Associate Product Manager

The Associate Product Manager is responsible for both product planning and product marketing.  Under the direction of the Product Manager this position will manage products throughout the product lifecycle, gathering and prioritizing product and customer requirements, and work closely with engineering, procurement, operations and program management to deliver winning products.  This individual will also work with sales, marketing, service and support to ensure revenue, profit and customer satisfaction goals are met.  The Associate Product Manager is also responsible for making sure that the product and marketing efforts support the company’s overall strategy and goals.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Set pricing to meet revenue, profitability and market share goals.
• Determine customer needs and desires by conducting or specifying the appropriate marketing research.
• Conduct pricing analysis and recommendations and monitor competitive activity to ensure we are competitive in the market.
• Assess product market data by calling on customers with field salespeople, actively participating in tradeshows and other customer-facing events and evaluating sales call results.
• Grow product line vitality through impactful new product development including, but not limited to:
  • Scope and define new product development projects, and actively participate in team tasks during development.
  • Lead product launch activities and drive sales by promoting products post launch.
• Monitor sales trends for key products and assist Planning with demand forecasts to maintain the optimum balance of achieving target service levels, while maintaining appropriate inventory levels.
• Develop the core positioning and messaging for their products.
• Support the development of marketing documents, technical publications, tradeshow displays, POP, photography, videos, website, training materials and other marketing assets.
• Conduct internal and external product trainings.
• Occasional time spent in a manufacturing environment that includes noise, heavy industrial equipment, and moving vehicles.
• Up to 25% travel including some weekends
• This position has no direct reports.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of two years of relevant experience in marketing, sales, operations, purchasing, or engineering.
• Experience in marketing products to the foodservice industry is a plus.
• Engineering experience is preferred but not required.
• Project Management experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field.
• Analytical - Synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data; designs work flows and procedures. Comfortable with a myriad of analytical tools and applications; capable of managing market research projects.

VOLLRATH'S CORE VALUES