Associate Product Manager

The primary responsibilities of this role are to grow the assigned products or product lines through the administration and coordination of a variety of marketing functions and projects while maintaining a cooperative relationship with internal and external customers.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Grow and manage assigned products, product lines and projects within the category. 
• Research, recommend and launch new products to meet company growth goals by participating and interacting with various cross functional teams and departments. 
• Write and submit appropriate documentation to initiate new product efforts. 
• Recommend strategies for the profitable management of assigned products or lines including product positioning, pricing, forecasting, cost reductions, product updates and/or obsolescence. 
• Assist in the development of 3 year product line plans. 
• Support the activities of the Product or Senior Product Manager including financial and competitive analysis. 
• Coordinate the initial stages in the development of new innovative products including market research, engineering & manufacturing analysis, purchasing and related financial aspects involved in successfully bringing new products to market. 
• Conduct secondary market research and competitive analysis through data collection from numerous sources including the web, competitive literature, trade journals, trade associations and industry data, internal sales data and financial reports. 
• Make recommendations for primary research including surveys and focus groups. 
• Perform end user interviews, job site visits and field testing. 
• Provide customer input throughout the new product development process. 
• Maintain an up-to-date database of competitive & market information including product catalogs, price lists, current promotions, new product introductions and regulatory issues. 
• Attend trade shows, seminars and other industry events as necessary to stay abreast of market and industry trends. 
• Interact with distributors, field sales and end-users to seek opportunities for new products, packaging, merchandising and their successful placement within channels of distribution. 
• Draft launch materials for assigned products including product sell sheets, bulletins, product specific merchandising, web site copy and various sales support materials as needed. 
• Work closely with advertising and channel management to recommend appropriate programs and promotions to achieve a successful new product launch and overall product line growth. 
• Provide sales training as appropriate to effectively convey new product features and benefits. 
• Work closely with strong, technical project leaders and engineers. 
• Perform other related duties as required and assigned.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration or related area plus a minimum of 2-4 years experience in a sales, marketing, or new product development role. 
• Continuing education toward and advanced degree is preferred. 
• Strong communication skills, persuasive, and able to effectively communicate ideas. 
• Ability to travel 30-50% of the time. 
• Proficiency in PC skills including MS Office and Internet usage is required.