Pricing Specialist

General Summary

The Pricing Specialist supports the development of pricing strategies for current and future products. Reporting to the Senior Pricing and Revenue Manager, this position collaborates with Product Planning, KUS Finance, and Kia HQ to ensure pricing recommendations reflect current market conditions and align with corporate sales and profitability objectives. The role conducts market research and competitive price-positioning analyses and translates findings into clear, data-driven pricing proposals for executive review

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Priority One – 35%
  • • Analyze, validate, and communicate vehicle price-value competitiveness (PVC) findings to executive decision-makers and PPD managers.
• Priority Two – 35%
  • • Prepare analyses and supporting materials for vehicle pricing proposals.
• Priority Three – 15%
  • • Conduct recurring and ad hoc market analyses and present actionable findings to management.
• Priority Four – 15%
  • • Support port-installed option (PIO) pricing and competitive reviews in coordination with the Product Pricing Analyst.

Personally Performed Duties

• Lead price-value competitiveness (PVC) analysis, a key executive decision-support tool used to evaluate in-market price positioning and pricing recommendations. Responsibilities Tasks include analyzing the KHQ Feature Value Set and accurately mapping applicable features to Auto Planner.
• Collaborate with Senior Pricing and Revenue Manager and Product Planning colleagues to develop pricing strategies that appropriately balance Kia NA, KUS, and Kia HQ sales and profitability objectives. Support the preparation of pricing proposals, including EAD development and FOB validation for pricing proposals.
• Monitor competitive actions, quantitatively assess Kia vehicle competitiveness, and develop recommendations in response to changing market conditions. Prepare weekly reports on competitor pricing actions and their impact.
• Coordinate with Product Planning managersand relevant Kia HQ and KUS departments to validate product proposal details, assess cost, pricing, and profitability implications, and translate findings into executive-ready pricing materials. This responsibility applies at launch and throughout the vehicle development cycle.
• Maintain cross-carline summaries of destination and handling (D&H) charges, dealer margins, and premium paint and interior pricing, and develop mix recommendations based on sales performance, competitive pricing, and overall profitability targets.
• Contribute to departmental efforts to estimate the market value of individual vehicle features and prepare periodic recommendations to establish values for consistent application across the global Kia organization.
• Collaborate with Kia HQ, KaGA, and KMX sales and finance teams to collect and validate vehicle cost and feature-application data.
• Support port-installed options (PIO) pricing and competitive reviews in coordination with the Product Pricing Analyst.
• Support ad-hoc projects and perform other duties as assigned by Product Planning management.

Qualifications/Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required
• Master’s degree preferred

Job Requirement

• Five or more years of experience in automotive product planning, operations, market research, or a related field is required.
• Prior pricing or product planning experience is preferred.
• Three or more years of experience analyzing large, complex data sets is preferred.
• Experience conducting industry, consumer, and technical analyses is preferred..
• Experience developing clear, executive-ready presentation materials is preferred..
• Demonstrated interest in the automotive industry; prior pricing or product planning experience is preferred.

Specialized Skills and Knowledge Required

• Strong attention to detail, with advanced analytical and quantitative skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; familiarity with SAP, AutoPlanner, JATO, J.D. Power PIN, and Motor Intelligence is preferred.
• Creative and practical problem-solving abilities.
• Strong program coordination and organizational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex analyses clearly to diverse audiences.
• Physical Requirements: frequent sitting with occasional walking.
• Travel of up to 5% may be required.
• Ability to work additional hours outside normal business hours, including weekends and/or holidays, as business needs require. Job demands may include reading (documents), detailed work, confidentiality, problem solving, language, reasoning skills, oral communication, written communication, customer contact, ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, vendors, and other employees, multiple concurrent tasks, ability to work with constant interruptions, etc.
• Must be able to maintain focus and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to analyze information and make sound decisions under time constraints.
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently
• Must be able to respond to challenges with poise and agility.
• Ability to handle competing priorities effectively and with composure.