Company Overview
At Mara Renewables Corporation (Mara), we exist to re-engineer nature’s pantry, reimagine human nutrition, and revitalize wellness and the environment. We believe there has never been a more critical need to evolve health ingredients for human nutrition and related industries using the power of science and nature to build a more sustainable and healthier world.
Mara’s remarkable journey has transformed us from a research & development startup into a global leader within the microalgal (precision fermentation) omega-3 oil industry, encompassing pivotal sectors such as food, beverage, and infant nutrition. Our commitment to commercializing our unique patent-protected technologies, coupled with the expertise of our diverse and exceptionally talented team, has been the driving force behind our success.
Role Overview
The Global Product Manager owns the global product portfolio strategy, commercial performance, and lifecycle management for Mara’s products. This role acts as the enterprise owner of product value/value proposition, product governance and profitability oversight, translating market, customer, and scientific insight into products with the properties and attributes demanded by our customers and consumers. Operating with high visibility and influence, this role partners closely with executive leadership and all functional groups to drive both near term and long-term profitable growth.
This role does not have direct people management responsibility and operates as a senior individual contributor.
Reporting Line
This role reports to the Head of Corporate Development and works closely with the executive leadership team to shape portfolio strategy, product investments, and long-term product growth priorities.
What You’ll Do
Product Strategy & Portfolio Leadership
- Define and lead Mara’s global product management strategy and multi-year roadmap across product platforms.
- Own global product portfolio performance, including competitiveness, and lifecycle decisions.
- Lead portfolio investment prioritization in partnership with Corporate Development and the sales organization, including making recommendations for investing in, optimizing, or discontinuing products.
- Ensure product strategies align with market needs, manufacturing capabilities, regulatory requirements, and financial objectives
Customer, Market & Competitive Leadership
- Engage with strategic customers and co-development partners alongside commercial teams.
- Build deep understanding of customer needs, applications, and unmet requirements across key market segments.
- Own global market and competitive intelligence, translating insights into differentiated value propositions and product strategies.
- Represent Mara at industry conferences, trade shows, and customer forums to stay ahead of market and technology trends.
Product Financial Governance
- Own global product cost models and oversee cost performance in collaboration with Operations and Finance.
- Establish and govern global pricing methodologies, frameworks, and approval processes.
- Ensure regional adherence to pricing guidance; assess pricing deviations and escalate approvals as required.
- Monitor pricing competitiveness and margin performance and recommend corrective actions as needed.
- Provide executive-level insights on portfolio financial health and performance.
Product Lifecycle & Commercial Enablement
- Lead the full product lifecycle from concept and development through commercialization, optimization, and phase-out.
- Partner with operations to translate customer and market insight into clear product characteristics and to review and approve project designs.
- Ensure new product launches are market-ready with strong value propositions, pricing, and marketing collateral.
- Partner with Marketing and Business Development to enable value-based selling and reduce portfolio commoditization.
Cross-Functional Product Leadership
- Influence and align cross-functional teams including R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Quality, Finance, Marketing, and Business Development.
- Act as the primary product advisor to Corporate Development and executive leadership on growth initiatives, customer opportunities, and portfolio trade-offs.
- Communicate portfolio strategy, pipeline status, and market insights to senior stakeholders on a regular basis.
Thought Leadership & Industry Presence
- Build and maintain deep knowledge of scientific developments and competitive dynamics within nutrition and health markets.
- Serve as a thought leader internally and externally through industry engagement, conferences, and customer interactions.
- Drive the development of internal market intelligence and insights to inform leadership decision-making.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree, preferably in business, marketing, nutrition or food science
- MBA or other advanced degree is an asset but not required
- Chemistry, engineering or technical background in omega-3 oils or other bulk nutritional ingredients is also an asset
Experience
- 8+ years of relevant experience in product management including demonstrated experience in managing products through their commercial life cycle including market assessment, positioning, pricing, portfolio decisions, product changes, and end-of-life decisions
- Experience in commercial management, business development and technical sales in nutritional ingredients, food ingredients, dietary supplements is
- strongly preferred
- Familiarity with regulatory, quality, specification, claims and documentation in the bulk nutritional products market is also strongly preferred
- Experience in working with B2B customers
- Experience in developing business cases, pricing strategies, margin analysis and volume forecasts
- Experience in working with internal and external stakeholders around the world; understanding of the practical differences among global markets
- Experience managing stage gate based new product development programs
Specific Skills
- Market intelligence: Can assess market size, growth, customer needs, competitors, substitutes, pricing, regulatory developments, and emerging applications and turn that information into decisions.
- Pricing and profitability: Comfortable analyzing costs, contribution margins, price structures, customer economics, and the financial impact of commercial decisions.
- Customer orientation: Understands how ingredient customers formulate, qualify suppliers, conduct trials, manage regulatory requirements, and make purchasing decisions.
- Cross-functional leadership: Able to lead initiatives involving sales, R&D, regulatory, quality, operations, procurement, finance, and senior management without necessarily having direct authority over those functions.
- Data and analytical skills: Strong financial-analysis skills, with the ability to work with sales, margin, pricing, forecast, market, and customer data.
- Communication: Can explain scientific, technical, and commercial issues clearly to customers, sales teams, technical personnel, and executives.
- Global effectiveness: Comfortable working across cultures, time zones, functions, and geographies and capable of balancing global product strategy with regional commercial realities.
- Practical ownership mentality: Ability to move between strategy and execution.
What We Offer
Mara is proud to offer a competitive salary and benefits package, including but not limited to:
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plan
- Employee & Family Assistance Program
- RRSP matching program
- Health care spending account
- Physical Wellness Reimbursement Plan
At Mara we value diversity, equity, and inclusion. We strongly encourage applications from all qualified candidates, including persons who identify as racially visible, Indigenous, persons with disabilities, women in underrepresented roles and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Mara supports candidates and employees with access and accommodation needs.
