WasteLAB & Sustainable Product Manager- Marketing
Work Mode: Onsite
Location: Onsite – Kohler, WI
Opportunity
Kohler Co. is seeking a, WasteLAB & Sustainable Product Manager - Marketing, to lead the product, category, and commercialization strategy for WasteLAB, while also supporting broader sustainable product strategy across the portfolio, in partnership with the Kohler KBA & KBI businesses.
This role operates at the intersection of product management, product marketing, and category strategy with a 70/30 focus:
- 70% WasteLAB product management, category strategy and marketing, with direct accountability for shaping how WasteLAB products are clearly differentiated, commercially viable, market-relevant, positioned, and brought to market
- 30% enterprise sustainable product insights and strategy support
This role partners closely with the Business Development Manager, Sustainable Living, Product Management, Category Management, Engineering, Operations, Sales, and Marketing teams, to ensure sustainable product insights, competitive intelligence, and market trends inform product decisions and commercialization strategies.
This is a high-impact role operating in a startup-like environment within Kohler, requiring strong strategic thinking, hands-on execution, and cross-functional influence.
Role Summary
The Sustainable Product & WasteLAB Manager- Marketing, is responsible for:
- Driving WasteLAB product and category strategy, go-to-market execution, and sales enablement
- Providing sustainable product insights, competitive intelligence, and market perspective to support enterprise sustainable product strategy
- Translating sustainable product innovation into clear, market-ready value propositions
This role does not own P&L, but is accountable for strategic influence, commercialization effectiveness, and revenue-driving outcomes, particularly for WasteLAB and sustainable products across regions and businesses.
Key Responsibilities
WasteLAB Product & Category Strategy (70%)
Focus: Strategy, commercialization, and growth
- Develop and own the multi-year product and category strategy for WasteLAB
- Identify growth opportunities, portfolio gaps, and category expansion ideas
- Partner with the Business Development Manager to align WasteLAB strategy and broader sustainable product priorities
- Support prioritization decisions across new products, distribution partners, merchandising and sales training
Outcome:
A focused, market-driven WasteLAB strategy that supports growth and differentiation.
Enterprise Sustainable Product Strategy (30%)
Focus: Insight, intelligence, and strategic partnership
- Gather and synthesize competitive intelligence, market trends, and customer insights related to sustainable products
- Identify white-space opportunities, portfolio gaps, and emerging sustainability trends
- Partner with the Business Development Manager, Sustainable Product Strategy to:
- Bring forward insights to inform enterprise sustainable product strategy
- Support portfolio and investment discussions
- Collaborate with Category & Product Management and Sustainable Living teams to ensure sustainability insights are integrated into broader product strategy conversations across regions and businesses.
Outcome:
Enterprise sustainable product strategy is informed by market-relevant, competitive, and customer-driven insights
Product Roadmap & New Product Development
- Partner with Product Management, Engineering, R&D, and Industrial Design to:
- Define product requirements
- Develop and executive product roadmap for WasteLAB. Partner with regions and businesses to inform sustainable product priorities
- Embed sustainability and circularity principles into WasteLAB products
- Provide voice-of-customer and market insights throughout the NPD process
- Support trade-off decisions related to performance, cost, manufacturability, and sustainability outcomes
Product Marketing & Go-to-Market Strategy
- Lead marketing strategy for WasteLAB products (non-plumbing categories), including:
- Positioning and value propositions
- Messaging and differentiation
- Go-to-market and launch planning
- Distribution partner product training and merchandising
- Partner with Kohler Marketing, Category, Product Management and Sustainable Living teams to ensure WasteLAB launches (plumbing categories) are supported with:
- Purpose-driven storytelling
- Credible sustainability claims
- Clear customer value articulation
- Product training and merchandising (samples, displays)
- Partner with kitchen and bath marketing team to develop product launch communications and campaign content for WasteLAB, or Sustainable Living initiatives, as needed.
Category Performance & Market Insights
- Monitor and analyze WasteLAB category performance, including:
- Market trends
- Competitive landscape
- Customer and channel feedback
- Partner with sales teams to identify growth opportunities and actions
- Contribute insights to long-range planning and portfolio optimization for enterprise sustainable product development
- Support customer-service on existing and future orders and samples, as needed
Sales, Showroom & Partner Enablement
- Develop and deliver sales enablement and training for:
- Field sales teams
- Kohler Signature Stores and showrooms
- Key partners
- Architects, Designers (residential/commercial/hospitality), and luxury builders
- Travel to key markets to train architects and designers on CEUs and sustainable products; partner with Kohler sales team on key market initiatives.
- Partner with showrooms to elevate:
- WasteLAB product knowledge
- Selling techniques and customer conversations
- Support A&D education to increase awareness, specification, and adoption of WasteLAB products and broader sustainable product knowledge
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Serve as a key connector across:
- Business Development (Sustainable Product Strategy)
- Product and Category Management
- Engineering
- Marketing and Communications
- Sales and Showroom teams
- Influence without direct authority in a matrixed environment
What Success Looks Like
- A clear, market-driven WasteLAB product and category strategy
- Successful launch and commercialization of new WasteLAB products
- Strong alignment between WasteLAB and enterprise sustainable product strategy
- Sales and showroom teams confident in selling and specifying WasteLAB products
- Measurable contribution to WasteLAB revenue growth and visibility
- Sustainable product strategy is informed by strong competitive and market insights
Skills/Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred
- 8+ years of experience across product management, product marketing, category management, or strategy
- Experience working in consumer products, home improvement, or sustainability-driven product innovation
- Background in sustainable product strategy is desired, but not required
- Experience in start-up business culture
- Strong strategic, analytical, and communication skills
- Ability to operate in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment
- Passion for sustainability, circularity, and innovation
Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.
We believe in supporting you from the moment you join us, which is why Kohler offers day 1 benefits. This means you’ll have access to your applicable benefit programs from your first day on the job, with no waiting period.
The salary range for this position is $119,950 - $186,550. The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including the candidate’s experience, their education, and the work location. In addition, this position is eligible for a performance bonus/variable incentive compensation.
Why Choose Kohler?
We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support your health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we’re driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.
About Us
It is Kohler’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact kohlerjobs@kohler.com. Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
