Product Development Manager (Hybrid)
Company Job Title: Product Development Manager
Location: Valley View, Ohio (Hybrid)
Reports To: Director of Marketing
FLSA Status: Exempt, Full Time
Summary:
The B’laster Holdings is a small, entrepreneurial enterprise with employees that believe in our product and have a passion for making it the best. There is heavy emphasis on cross-functional communication for all roles at B’laster to ensure that projects flow through the organization. All B’laster team members must be able to work autonomously and be effective with limited supervision, understanding when to escalate issues and challenges. We believe that accountability, trust, and professionalism inspire confidence in our brand. We expect all employees to be respectful to everyone, follow through on commitments, and collaborate with team members.
The Product Development Manager will work closely with the marketing team and lead the marketing development effort to bring new products from concept through commercialization including market exit for all the B’laster, Gunk and AC Avalanche brands. The Product Manager will play a major role in improving processes, procedures, and enhancing brand awareness. The product manager will be assigned specific projects and empowered to tackle complex business challenges. Acquires product information through market research to assure projects meet the needs of the intended markets. Works across multiple internal and external groups such as design, packaging and labeling, regulatory claims, advertising, sales force education, etc. Maintains high level of product category knowledge through staying current in published information, market contacts, and industry educational meetings.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Assist with new product / project management and execution.
- Champion innovation, new product and solution development.
- Perform analysis of financial, NPD and POS data to support category recommendations.
- Craft product positioning and consumer claims with the support of the product development team while benchmarking competitive products.
- Co-develop packaging structures and product graphics for retailer-specific promotions and in-market merchandising.
- Support the creation of marketing content for internal stakeholders and external consumer awareness-building initiatives.
- Meet established deadlines for assigned projects and proactively inform stakeholders of project status.
- Conduct necessary follow-up with team members regarding updates and changes to their respective projects.
- Present, promote, and sell marketing products/services using solid arguments to existing and prospective customers.
- Planning, development, and execution of local and national campaigns, including online advertising, social media, email, content, and lifecycle marketing.
- Identify new and creative growth strategies through digital marketing tactics and platforms.
- Develop and manage B2C and B2B acquisition efforts through digital marketing channels, trade shows, 3rd party partnerships, etc.
- Identify trends and insights, and optimize spending and performance based on the insights.
- Utilize the strong analytical ability to evaluate end-to-end customer experience across multiple channels and customer touchpoints.
- Provide research, data and input regarding sales, potential promotions, or strategies to increase sales.
- Help establish short- and long-range goals and objectives.
- Creates and maintains appropriate documentation—designs and implements standards.
- Develops and expands knowledge of relevant tools and technologies.
- Develop product positioning and messaging that differentiate products in the market
- Product launch – plan the launch and go-to-market strategies for product releases. Manage the cross-functional implementation of the plan to ensure all internal stakeholders are prepared for product releases.
- Demand generation – develop strategies and manage the marketing programs that drive demand for your products
- Lead and direct portfolio optimization strategy for select portfolio, including managing the portfolio lifecycle stages and active, harvest and rationalize.
- other duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications:
- BS/BA in Business, Marketing, or equivalent related field.
- 2-4 years product development manager experience, CPG experience a plus.
- 2-4 years’ experience strategic planning, analytical and project management a plus.
- Stage Gate or similar gate process experience preferred.
- Demonstrated success of marketing strategy development and implementation across multiple channels.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Detail oriented with strong analytical and business problem solving skills.
- Excellent writing, communication, and presentation skills.
- Driven, self-motivated and self-directed; comfortable leading and working with teams, but also independently to complete projects.
- Must be highly organized and able to work efficiently on multiple projects to meet tight deadlines and changing priorities.
- Excellent problem-solving skills with ability to manage priorities on multiple projects with tight deadlines while achieving exceptional results.
- Excellent organizational and project management skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Professionalism working with cross-functional teams.
- Comfortable working with and breaking through ambiguity.
- Flexible and adaptable to a fast-paced environment.
- Strong computer skills in Microsoft office: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Excellent English oral and written communication skills.
- Prioritizing, time management, and organizational skills.
- Relationship management skills and openness to feedback.
