empathetic and inclusive approach to project management to ensure team members feel engaged and empowered, whilst ensuring that stakeholders feel included and informed on project progress. I believe in the value of individuals, and the sharing of alternative views and perspectives to generate ideas and approaches to deliver the best outcomes.

My focus is on doing what is best for the organisation, meaning I am not afraid to challenge opinions at any level of seniority, but will always ensure that challenge is supported by facts and data to drive discussion and swift decision making. I am energetic and persistent in delivering results and can see the bigger picture without being afraid to get stuck in. I keep focused on long term goals whilst still paying close attention to the detailed task level activities that are critical for successful project delivery.

I am always assessing risk and thinking multiple steps ahead to ensure there is plan C, D and E not just plan B. I have a skill for processing information quickly, data analysis and thinking on my feet, meaning I can make quick decisions to ensure efficiency, keep teams calm under pressure and focussed on delivery. I thrive under pressure, enjoy multi-tasking, and have excellent time management skills to ensure on time delivery.

There is always a trade off between cost, time and accuracy and my strength as a project manager is knowing which is most important depending on the scenario. My biggest strength is investigating issues, fixing problems, improving processes, and removing roadblocks to ensure that the business continues to drive forward and projects stay on track.

Head of Product & Strategic Projects reporting to MD - Autochair Ltd (Vehicle Adaptation Manufacturer) – Turnover £25m

(2022-05)

Current Projects Product: Person Hoist Improvement, Team Size: 8, Value: £950k revenue p.a. (growing export market), 70% margin, Delivery: 12 months Product: LC Hoist Improvement, Team Size: 10, Value: £5.3m revenue p.a., £150k cost saving p.a., 60% margin, Delivery: 18 months Product: 60kg Hoist Development, Team Size: 8, Value: £800k revenue p.a., Delivery: 9 months Product: Hoist Range Rationalisation, Team Size: 4, Value: £100k cost saving p.a., Delivery: 3 months Product: New Kit Design, Team Size: 5. Project remit; developing processes, guidelines, and key validation criteria to increase speed of kit design and release whilst ensuring accurate data capture to deliver ease of manufacture and support production consistency. Reviewing historic sales data trends and forecasts to prioritise vehicle sourcing for new kit development.

System: New Customer Portal to drive customer engagement, increase Sales and Technical Team efficiency by allowing customers to self-serve for information and increase revenue by showcasing the full product range and vehicle compatibility.

Infrastructure: New Business Setup in USA to mirror UK operation. Project remit; Site fit out, recruitment, new ERP

• Product Lifecycle Management - across all 6 stages; development and market analysis, introduction, growth and capitalisation, maturity, saturation and decline into retirement
• Identify key markets/sales channels for product range i.e. Direct, Trade, Motability (UK) and Veterans Association (USA)
• Management of pricing models by market including price list updates
• Set commercial growth targets against products and customer groups
• Analyse product profitability – to ensure margin targets are delivered
• Build product costings including machine, labour, and overhead costs to generate accurate margins across ABC Group product range
• Work with the Operations Team on projects to streamline components/products across all group businesses to reduce stock holding and improve cash flow
• Drive improvement in efficiency and lead time to support sales expansion in export, growth in USA and UK retail markets
• Product Development – new product development (NPD) for brand new products and product improvement (PI)/expansion for existing product range
• Market analysis to identify opportunities for capitalisation and growth within existing and new markets
• Build future product strategy to drive ideas for product development/improvement
• Regular sales analysis to identity opportunities for growth by market, customer, and product
• Investigate competitor landscape across all markets to identify gaps/opportunities for growth
• Track financial KPI’s monthly against forecast to identify any gaps in performance
• Work with Sales and Marketing Teams to develop commercial strategies for growth within all markets
• Facilitate collaborative working between departments i.e. NPD and Sales, to ensure that we meet customer needs within product developments
• New product introduction (NPI) – stakeholder management to ensure clear communication and roll out to internal teams and customers
• Project management to ensure projects are delivered on time, to budget and achieve strategic goals
• Process development and implementation to drive efficiency, improve consistency, and deliver strategic objectives

Marketing Manager reporting to Marketing Director - Marley Ltd (Roof Tile Manufacturer) – Turnover £120m

(2020-01)

Develop and deliver specification marketing strategy, key objectives, and tactics – responsible for £200k budget p.a. Management of Technical Advisory Service (TAS) responsible for dealing with all technical customer enquiries and generating technical specifications – team of 4. In 2021 2,700 specifications generated with a project value of £8.5m Responsible for Enquiries Management Team who field all inbound customer enquiries and allocate to sales team – team of 2 Project management for key business projects: New product development/introduction Product: Integrated solar panels, Team Size: 8, Value: £2m revenue p.a. (growing market), 40% margin, Delivery: 6 months Product: Roof Defence Fire Barrier, Team Size: 6, Value: £100k revenue p.a., 50% margin, Delivery: 6 months Product: Clay Interlocking Tiles, Team Size: 10, Value: £10m revenue p.a., 30% margin, ongoing project

• Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) – Government driven scheme to improve the transparency of product information within the construction industry
• Product Information Management (PIM) system development and implementation. Strategy and process for improved data management and embed across the business
• New technical tools development – bespoke software development for TAS team to deliver roofing specifications more quickly and accurately, ongoing
• Management of all technical information including creating technical data sheets, CAD & BIM files and literature
• Drive brand engagement and product awareness across all specification sectors
• Management of all PR, exhibitions, research, media buying, copy writing, design, photography and digital asset production
• Build relevant content for each sector including PR, e-shots, adverts, case studies, whitepapers and editorial features
• Bi-annual brand tracking research to understand specification market
• Campaigns to drive specification enquiries – 2021 3,000 leads generated with a £4.2m project value
• Product management across all roof tiles, solar and decking products
• Customer experience improvement projects to enhance web