Product Manager

Job Title: Product Manager

Manager Title: Director of Product Management

FLSA Status: Exempt, Full-Time

FECON, LLC is a vegetation management equipment manufacturer located in Lebanon, Ohio near Kings Island Amusement Park. FECON is known for having very high-quality products and a team culture – and we are growing! We design, build, test, sell and service our equipment consisting of products such as our well-known “Bull Hog” mulchers, the Stump Ex, our high-quality FTX tractors of varying horsepower, as well as many other attachments. We offer competitive wages, full health care benefits and a continuous learning culture for those who want to grow with the company.

Job Summary:

The Product Manager is accountable for managing Fecon’s existing (assigned) product portfolio, leading the New Product Development (NPD) Stage/Gate process for all new products in development and identifying new product opportunities to meet Fecon’s growth expectations. The Product Manager will also act as a product expert and liaison to support all areas of the business.

Job Duties/Responsibilities:

Drives New Product Development process (Stage/Gate) to quickly develop high preforming products that meet Fecon’s revenue growth and strategic goals.

Manages the product life cycle for (assigned) product portfolio in order to meet strategic objectives as well as revenue and margin goals.

Acts as a product expert and resource to all areas of the business for support, product education and to meet performance targets.

Identifies new product opportunities, evaluates feasibility for strategic fit to establish a pipeline of future Fecon products and customer solutions to meet company growth objectives.

Reports product performance and activity to leadership as a basis for sound decision making for engineering, marketing, sales, customer service and operational priorities and initiatives.

Serves as the primary product expert to assist sales, marketing, engineering and customer service teams with product, technical and/or application questions; trains and coaches team members on becoming product experts.

Collaborates with leadership team members to gain insight and develop alignment on product development goals.

Collaborates with Regional Managers to determine what products, solutions and/or enhancements will assist in meeting our customer needs.

Champions the New Product Development (stage/gate) Process. Acts as a coach to educate all team members on the process gaining buy in and support to drive results.

Coordinates, manages and executes strategies in all aspects of product life cycle management including product development, product performance (financial), and product evolution. Establishes key performance measures associated with product lines.

Establish and drive objectives to improve product performance (financial) to meet Fecon’s goals of revenue growth, gross margin goals and customer acceptance.

Conducts competitive analysis and assists in developing strategies to drive product success including market position, product position and pricing.

Conducts market and voice-of-the-customer research to best understand existing and new markets, address customer needs and to assist in pricing strategies. Shares insights and analyses with internal teams.

Provides feedback to management concerning product value, sustainability, and profitability and makes recommendations to introduce new products, make changes to existing lines, or withdraw products from the market.

Collaborates with Engineering during the New Product Development process, product line continuous improvement projects and to evaluation and implement customer and market feedback. Drives collaboration across all internal teams to successfully launch products and introduce product enhancements.

Assists in developing, designing and implementing marketing and training collateral as well as product related presentations for assigned products.

Monitors vendor/manufacturing partners performance and their ability to meet contracted specifications.

Reviews marketing collateral, including web site to ensure it is current, accurate, and reflective of the product specifications, performance etc.

Participates in (quality) war room acting as customer advocate and participating as a team member to drive root cause analysis to solve warranty and quality issues.

Generates enthusiasm and interest in new products by preparing presentations and conducting new product Gate meetings and launches.

Assists in the development of new marketing tools and resources, including the development of videos, photographs, brochures, press releases, or other materials.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

Strong organizational skills

Excellent interpersonal skills both written and verbal.

Skilled in MS Office

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Critical Thinker

Strong Project Management Skills

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Product Management related.

Minimum of 3 years of experience working in a manufacturing environment.

Minimum of 2 years of product/project management experience.

Previous sales and marketing experience preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Must be able to traverse the production facility.

Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Must be able to lift-up to 15 pounds at times.

Ability to travel a minimum of 20% of the time.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be added at any time with or without notice.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled