MANAGER, PLM & PRODUCT DATA

THE ROLE 

Gorilla Commerce is seeking a Manager, PLM & Product Data to serve as the business owner and super-user of the company's PLM platform. 

Gorilla Commerce has successfully implemented PLM as the system of record for product specifications, BOMs, materials, suppliers and costing, and the platform is live across the sourcing organization. This role owns it from here — closing the residual data gaps that follow any implementation, raising the standard of governance, and maturing the platform through its next phases of capability. 

The scope is broad but well supported. Sourcing teams own day-to-day data entry and maintenance following go-live. A dedicated analyst supports bulk uploads, reconciliation and heavy data work. IT leads the technical build of the PLM–ERP integration. This role sets the standards, makes the system decisions, and directs the work. 

There is genuine white space here. An 18-month roadmap is defined — stronger specification and BOM structure, packaging and artwork governance, warning-label and claims data — and the person in this role will shape how it is prioritized, sequenced and delivered. 

The role can be based globally and works core US Eastern hours to stay aligned with the VP and the wider team, with some flexibility for Asia-based sourcing partners. 

This is not a data-entry or system-administration role. It is a product-data ownership role focused on structure, governance, adoption and system maturity. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO 

System Ownership & Configuration 

• Own the day-to-day health, configuration and evolution of the PLM platform. 

• Act as the internal authority on how PLM should be structured and used across parent and SKU hierarchy, specifications, BOMs, materials, supplier and factory records, quotes and costing. 

• Determine whether an issue is best solved through configuration, data architecture, process design or vendor development. 

• Own integration keys and mappings between PLM and the ERP. 

Product Data Governance & Integrity 

• Own product data quality as an ongoing discipline rather than a periodic cleanup. 

• Establish validation standards, naming conventions and audit routines that prevent errors upstream. 

• Reconcile PLM against ERP master data and resolve discrepancies at root cause. 

• Close residual implementation gaps across product hierarchy, suppliers and factories, BOMs, color/size and supplier quote data. 

Workflow, Change & Version Control 

• Design and govern state models, approval workflows and revision control. 

• Define how specification and BOM changes are requested, approved, tested and released. 

• Assess downstream impact of data and configuration changes before release. 

• Establish clear decision rights across this role, functional owners, IT and leadership. 

Adoption, Training & Process Discipline 

• Drive adoption across a distributed sourcing organization as a core deliverable of the role. 

• Build and maintain SOPs, training materials and onboarding for new users. 

• Move remaining product workflows off spreadsheets and email and into PLM. 

• Identify recurring process failures and resolve the root cause rather than the symptom. 

Vendor Partnership & Roadmap 

• Own the day-to-day relationship with the PLM software vendor. 

• Manage tickets, requirements, testing and feature scoping independently, escalating commercial matters to the VP. 

• Own the business-side PLM roadmap and translate business needs into practical system and process solutions. 

• Sequence future capability including deeper Level 2 and 3 BOM structure, packaging governance and claims data. 

Integration Support 

• Support the IT-led PLM–ERP integration through requirements definition, mapping validation and UAT. 

• Diagnose whether issues originate in source data, PLM configuration, integration logic or the ERP. 

• Keep integration keys complete and accurate across all active SKUs. 

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS 

Required 

• 5+ years in PLM, product data management or product operations, including direct ownership of a PLM or comparable product-data platform. 

• Strong grasp of product hierarchy, multi-level BOMs, specifications and revision management. 

• Experience maintaining product data integrity against an ERP, including reconciliation and integration keys. 

• Experience designing or governing approval workflows and version control. 

• Advanced Excel and confident handling of large product datasets. 

• Excellent written and verbal English. 

Preferred 

• Experience through a PLM implementation or major system rollout. 

• Vendor management experience with software providers. 

• Experience in Centric PLM would be a plus. 

• Familiarity with REST APIs, integration mapping and UAT. 

• Python, SQL or Power Query for data reconciliation and automation. 

• Exposure to packaging, artwork or compliance documentation data. 

• Background in consumer products, retail, sourcing, manufacturing, apparel, footwear or hardlines. 

Competencies 

• High ownership and accountability 

• Strong systems and structured-data thinking 

• Comfortable acting as a data gatekeeper 

• Independent problem solver — brings recommendations, not questions 

• Clear communicator across time zones and functions 

• Builds processes and standards that scale 

WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS 

• PLM is live, but no single person owns its structure, standards and evolution. 

• Product data underpins sourcing, costing, compliance, quality and planning. 

• Residual implementation gaps need closing — and preventing. 

• Adoption determines whether the platform delivers its value. 

• This role exists to own PLM end to end, raise data standards, drive adoption and deliver the roadmap.