Product Life-Cycle Section Manager

Overview of Company |

We are the Sales & Marketing Headquarters for Nissan in the UK. It is our aim to ensure that the Nissan brand and product portfolio are successfully communicated in order for us to maintain our strong presence in the UK marketplace. To do this, we ensure that we achieve excellence throughout our sales operations & distribution in the UK, and deliver on our customer promises. Our key functions are Aftersales, Marketing, Network Development & Customer Quality and Sales; finally, our support functions are integral in enabling everyone to deliver their overall strategies. All our employees have the opportunity to gain great autonomy, experience, and international exposure in our stimulating, diverse, and dynamic environment. Our continued success is driven by our ability to produce high quality vehicles, at a competitive and accessible value and we want you to join us in defining how we shape the future of innovation in mobility, connectivity and electrification.

Overview of Sales |

These teams ensure that we achieve excellence throughout our sales operations in the UK and deliver on our customer promises. Our teams of experts continually monitor activity and manage our sales and service delivery, to ensure that we are maximising our performance. We have over 150 dealers across the UK and work hand in hand with them to deliver success – through supporting new product tours, VIP promotional activities, and our dealer excellence programme – we create and sustain the Nissan marketplace of the future.

Overall Purpose of Role |

The Product Life-Cycle Manager is required to lead the strategy and analysis of vehicle residual values, ensuring optimal lifecycle profitability. This role is crucial in shaping vehicle pricing, lease terms, retail programmes and remarketing strategies while supporting key business decisions.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities |

• Residual Value Analysis:
• Monitor and forecast residual values for new and used vehicles.
• Monitor and forecast residual values for new and used vehicles for competitor brands and models, including best practice analysis.
• Analyse micro and macroeconomic trends and industry insights affecting vehicle depreciation.
• Work with residual value setters, leasing, finance and retailers to optimise residual values.
• Work with internal stakeholders at Nissan to optimise residual values within sales targets, throughout vehicle lifecycles, including fleet and retail sales and marketing departments.
• Strategy & Pricing:
• Develop RV strategies for new models, ensuring competitive retail and lease pricing and fleet optimisation.
• Advise on vehicle pricing, volume and channel mix strategies, taking into account future market conditions and depreciation trends.
• Data & Reporting:
• Use market intelligence tools and valuation datasets (e.g. Autotrader, CAP HPI) to assess future vehicle values.
• Provide regular RV performance reports and recommendations to senior management.
• Develop tools for vehicle depreciation and residual risk management.
• Manage the pricing and volume strategy for used car trade sales on a day-to-day basis.
• Stakeholder Management:
• Work closely with finance, sales, product, marketing and remarketing teams to align RV strategies with business objectives.
• Maintain strong relationships with external partners, including fleet and leasing companies, auction houses, retailers, public relations and residual value setters.
• Strong negotiation skills.

Critical Competencies

Industry Knowledge: Strong understanding of automotive finance, leasing, and remarketing processes.

Analytical Skills: Experience with data analysis, forecasting, and valuation tools.

Market Awareness: In-depth knowledge of UK automotive trends, residual value history, and economic impacts on RVs.

Commercial Acumen: Ability to balance risk and profitability in setting RV strategies.

Communication Skills: Comfortable presenting data-driven insights to senior stakeholders internally and industry bodies/customers externally.

Experience: Background in RV analysis, pricing, leasing and remarketing within the automotive industry within an OEM, fleet/leasing/finance company or residual value setter environment. is highly desirable

Technical Skills

• Proficient in Microsoft Office package, in particular in Excel and Powerpoint
• Knowledge of dealer network operations

Mandatory Previous Experience

• People or Supplier Management experience
• Project work

Mandatory Previous Position/ Rotation

• Dealer facing field position or dealer sales experience

Desirable Previous Position/ Rotation

• Used Cars
• Marketing / Website Development
• Sales Operations

Preparation for role/ proactive tasks

• Shadow UCPM Field Team and attend performance review
• Spend time in Dealers - particularly Sales / Used Car Dept.
• Review Nissan Intelligent Choice website and benchmark competition – both OEM sites and Autotrader, HeyCar, Cazoo etc
• Shadow Used Car Manager at marketing agency and Modix website development meetings
• Meet with RCI on Used Car Finance offers

Maple Cross Hertfordshire United Kingdom