The Associate Product Manager supports the Product Manager in executing product management responsibilities for Contec’s Professional portfolio, aligning with business unit objectives. The Associate Product Manager has a foundational understanding of Professional Cleaning market needs, collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to position products for success, and implements strategic portfolio changes as needed. The Associate Product Manager ensures product readiness for market, supports product launches, and maintains documentation and systems.
Responsibilities
· Gains an understanding of customers within the Professional Cleaning market and how their needs and preferences shape product development, positioning, and market messaging.
· Gains an understanding of Contec’s Professional Cleaning product portfolio and supports execution of lifecycle tasks including product setup, updates, and discontinuations.
· Effectively communicates Voice-of-Customer (VOC) insights from field trials, sales calls, and trade shows to internal stakeholders including Marketing, Sales, and Operations.
· Supports new product launches by coordinating sample requests, training logistics, and collateral development, and collaborates with Marketing to maintain product literature, technical documentation, and web content.
· Supports the Sales team by researching technical product information and creating Sales tools such as competitive cross-references and SWOT analyses.
· Gains an understanding of the Professional Cleaning pricing process and supports updates and analysis of cost forecasts, SPQ data, and margin matrices.
· Participates and works within ISO 9001 quality standards guidelines in accordance with Contec’s quality goals.
· Others may be assigned.
Competencies
To be successful in their essential duties, the individual is also expected to have general knowledge of and stay current in developments in the following areas:
Functional/Technical Skills: Develops and displays a functional and technical knowledge of Professional Cleaning market and product portfolio to do the job at a high level of accomplishment.
Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
Communicates/Listens Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Listens to accurately receive and interpret product and market information in the communication process.
Problem Solving: Uses critical thinking to make sense of complex, technical, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
Learning Agility: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as seeds for future learning.
Action-Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
Resourcefulness: Securing and deploying resources effectively and efficiently.
Collaboration: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with internal functional groups and external stakeholders to meet shared objectives.
Time Management: Planning and exercising conscious control of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity.
Demonstrates Self-Awareness: Using a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.
Supports Core Values: Able to demonstrate support and adherence to Contec’s core values: respect for others, doing “whatever it takes” within Contec’s core values, vision and strategic direction, exhibiting integrity, having a tolerance for risk, understanding there is life outside of work, enjoying the ride.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S.) from four-year accredited college or university; a minimum of three (3) to five (5) years of product management or related technical experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
· Previous experience within the Professional Cleaning industry, or other related industry, is strongly preferred.
· Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) is required.
· Experience working within large-scale ERP Systems is preferred.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that an associate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the associate is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, fumes, airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, extreme heat, and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Up to 25% domestic business travel, including overnight travel, may be required in any given year.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the associate is regularly required to communicate and convey information. The associate is occasionally required to be in a stationary position, move or traverse; prepare, inspect, observe, or detect physical and visual characteristics of raw materials, products, and processes; position objects and items. The associate must occasionally move up or transport up to 50 pounds.
