Refinish Americas Business Strategy & Marketing Director

The Refinish Americas Business Strategy & Marketing Director combines strategic planning, product management, marketing operations, and business development to support the successful execution of regional and global objectives. Working closely with both local and global leadership teams, this individual will lead key growth initiatives, business transformation activities and commercial programs while ensuring alignment between business strategy, customer needs and market opportunities — with a strong emphasis on digital transformation, customer engagement, business simplification and data-driven decision-making. This position resides in Pittsburgh, Pa in our General Office, working Monday – Thursday in the office with Friday being a flex day.

Responsibilities :

Strategy, Growth & Program Management:

The primary driver behind the development and execution of the Automotive Refinish strategic plan, ensuring alignment with regional and global business objectives as well as translating it into growth priorities and investment roadmaps.

Lead the annual strategy process, including market assessments, strategic reviews, growth planning and the development of recommendations and materials for regional and executive leadership teams.

Identify, evaluate, and prioritize growth opportunities across customers, products, segments, channels, and geographic markets — with a specific focus on Collision (premium, mid-tier/value), Allied Products, Commercial Transport (CT) and Light Industrial Coatings (LIC).

Develop strategies to strengthen market leadership, protect core segments, and accelerate share growth in targeted markets, while leading strategic scenario planning and risk assessments to anticipate market disruptions, competitive threats, regulatory changes, and emerging technologies.

Deliver business goals and strategic priorities in alignment with Global Marketing, Regional Leadership, and commercial teams while ensuring effective deployment of resources and alignment of regional growth initiatives.

Lead strategic project and program management initiatives across the region, ensuring effective prioritization, governance, execution excellence, and measurable business outcomes.

Lead strategic growth initiatives, including investments, partnerships, distribution expansion opportunities, and the development of key customer growth proposals.

Play a key role in acquisitions and partnerships.  Lead the process of regional target identification and pipeline management. Collaborate closely with the Director, Strategic Initiatives on the valuation process, development of business cases, due diligence support, and execution of approved initiatives.

Provide expertise, strategic insight, and operational support on key regional business transformation programs, including the evaluation and redesign of go-to-market strategies, commercial models and operating approaches to improve business performance and competitiveness.

Product Management, Portfolio Strategy & Profitability

Oversee the regional product management agenda, including segment strategy, portfolio optimization, pricing, lifecycle management and the successful commercialization of new products and technologies.

Drive gross margin expansion through pricing excellence, mix optimization, MSO product catalog management, portfolio rationalization, and manufacturing effectiveness by product line.

Lead portfolio strategy and MSO product catalog governance to optimize product standardization, drive technology adoption, reduce complexity, and strengthen long-term strategic customer partnerships.

Champion business simplification and productivity initiatives through portfolio optimization, process improvement, data-driven decision making, and resource prioritization.

Drive the innovation and new product development roadmap in partnership with Commercial, Technology and Operations teams, ensuring alignment with customer needs, market opportunities, and strategic priorities.

Track and optimize new product sales as a key indicator of portfolio health and innovation pipeline effectiveness.

Marketing, Digital & Customer Engagement

Lead the development and execution of the regional marketing and brand strategy, ensuring clear market positioning, differentiated value propositions and effective customer engagement across all channels.

Define customer segmentation and value pool strategies to guide differentiated investments across MSOs, distributors, collision centers, and emerging opportunities.

Establish and oversee the operational marketing agenda, including annual planning, campaign execution, resource allocation, performance measurement, and continuous improvement of marketing effectiveness.

Drive digital tool adoption and customer engagement, leveraging global, regional, and local market dynamics and resources to accelerate volume growth.

Support sales leadership, strategic distributors, and key accounts including MSOs by developing differentiated value propositions, commercial programs, and growth strategies that drive customer loyalty and profitable growth.

Lead market intelligence, customer insight, and competitive analysis activities to identify emerging trends, market opportunities and potential risks while supporting data-driven decision-making.

Represent Americas priorities in global strategic planning and influence innovation, portfolio, and investment decisions, as well as represent the voice of local distribution and end users, ensuring their expectations and opportunities are embedded in strategic and marketing planning.

Team Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

Lead a high-performing organization responsible for Technical & Training, Product Management, Digital Color & Services, Business Solutions, and Data Management to enhance customer experience, accelerate digital transformation, and improve organizational effectiveness.

Prioritize strategic investments and optimize marketing, commercial and innovation resources to maximize long-term value creation.

Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement while developing organizational capabilities that enable long-term business success.

Ensure successful execution of key strategic projects through effective cross-functional leadership, stakeholder alignment, and performance management.

Build capabilities that support future growth, including digital commercialization, advanced analytics, strategic account management, and innovation adoption.

Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on business strategy, growth, and marketing priorities.

Drive productivity through effective optimization of global resources and local requirements, ensuring strong ROI on investments.

Qualifications:

Minimum of 10 years of experience in strategy, marketing, business development, commercial leadership or related roles within industrial, manufacturing, coatings or B2B environments.

Proven ability to develop and execute business strategies that deliver sustainable volume growth, increased profitability, and enhanced market position.

Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities, with experience evaluating market opportunities, business performance, and investment priorities.

Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders across multiple functions and regions.

Strong practical understanding of commercial planning, market analysis, customer segmentation, route-to-market strategies, and marketing effectiveness.

Experience in gross margin management, pricing strategy, portfolio rationalization, and product catalog governance within a B2B or industrial environment

U.S. Citizens, Green Card holders, and political asylees or refugees are eligible to apply.

About us:

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD ®

Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com and follow @PPG on X.

The PPG Way 2030

We are customer champions

Proactive. Bold. Trustworthy. Everything we do starts with our customers. We listen, move fast and don’t stop until we solve their biggest challenges. When our customers win, we all grow.

We act with purpose and speed

Agile. Data-driven. Empowered. We take smart risks to stay ahead of the competition. We work proactively with agility, using quality data to develop solutions that create value.

We are excellent operators

Productive. Collaborative. Accountable. No matter our role, we identify problems, take ownership and always bring solutions. We are both proactive and responsive to drive continuous improvement and deliver results. We support our frontline, the faces of PPG to our customers.

We compete to win

Future-focused. Driven. Ambitious. We are passionate about growing our business and winning with our customers. We deliver results, embrace new technologies and leverage agility and speed as strengths.

We are PPG proud

Strong. United. Passionate. We work safely, act with integrity and value our diverse perspectives. We celebrate achievements and take pride in the positive impact we create together to protect and beautify the world.

At PPG we use AI in the hiring process to make the process more efficient. AI tools do not make hiring decisions. You can learn more by going to     https://careers.ppg.com/us/en/candidate-resources .

PPG provides equal opportunity to all candidates and employees. We offer an opportunity to grow and develop your career in an environment that provides a fulfilling workplace for employees, creates an environment for continuous learning, and embraces the ideas and diversity of others. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, pregnancy, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability status, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

If you need an adjustment due to a disability, please email [email protected].

PPG pay ranges and benefits can vary by location which allows us to compensate employees competitively in different geographic markets. PPG considers several factors in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, qualifications and education, licensure and certifications, and other organizational needs. Other incentives may apply.  
Our employee benefits programs are designed to support the health and well-being of our employees. Any insurance coverages and benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.  Benefits will be discussed with you by your recruiter during the hiring process.

PPG values your feedback on our recruiting process. We encourage you to visit Glassdoor.com and provide feedback on the process ,  so that we can do better today than yesterday.