Associate Product Manager

Ascentek • Golden Valley, MN

1d • $70,000 - $90,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Ascentek produces high-performance lubricants and fluids for today’s world leaders in powersports, outdoor power equipment, industrial, marine and heavy equipment engine manufacturing, as well as customers in automotive, fleet and manufacturing-use settings. At Ascentek, our Product Management team is responsible for the 4Ps (product, price, place, promotion) of the lubricants, fluids, hard parts and services that support those customers, with our products at the center of what we do.

The Associate Product Manager (APM) will drive and influence product strategies directly with their customer(s) based on applicable economic, market and product trends. The APM will perform analysis and follow-up on: account performance (e.g., on-time ship, product line performance) and costing/pricing to maximize company revenue and profitability. The APM is responsible for the commercialization of new products, changes to existing products as well as managing a broad range of both customer-facing and internal continuous improvement projects.

Requirements

• 4-year degree with a focus in marketing, product management or related field
• 3-5+ years related job experience; emphasis in project/product management a plus
• Requires the ability to use a personal computer and is proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel (minimum intermediate), Word and PowerPoint
• Experience with ERP systems preferred
• Valid driver’s license
• Demonstrated self-starter who can work independently and has the ability to lead without authority
• High degree of self-accountability, punctuality, accuracy and reliability
• Works well in ambiguous situations with the competency to develop and improve processes
• Requires excellent oral and written communication skills to effectively communicate throughout the organization, with customers and with other external business contacts
• Requires comprehensive analytical skills
• Requires strong attention to detail and organizational skills
• The employee is frequently required to sit, stand, talk and/or hear or use hands, handle, or touch objects, tools or controls.
• The employee must occasionally lift and and/or move up to 40 pounds while moving actual products, files or small packages.
• The employee must have sound mental reasoning and decision making as recommendations of action based on analysis of mathematical data, complex processes & procedures and narratives are an integral element of this position.

Nice To Haves

• emphasis in project/product management a plus
• Experience with ERP systems preferred

Responsibilities

• Maintains a high-level of knowledge within the lubricants/fluids, equipment/hard parts and/or services area for their assigned segment(s); potential segment assignments include: Automotive, Fleet, Heavy Duty/Agriculture and Outdoor Power Equipment, Industrial, Specialty, Chemicals, Environmental and Hard Parts, Powersports and Marine
• Builds/maintains key customer relationships while investigating/facilitating new opportunities within their businesses
• Analyzes and ensures adherence to segment KPIs, including margin targets (via ownership of cost and pricing management), on-time ship goals (while partnering with sales, SIOP and operations), product line performance (through thoughtful product lifecycle management), etc.
• Supports account- and segment-specific projects such as new fluid development, product marketing, training, category management, channel & competitive analysis, etc.
• Builds and owns the business case for new product opportunities based on market and customer intel including sales volumes, pricing, profitability and go-to-market strategy
• Directly owns the development of these opportunities and/or works alongside development with Product Management Specialists
• Works cross-functionally with internal departments (e.g., Sales, Supply Chain, Marketing) to manage the product lifecycle and achieve business objectives
• Makes proposals to national and regional teams and/or customer base to enhance product offerings based on industry/market knowledge and respective customer business models
• Manages slow-moving and obsolete inventory in partnership with National / Regional Sales Teams and Product Management Team, including runout plans and product disposal submissions
• Proposes and implements improvements to Product Management Team processes and procedures
• Leads, influences and/or strategically navigates enterprise-level projects and initiatives that may or may not be directly tied to the operations of the Product Management team
• Acts as the subject matter expert (SME)/owner of select core processes (e.g., commercialization, inventory management, pricing, etc.) and owns their overall performance and continuous improvement
• Must be able to travel to customer and industry specific events via air or ground transportation; travel up to 5% of time
• Other duties as requested

Benefits

• Medical Plan options, including fertility coverage and free mental health and telehealth coverage
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• FSA/HSA options
• Paid parental leave
• Company-provided short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance
• Supplemental Insurances, including accident, critical illness, hospital, and supplemental life insurance
• 401(k) with a generous company match
• Pet Insurance Benefits
• Tuition reimbursement
• 21 Paid Days Off
• 7 Paid Holidays
• Short-term Incentive Plan (STIP), ask your Talent Partner for details
• Dress For Your Day (casual dress environment)
• Paid comprehensive on-the-job training
• Company phone provided
• Company computer provided
• Career advancement opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level