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Position Summary

The Carline Planning Specialist reports to the Carline Planning Manager and works alongside the Product Management team including liaisons.

The position has three primary purposes:

+ Generate insightful and useful research and forecasting proposals for current and future products, model lineups, vehicle equipment, technology, pricing, and profitability.

+ Generate accurate vehicle equipment/features and specifications for current and upcoming vehicles through database. Share data with appropriate internal teams to ensure consistency and timeliness.

+ Be a key communication conduit between Product Management and relevant Subaru of America (SOA) departments to effectively communicate relevant and accurate product information at the right time.

Major Responsibilities

Research and Forecasting 60%

+ With guidance from Carline Planning Managers, formulates new product ideas and proposals based on market research, target customer data, quantitative and qualitative surveys, and product portfolio roadmaps.

+ Employs consumer-based user-experience research techniques and human-centered design methodology to solve for business needs and meet product objectives using industry data from multiple internal and external resources efficiently and effectively.

+ Delivers compelling insights, stories, and visualizations to help drive evidence-based product and design decisions which address identified end-user complaints about the vehicle.

+ Evaluates pricing proposals for assigned vehicle carlines via competitive analysis, equipment content valuation, and predictive modeling. Provides recommendations on pricing to Carline Planning Managers and works with Product Planning and Pricing team to present practical pricing proposals.

+ Forecasts product trends from the automotive industry and trends in consumer electronics, technology, fashion industry, and color industry.

+ Helps develop target user profiles, and creative storytelling tools to design vehicles to best suit user needs.

+ Collaborates with various departments to communicate relevant product information at the proper time and gather information needed for the product proposals to Subaru of America (SOA) Executive team and Subaru Corporation (SBR).

Specification Implementation 30%

+ Utilizes current model year equipment specifications to create specification assets which are then made available to internal SOA departments.

+ Supports multiple SOA departments to ensure all product materials and assets are accurate, with the support of Carline Planning Manager and SBR Liaisons. Serves as liaison between Product Management and the inquiring department to answer product-related questions. Proofreads documents developed by Carline Planning Manager.

Data Integration 10%

+ Authors and maintains database, which serves as an internal information hub for storing and accessing product information.

+ Ensures that all vehicle specs for multiple vehicle models is current and accurate. Responds quickly to time-sensitive tasks to get information from official specification documents into database.

+ Leads identification and coordination of Database Roadmap enhancements. Recognizes opportunities for process improvements and serves as day-to-day contact between Product Management and Information Technology to plan database enhancements.

+ Collaborates with SOA stakeholders to maintain database.

Additional Responsibilities

+ Coordinates approximately seven (7) test vehicles including scheduling the periodic service, ensuring that vehicles are ready for product evaluation.

Skills and Abilities

+ Strong ability to work with research, data, and analytics to identify meaningful insights.

+ Comfortable with independently planning, prioritizing, conducting, analyzing, and communicating data into trends/insights to provide visualization and storytelling in a variety of contexts, including C-Suite interactions.

+ Strong ability to develop convincing recommendations. Exhibited success presenting complex research data (qualitative and quantitative) in a clear and compelling manner, including recommendations, which inspire action.

+ Ability to effectively manage a large workload and multiple priorities.

+ Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships across departments, business areas, vendors, other outside teams.

+ Experience working with ambiguity in a high-pressure environment.

+ Strong advocate for user-centered design/evidence-based approach to product development while balancing business needs.

+ Good understanding of the visualization techniques and ability to solve business problems through visualization. Proficient using at least one visualization product (Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, etc.).

+ Competency in data mining in systems such as mTab, JATO, Statista, Experian, or other related systems.

Skills Keywords

+ Exploratory Data Analysis

+ Survey/Aggregation and Analysis

+ Predictive Modeling and Trending

+ Qualitative Research

+ Quantitative Research

+ Data Visualization

+ Statistics

+ Microsoft Suite- PowerPoint, Excel, Word

+ Customer Journey Mapping

+ Strategic Planning

+ Project Management

+ User Personas

+ Heuristic Evaluation

Preferred Skills

+ Experience with Design Forecasting and Color Material Finish Trending, as well as proficiency in Adobe Cloud Suite. Familiarity with trend forecasting resources such as WGSN.

+ Understanding of project management software such as WorkFront, Jira, Fleetio, or other related systems.

Educational Requirements: 4 Year College Degree or equivalent experience (6-8 Years). UX Research Certificate, Human-centered design certificate, Data visualization certificate preferred.

Work Environment: Up to 10% travel, possibly internationally.

Compensation: The recruiting base salary range for this full-time position is $83,000 - $105,000 / year. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Additionally, this role is bonus-eligible, with a target bonus percentage that provides an opportunity to earn even more based on your performance. (Internal Job Grade: P3)

WHY JOIN US? In addition to competitive salary, Subaru offers an amazing benefits package that includes:

Total Rewards & Benefits:

+ Medical, Dental, Vision Plans

+ Pension, Profit Sharing, and 401K Match Offerings

+ 15 Vacation days, 5 Floating Holidays, 5 Sick days, and 9 Company Holidays

+ Tuition Reimbursement Program: $15,000 yearly benefit

+ Vehicle Discount Programs

Learning & Development:

+ Professional growth and development opportunities

+ Direct partnership with senior leadership

+ Formal Mentorship Program

+ LinkedIn Learning License

Visit our Careers landing page for additional information about our compensation and benefit programs.

About Subaru

Love. It’s what makes Subaru, Subaru®. As a leading auto brand in the US, we strive to be More Than a Car Company®. Subaru believes in being a positive force in the communities in which we live and work, not just with donations but with actions that set an example for others to follow. That’s what we call our Subaru Love Promise®.

Subaru is a globally renowned automobile manufacturer known for its commitment to innovation, safety, and sustainability. With a rich history dating back to 1953, Subaru has consistently pushed the boundaries of automotive engineering to deliver vehicles that offer not only exceptional performance but also a unique blend of utility and adventure.

Subaru's company culture is built on collaboration, diversity, and a shared passion for our product. We foster an inclusive environment that encourages employees to bring their unique perspectives and talents to the table. Our team members are driven by a common goal: to create exceptional vehicles that inspire and delight our customers.