Product Specialist

Spectrum Control•Ann Arbor, MI

19d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Product Specialist supports the commercial success and lifecycle management of assigned PowerFilm surface mount chip attenuators and Passive Coaxial RF (Radio Frequency) product lines and related components by serving as the primary liaison between customers and internal cross-functional teams. This role develops product pricing strategies, prepares sales quotations, analyzes and sets standard and distribution pricing, utilizes ChatGPT to assist with market analysis, manages custom and derivative product requests from initial inquiry to order, supports new product introduction (NPI) activities, collaborates and helps steer the sales growth funnel, completes product margin analysis, and coordinates product lifecycle initiatives while ensuring alignment with business objectives. Working closely with Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Sales, the Product Specialist answers information requests, monitors market activity, and engages in customer communications. They collaborate with engineering on new programs to provide a conduit of information to the customers for on-going progress and work as part of a team to prepare special projects for data analysis and corporate reporting.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a STEM, business, accounting or similar degree strongly preferred, or Associate or technical school degree or lesser level of education with strong relevant experience may be substituted for education.
4 years of experience in Customer Service or Inside Sales in a technical manufacturing environment (preferably electronics industry), Sales Engineering, Application Engineering or related experience strongly preferred. Other experiences to be considered include production planning, purchasing, demand planning, SIOP planning, and data analysis.
Demonstrated experience with Microsoft 365 Suite.
Experience using a CRM platform. Salesforce experience preferred.
Experience preparing manufactured product sales quotations including developing pricing strategies by looking at past pricing practices and planning for multiple year programs is a strong plus.
Working knowledge of Power BI analytics platform or similar system including the ability to export data into Excel for further analysis.
Understanding of manufacturing operations, preferably in the electronics industry.
Strong interpersonal skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Experience working in a fast-paced environment.
Experience using ERP systems for MRP queries, stock levels, multi-level BOM’s, bill of operations / routers, lead times, sales orders, etc.

Nice To Haves

Salesforce experience preferred.
Experience preparing manufactured product sales quotations including developing pricing strategies by looking at past pricing practices and planning for multiple year programs is a strong plus.
Working knowledge of Power BI analytics platform or similar system including the ability to export data into Excel for further analysis.
Understanding of manufacturing operations, preferably in the electronics industry.

Responsibilities

Prepare sales quotations for Passive Coaxial and PowerFilm RF electronic component products by analyzing and verifying product material and manufacturing costs.
Develop pricing strategies that meet business unit financial performance commitments while supporting growing sales and strengthening customer relationships.
Implement pricing strategy for repeat business to achieve AOP goals.
Maintain and update price list for distribution and private label prices to achieve AOP goals.
Coordinate project activities for derivative and custom design opportunities from start to finish and provide oversight to engineering, purchasing, and operations.
Prepare and communicate quote approval justifications for high value sales quotations.
Coordinate the timely review of revised engineering and quality documents to ensure adherence to quality system requirements.
Coordinate with engineering, operations, and planning to verify accuracy and completeness of Bills of Materials (BOM) and communicate any obsolescence issues to appropriate key stakeholders.
Synchronize customer responses for product life cycle management (product and SKU rationalization).
Identify and communicate concerns related to compliance requirements of products.
Benchmark competition, monitor performance, support NPI projects, use ChatGPT to identify new products and ways to gain market share of existing RF products.
Collaborate with the marketing team on projects related to website updates, search engine optimization, product literature, data sheets, and white papers.
Provide interim coverage for Product Line Manager responsibilities during planned or unplanned absences.