Associate Product Manager - Hybrid

ZAH Group•Lincolnshire, IL

1d•$73,000 - $92,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Product Manager develops and executes product strategy plans, including three-year life-cycle plans, aligned with the company's selling tactics, distribution channels, strategy, and financial goals for large-volume, strategically important product categories. The role ensures timely execution of marketing plans, communicates critical information, and supplies market and product data, analysis, and recommendations. It requires understanding competitive product lines and explaining product features and benefits through compelling selling stories, as well as using tactical business drivers to meet financial objectives. The position develops short- and long-term growth and profit plans, prepares and achieves annual plans for major product lines, and recommends opportunities for product improvements, line additions, new markets, merchandising, promotions, and other growth. It maintains portfolio strategies and three-year product life-cycle plans covering launches, modifications, promotions, and discontinuations. The role also provides direction for marketing-plan execution, collaborates across functions, mentors less experienced product-management personnel, and serves as an expert on product performance, functionality, pricing, packaging, merchandising, and value propositions. The Product Manager gathers market information through interaction with salespeople, distributors, and end users, conducts research as needed, and spends 10% of working time in the field documenting customer-learning activities. The role provides monthly narratives on major product-line performance against plan and recommends corrective actions and growth opportunities. International travel is required as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business or a related technical field and relevant product-management experience, or an alternative combination of product-management and other relevant business experience. The posting states 'five (3) years' in both experience descriptions.
Knowledge of managing budgets, forecasts, and business plans to achieve financial objectives.
Knowledge of identifying and justifying growth opportunities, launching new product lines, and working with a stage-gate development process.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word.
Ability to understand basic financial calculations and simple market-research techniques.
Ability to implement basic marketing activities, including PR, advertising, promotions, POP, and packaging.
Ability to develop strategic plans involving pricing strategy, brand positioning, and competitive analysis with limited assistance.
Exposure to various manufacturing and sourcing supply chains.
Basic project-management proficiency.
Ability to be an effective team player who takes initiative and ownership and can influence cross-functional teams.
Willingness and ability to travel internationally as needed.

Responsibilities

Develop short- and long-term product plans to deliver growth and profit performance aligned with organizational goals.
Prepare annual plans for each major product line and be responsible for achieving those plans.
Provide strategic, specific, and targeted growth recommendations based on competitive conditions, internal capabilities, and potential new capabilities.
Identify, evaluate, and prioritize product improvements, product-line additions, new markets, merchandising improvements, promotions, and other growth opportunities.
Maintain product-line portfolio strategies and three-year life-cycle plans covering new launches, modifications, promotions, and end-of-life discontinuations.
Direct and ensure timely execution of marketing plans, including product launches, modifications, and promotions.
Lead and collaborate with cross-functional teams and internal departments; encourage communication and maintain effective working relationships.
Mentor less experienced Product Management personnel.
Build market and end-user expertise through interaction with salespeople, distributors, and end users; collect and maintain market information and conduct research as needed.
Spend 10% of working time in the field and document where and how that time is spent learning about customer needs.
Serve as the product expert on performance, functionality, pricing, packaging, merchandising, and value propositions for internal and external customers.
Provide product-related assistance to other company areas as needed.
Provide monthly narratives on major product-line performance against plan, focusing on significant variances, corrective actions, and recommendations for growth.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Travel internationally as needed.