Product Manager
Job Overview
This Product Management role is essential to developing and improving Buckhorn’s product portfolio to support continued growth and success. The candidate must have the technical expertise to understand product development in an injection-molding environment and engineering’s role in the process. Success requires a highly organized, management-focused professional who can manage multiple projects and understand production and manufacturing costs.
This position collaborates across marketing, sales, customer service, branch operations, manufacturing, and procurement. Key responsibilities include leading the product portfolio and/or company-wide commercialization process; chairing the Product Review Meeting within Sales & Operations Planning; managing key Sales & Marketing performance indicators, commercialization stage-gate metrics, and project delivery statistics; and actively participating in the overall Sales & Operations Planning process.
Duties and Responsibilities
Define the product strategy & development roadmap
Lead and manage the Product Engineering Team
Establish baseline internal production costs
Define optimal product mix with Marketing Manager
Lead periodical product portfolio reviews (ABCxyz and profitability analyses) to determine SKU rationalization
Assess competitive challenges and deliver clear strategic recommendations
Deliver product cost reduction opportunities
Support Marketing with Competitor Intelligence
Work with internal and external SME’s to scope, design, test and deliver product solutions
Work with sales, customer service and operations to review and refine customer service policies consistent with market expectation and business capabilities
Create and maintain the by-SKU Phase-In/Phase-Out plan
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Ability to recognize and envision the future and develop effective plans to get there
Communication skills to express and gain support for ideas and concepts verbally, visually and in writing
Team orientation, customer communication, presentation and people skills
Ability to gather and analyze information quickly to drive decisions in a fast-paced work environment
Systematic-process approach, analytical skills, problem solving skills and decisiveness
Comfortable navigating speed, change and ambiguity
Proven high level of project management using the stage-gate process
Proven leadership of cross-functional teams delivering sustainable process, financial, and operational results.
Proactive, results focused, and striving for continuous improvement.
Planning and organization to set targets, milestones and follow through on commitments.
Ability to motivate others to a high level of performance without administrative authority (work through others)
Education and Experience
BS/BA required. Engineering degree preferred. MBA desired or relevant certifications
Must have the technical expertise in an injection-molding environment
Prior leadership experience
4+ years in related role
Working Conditions
Typical office and plant environment
Travel
Must be able to travel 20% percent; more on exception basis.
Physical Requirements
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear and taste or smell. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.