Strategic Planning Director jobs in Canton, OH

Job Summary

The Director of Strategic Pricing is dedicated to formulating and executing pricing strategies and concepts aimed at optimizing profitability and market share. This position plays a key role in generating insightful customer and commodity reports aiding in the strategic decision-making process. Success in this role hinges on the ability to adapt, support, and enhance the collective performance of the department, demonstrating a commitment to shared goals and mutual reliance.

Principal Duties

· Implement pricing strategies that optimize profitability and competitive positioning.

· Manage rate quote process to both customers and participating railroads.

· Navigate databases to derive meaningful reports, adept at both responding to immediate, ad hoc requests and crafting comprehensive reports for strategic analysis and planning.

· Strengthen railroad relationships through various forms of effective communication, including industry conference attendance.

· Collaborate in the creation of customized rate proposals that align with our financial objectives as well as those of our customers, ensuring mutual profitability and satisfaction.

· Organize team meetings to:

o integrate revenue strategies with broader marketing initiatives, ensuring that growth efforts are in sync with pricing strategies and marketing goals.

o refine pricing strategies based on market trends and customer insights, ensuring strategies remain relevant and competitive.

· Assist with maintaining rate and quoting database, ensuring accuracy and relevance.

· Conduct regular reviews of pricing strategies and adjust as necessary based on market changes.

· Provide guidance on continuous pricing simplification and optimization.

· Provide department support with customer engagement interactions as needed.

Expertise and Abilities

· Adaptive Problem Solving: Able to adapt creative pricing strategies based on market feedback and changes.

· Negotiation Skills: Proficient in negotiating terms that optimize profitability while also being fair and appealing to customers and partners, balancing firm objectives with relationship preservation.

· Innovative Pricing Theories: Strong expertise in pricing strategies, theories, and models, while being capable of creating unconventional strategies that may go beyond traditional models to help secure business.

· Strategic Thinking with Business Acumen: Ability to understand customer industries and markets, coupled with strategic foresight that actively drives market share growth.

· Curiosity-Driven: Actively seeks out new knowledge and embraces diverse perspectives to foster personal and professional growth.

· Articulate Reporting: Excels in communicating complex data with clarity, precision, and engagement, both verbally and in writing, ensuring understanding and actionability.

· Autonomous Work Ethic and Team Collaboration: Thrives in self-directed environments requiring minimal supervision, while also excelling in team-driven initiatives, ensuring a comprehensive and cohesive approach to client management.

Required Education and Experience

· Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Economics, Finance, or a related field. A Master’s degree is preferred.

· Minimum of 6 years of experience in pricing strategy, market analysis, or a related role.

· Proven track record in developing and implementing successful and innovative pricing strategies.

· Experience in managing excel-based databases and generating analytical reports.

· Familiarity with digital analytics and pricing tools.

· Experience in railroading and logistics would be advantageous.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

The title of Director of Strategic Pricing is a guideline; the actual position title will be aligned with the successful candidate's level of experience, reflecting our commitment to acknowledging the skills and expertise each team member brings to our company.

This is a full-time position. The work hours for this position are primarily Monday through Friday, during business hours. We embrace flexibility to accommodate life’s demands and varying workloads. Our approach includes potential for hybrid or remote work arrangements, assessing each situation to support both productivity and work-life balance. This flexibility aims to empower our team to thrive both professionally and personally.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Travel

Travel will be expected to attend conferences, visit / entertain customers, and railroad counterparts. Out-of-the-area and overnight travel will be expected, where normal months may be 5% - 20% travel. On occasion and depending on scheduling, travel may sporadically increase to up to 40% in a single month (i.e. multiple conferences in same month), but this would be rare. There could also be times where you do not travel for months at a time.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

About Our Marketing Department

Success will be built on a foundation of teamwork and mutual reliance, where everyone’s contributions are essential to the collective achievement. The environment fosters a strong sense of interdependence, with members working closely together, leveraging each other's strengths to

What We Offer

• W&LE provides a work environment that is casual and collaborative.
• Wheeling & Lake Erie offers a competitive compensation package.
• We provide a generous education support program.
• We provide excellent, medical, dental, vision, life, and short-term disability benefits.
• Railroad retirement and 401(k) match
• Profit sharing
• Discretionary Bonus Units
• Paid vacation and personal leave

About Us

2024 Railway Age Regional Railroad of the Year, Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, is seeking a Director of Strategic Pricing to join our Marketing Department. This pivotal role focuses on formulating and executing pricing strategies to optimize profitability and market share. Wheeling & Lake Erie provides freight transportation service in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. W&LE handles over 135,000 carloads per year. The company is private, 100% internally owned, and currently has over 400 employees. W&LE is the largest Ohio-based railroad and is among the largest regional railroads in the country. The company has over 120 customers and a continually growing customer base. W&LE interchanges in numerous locations with three major Class I Railroads (Canadian National, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern), as well as 16 regional and shortline railroads.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $80,000.00 - $140,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Brewster, OH 44613