Assistant Manager - Product Management Oleo Surfactants, Asia Pacific

We are a leading chemical company, with the best teams developing intelligent solutions for our customers, and for a sustainable future. We connect and develop people with diverse talents all over the world. For you, this means a variety of ways to progress. Not only your performance but also your personality matter to us, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, orientation, and background. At BASF, careers develop from opportunities . Main responsibilities 1. Market Intelligence & Business Steering Continuously monitor Fatty Alcohol, Lauric oils, Ethylene, Sulfur, Caustic Soda, Ammonia, Acetic Acid and Acrylonitrile Develop forward-looking market perspectives on pricing, supply-demand dynamics, competitor activities, customer trends, and macroeconomic developments. Identify opportunities and risks impacting profitability, competitiveness, and supply security. Act as an early-warning mechanism for market disruptions and emerging opportunities. Build strong networks with Procurement, suppliers, customers, and market participants to gather and validate market intelligence. Challenge assumptions, reconcile conflicting information, and provide objective market assessments. Develop alternative business scenarios and recommendations for Business Management team review. 2. Value Chain Optimization Continuously challenge and optimize the end-to-end value chain and supply chain to improve cost competitiveness and customer value. Conduct internal and external benchmarking analysis to identify improvement opportunities and competitiveness gaps. Collaborate closely with Raw Material Procurement, Packaging Procurement, Logistics, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain teams to improve value chain performance. Lead recommendations regarding strategic raw material sourcing decisions Drive initiatives that improve profitability, operational efficiency, customer competitiveness, and supply resilience. 3. Asset Profitability & Portfolio Management Manage and optimize profitability of Primary Surfactant and Co-Surfactant assets. Monitor monthly asset profitability and EBIT performance. Monitor product profitability, asset performance, and portfolio competitiveness. Conduct product level and asset-level benchmarking analysis. Support customer and product allocation decisions during bottleneck situations to maximize overall profitability. 4. Margin Management & Commercial Analytics Provide market intelligence and cost forecasts, pricing recommendations to support commercial decisions. Support the development and maintenance of pricing formulas, pricing rationale, and index correlation methodologies. Analyze cost structures, competitor activities, and value chain developments to identify profitability risks and opportunities Conduct monthly margin reviews and identify corrective actions where required Assess the impact of raw material cost movements and market dynamics on portfolio profitability. Support annual profitability reviews and Corporate Audit processes in collaboration with Finance, Business Management leadership, Business Analysts, and Product Management Head. Provide fact-based profitability analysis and recommendations to support commercial and portfolio decisions. Balance customer requirements, manufacturing constraints, and financial objectives. Lead quarterly Margin Management Meeting presentations, clearly communicating risks, opportunities, and recommendations to Sales teams and business management team. 5. Sales Enablement & Commercial Support Provide market insights, portfolio direction, and commercial guidance to Sales teams. Equip Sales teams with customer-relevant market intelligence and value propositions. Support bidding activities through profitability simulations and scenario analysis. Develop contingency plans to ensure sales continuity during supply disruptions and operational constraints. Support project follow-up and commercial opportunity development. Partner with Sales leadership to identify profitable growth opportunities and improve portfolio quality. Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Business Management, Science or a related discipline. Experience: At least 5 years of experience in Product Management, Supply Chain or a related function, with a proven track record of success in commodity or FMCG businesses. Skills: Strong analytical skills, ability to identify and capitalize on business opportunities, and sound decision-making in daily operations to meet customer expectations. Language: Proficiency in English. Work location Emporium office, Bangkok BASF has been present in Thailand for more than 50 years. The company offers a wide range of products and solutions to support almost all the key industries in the country, including Agricultural Solutions, Intermediates and Process Catalysts, Monomers, Petrochemicals, Coatings, Dispersions and Resins, Performance Chemicals, Care Chemicals, Nutrition and Health, and Performance Materials. BASF in Thailand was established in 1966 and maintains its head office in Bangkok. It operates three production sites in Samutprakarn, Chonburi and Rayong, an Automotive Coatings Technical Competence Center, and a Performance Materials Technical Development Center in Samutprakarn. In 2024, BASF posted sales of €531 million to customers in Thailand and had 623 employees as of the end of the year. Further information is available on .