Manager, Product

Jadex Inc. (Jadex) is a leader in manufacturing and material science by utilizing innovation and technology to develop sustainable products that serve the medical, industrial, and consumer markets. Our success is built on our four operating companies, which supply a range of products including custom-designed plastic components, engineered nylon resins and monofilaments, zinc products, and temperature-controlled products, that solve both industrial and consumer challenges.

At Jadex, our vision is innovation with intention. Our mission is to create products that provide superior performance while minimizing their impact on the environment. We are passionate about our employees, customers, and cultivating the right partnerships. We seek to foster a creative and collaborative culture, lead our industry with sustainable solutions, and have fun along the way!

Position Summary: The Product Manager will oversee the vision and strategy for our Singe-Use (or Disposable) Tabletop product line, managing the entire product lifecycle from conception through launch. This role involves collaboration with R&D, Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain to drive product growth and success.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

Product Strategy:

• Develop and maintain a product roadmap based on consumer needs and customer and business value.
• Partner with marketing and sales to analyze consumer insights, market trends, voice of customer feedback, and competitor activity to refine product strategy. Translate those insights into actionable strategies that drive business growth.
• Partner with marketing on consumer research initiatives, including Attitude & Usage (A&U) studies, focus groups, concept testing, and purchase intent research to validate new product opportunities and support product development decisions.
• Work with sales to identify new business opportunities and complete market segment analyses to understand the size of the opportunity in the Retail space.
• Define product & packaging requirements and core positioning in collaboration with Marketing.
• Recommend pricing strategies to support sales and profitability goals.
• Collaborate with Marketing to provide product information, selling stories, and training to the sales teams and key accounts.
• Help drive product line revenue, margin, and profitability performance, developing strategies to achieve growth and financial objectives.
• Monitor consumer trends related to convenience, entertaining, sustainability, meal occasions, and foodservice behaviors to identify emerging opportunities within the tabletop category.
• Lead an annual Consumer & Category Review by evaluating consumer trends, retailer insights, competitive activity, product performance, sustainability developments, and innovation opportunities to develop strategic recommendations that guide future product development and portfolio decisions.
• Lead lifecycle management activities including assortment optimization, product rationalization, cost reduction, and packaging improvements.

Product Execution:

• Coordinate in-home usage tests and consumer product evaluations to validate product functionality, durability, and overall consumer satisfaction prior to commercialization.
• Oversee product set-up/revisions and manage the end-to-end product lifecycle.
• Develop business cases with cost targets and profitability expectations.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure timely and successful product launches.
• Communicate regularly with stakeholders and address any issues or updates.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Understand manufacturing processes, plant capacity, and capital requirements.
• Gather and incorporate consumer and customer feedback for continuous product improvement.
• Develop and maintain a Voice of Customer program by consolidating retailer feedback, consumer research, online reviews, shopper analytics, and sales insights to identify continuous product improvement opportunities.
• Maintain strong relationships and communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Monitor sustainability and regulatory requirements impacting product development and commercialization.
• Partner with Marketing to develop and evaluate product positioning, claims, packaging concepts, and selling stories through consumer validation and market research.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience in product management in FMCG's or a similar role.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and product lifecycle management.
• Experience working in the Mass, Club, Grocery, Drug, and/or Dollar channels.
• Experience with product-line profitability, pricing strategy, and business case development.
• Familiarity working with syndicated data sources such as Nielsen or Circana.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to analyze market trends and customer needs.

Education

• Bachelors degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, Science.
• 3rd party professional certification for Product Management.

Experience

• 3-5 years of experience in product management, category management, product marketing, commercialization, new product development, or related disciplines within consumer products, packaging, or manufacturing environments.
• Experience with Sustainable materials.

Specifics:

• Competitive salary and bonus structure
• Full benefits package
• 401K with match
• Vacation and corporate holiday policy

Jadex Inc and its Businesses do not discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.