PRODUCT MANAGER

Reports to:       Vice President, Operations                                                        

Location:          Vermont

Position Type: Full-Time 

Summary of Position 

Responsible for product portfolio creation, management, leadership, and planning, for assigned product segments/brands.  The Product Manager, reports directly to the Vice President, Operations. This role sets the strategy for product development, defines the requirements for assigned products or product lines, as well as maintains strict adherence to the new product policy. This position serves as the central hub within the company providing critical information on products, markets, competitors, customers, prospects, key industry analysis, and many other constituencies.

Responsibilities

Market Research 

• Analyze market conditions, competitive landscape, and other relevant factors to develop business cases for new products based on input and data gathered which support roadmap decisions 
• Partner with the Sales and Marketing team to identify market trends and conditions, price point and volume
• Interact with International Business Development Manager to conduct market research and establish timelines for imported product
• Lead product and market analysis on new and existing products and provide inputs and feedback to help guide product development efforts and maintain the Company’s product roadmaps
• Research competitors in the marketplace including the review of competitive pricing and work with Sales to develop pricing strategies

Product Strategy

• Own the product roadmap forecasts and products’ performance once they reach the market
• Set the long-term vision and strategy for assigned product segments/brands and communicate this strategy to all of the relevant participants and stakeholders
• Establish and have oversight of product decision making hierarchy and strategy for all new opportunities
• Establish company objectives by brand/product category regarding new products added to product offering and maintain strict adherence to the said objectives
• Establish committees comprised of internal product experts to meet and review the overall plan and qualified opportunities for each brand/segment
• Manage aforementioned committee meetings as necessary
• Develop domestic production timelines and oversee the creation of the products. 
• Manage the product roadmap and implement business plans for each product segment to deliver profitable results and achieve cost, quality, delivery, and revenue targets
• Lead cross-functional teams comprised of members from Sales and Marketing, and other Departments as deemed necessary etc. in the development of new products, providing project guidance and leadership to ensure products meet the defined product requirements and launch objectives
• Set requirements for existing and new products and services targeted to the market space that have been selected for Century participation and communicate to the team for implementation.
• Manage the complete life cycle of new and existing products
• Provide guidance to Marketing for the creation of product collateral
• Be the technical advisor on Century’s product line during sales training or marketing events
• Develop and maintain communication channels with Sales and Marketing and New Product Development

Inventory Review and Forecasting

• Manage all non-key suppliers in maintaining appropriate inventory levels within Century and at distribution, and recommend sales/marketing promotions or inventory reduction strategies as necessary
• Responsible for monitoring timely shipments of products to customers
• Responsible for spare part inventory as needed for the products this role oversees and the timely shipment to customers
• Provide Sales estimations and analytics of expected products’ performance once they reach the market

Additional Responsibilities

• Recommend and execute changes in existing programs
• Support Government Sales requests for firearms with delivery dates by quote and adhere to quoted delivery dates

• Research projects as required
• Attend trade shows and events as necessary
• Protect organization's value by keeping information confidential
• Support and adhere to all ISO standards applicable to the Company
• Wear all necessary Personal Protective Equipment directed by the Company at all times.
• Demonstrate complete working knowledge of firearms safety.
• Maintain and keep workstation and department area clean.
• Immediately report any maintenance and/or safety issues to Management.
• Demonstrate a positive attitude toward co-workers, other department and the Company.
• Maintain respect, courtesy and professionalism toward all co-workers and the Company
• Communicate clearly and effectively with co-workers and management
• Actively participate and support the 5S process within the work area on a daily basis
• Other duties will be assigned as required

Qualifications & Knowledge Required

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical or marketing field or equivalent experience required
• 10 years’ product management experience required 
• Firearms knowledge required
• Minimum of five years’ experience as product manager at firearms company
• Minimum of five years’ experience in a business-to-business environment
• MBA preferred but not required 
• Record of accomplishment using qualitative and quantitative data to prioritize and drive decision-making.
• Able to define and execute sales support material including presentation material and sell sheets
• Strong written and analytical skills
• Strong computer skills required, Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Database Management skills a plus and Graphics and Desktop Publishing a bonus.
• Price analysis, product line forecasting, and product costing from product inception to the end-user.
• Excellent research skills
• Strong negotiation skills

Working Conditions 

Work is normally performed in a climate-controlled office environment and throughout a heated manufacturing and warehouse facility. Exposure to conditions of extreme heat/cold, poor ventilation, fumes and gases is very limited. Noise level is moderate and includes sounds of light manufacturing, shipping and receiving, and normal office equipment (computers, telephones, etc.). No known environmental hazards are encountered in normal performance of job duties.  

Physical Demands 

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions: 

• Be able to lift objects commonly found in offices, up to 20 lbs.
• Able to work at a computer for long periods of time 
• Able to travel locally by car as needed 
• Capable of occasional plane travel
• Able to work additional hours as needed.  (Project timelines and work volume/deadlines may require more than 40 hours per week to complete essential duties of this job.)
• Must have mental processes for reasoning, remembering, mathematics and language ability (reading, writing and speaking English language) to perform the duties proficiently
• Able to work full-time, including early mornings, evenings and weekends as needed

Disclaimers

• This job description should not be interpreted to be a complete list of all the duties and responsibilities performed by the jobholder.  To maintain organizational flexibility, management has the discretion to add, drop or change at any time the duties, responsibilities and expectations of this job.