Reporting to the Product Manager, the Product Specialist works under direction to drive profitable short and long-term sales growth, market share, margins and positioning of assigned product categories. Category responsibilities include coordinating and executing the tactical aspects of market research and line planning, new product development and product launch activities. With direction from the Product Manager, this person will be collaborating with sales to uncover, quote and close business, and will engage in voice of customer activities supporting development. Must be willing to travel up to 15-20% of the time, including domestic and international travel. This position requires you to be in the office Monday-Wednesday with an option to WFH Thursdays/Friday.
You have already accomplished (required):
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing or other related field
- 1-3+ years in Product Management
- Proficiency using Office Systems (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.)
You may have already accomplished (preferred):
- Familiarity with Phase Gate Product Development processes
- Familiarity using CRM Systems
What YOU are good at:
- Communicating effectively with all styles with an eagerness to collaborate
- Engaging with a wide range of people with curiosity and empathy to understand needs
- Creative and timely problem solving rooted in thoughtful analysis
- Organization for productivity and efficiency with foresight to anticipate and respond to evolving needs
- Staying current - Demonstrating a passion for learning with reading, research, and networking
What WE are good at:
- Working Hard. Playing Hard. Living Tenaciously
- Making well-crafted, innovative, high-function products that Make The Workplace A Betterplace™
- Being distinctively and disruptively creative from bow to stern
- Endeavoring to be fair-minded, transparent and positive in all we say and do
Addendum:
- In collaboration with the Product Manager, develop and maintain short- and long-term development roadmaps for assigned product categories that help ensure corporate and departmental objectives are met
- Execute tactical aspects of product development according to Ergodyne’s phase-gate process for assigned categories
- Work to constantly improve product technology, innovation and features as required to improve the product and brand-value proposition
- Assist the Operations team in the material acquisition, costing and manufacturing sourcing processes for assigned product categories
- Strive to stay current, fresh, innovative and ahead of industry trends that affect the market
- Be a subject matter expert for assigned categories which may include achieving credibility for related technical standards and procedures and effectively training or coach others in the technical arena
- In collaboration with the Product Manager, Operations, Sales, and Marketing, develop sales forecasts, product launch plans and ongoing marketing and sales support programs
- In partnership with Marketing & Sales, ensure internal and external information of assigned product categories are communicated clearly and accurately both inside and outside the organization
- Team with the Product Manager, Product Trainer and Sales team to develop and deliver exciting, relevant and substantive product training
- Support the implementation, communication, product training and follow-up actions involved in the product launch process for assigned product categories
- Maintain intimate knowledge, data and files of key competitors, monitoring their activity and product and anticipating required changes in company tactics or strategies
- Support Voice of Customer (VOC) activity for including focus group events, field trials, digital feedback research, and like practices, organizing learnings to be implemented in product development.
- Attend customer and end-user trade shows as needed and be a knowledge expert/ambassador for the assigned product lines/brands