Product Manager

For 80 years Rice Lake Weighing Systems has been a successful, growth-oriented company known as a leader in the weighing industry and our community. Located in scenic northwestern Wisconsin just 90 miles from Minneapolis, RLWS offers big city careers in a small-town atmosphere.

RLWS Product Managers are an essential part of the product development process in the scale manufacturing industry and are a major contributor to advancing the design of our products. Product Managers ensure customer expectations are exceeded through voice of the customer feedback and manages product segment by providing leadership and entrepreneurial strategy for product segments. 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS & MAJOR TASKS: 

• Recognizing manufacturing market segment opportunities
• Cultivating relationships with customers, sales, and other industry individuals
• Establishing focus and momentum for product segment
• Becoming acknowledged as a competent and knowledgeable product segment professional by industry individuals and employees
• Communicating strategies and progress toward goals through regulator meetings and reporting systems

Functions as a member of the product management team that focuses on company objectives and prioritization of products and services.  This includes:

• Working with other product managers and cross-functional teams
• Negotiating for internal resources
• Assisting other product segments
• Developing company sales and marketing strategies
• Sharing market intelligence and deriving consensus within the team

Cultivates and fosters business relationships with customers, end users and major suppliers to ensure competitiveness of product segment.

Provides strategy and vision for new product development. Key contributor to the success of new product design, launch and post sales activities.

Key contributor to the successful management of the special quoting process, by setting pricing structure, feasibility and liaison with engineering and other cross-functional teams. 

Forecast assigned product segment(s) future sales for use by Purchasing, Manufacturing and other departments.  Responsible for ensuring forecast validity, structure, and timeliness with a goal of maximizing customer service and minimizing stockouts. 

Reconciliation and recommendation of all low margin items, as well as part number maintenance.

Provides input to the Inventory Analyst, Purchasing and Scheduling Departments based on market demands and MRP stocking parameters as required.

Develops assigned product segment's short-term and long-term sales and profitability goals and objectives based on competition and sales activity.   

Develops goals and objectives based on market intelligence, company strategy, and product opportunities. 

Monitors and achieves defined goals and objectives, adjust based on market information and ensure that the key criteria of ROI, urgency, and strategic importance is maximized. This includes:

• Sales volume
• Margin
• Cost of goods sold
• Returns budget for the assigned product lines

Works with Sales Leadership to ensure that customers receive application advice. This includes:

• Training of front-line customer employees
• Recommending customers service improvements
• Identification of service-related failures
• Providing customer service leadership by example

Responsible for product phase in and phase out so that uninterrupted service to our customers is achieved while disposing of all unnecessary inventories.  Follow up on all stagnate inventory through the NCP process.

Works closely with cross functional teams, including quality, to determine disposition of defective material within the product segment though the NCP process. As well as reviews trends of warranty and returned products through the warranty and RMA process.

Approves changes to associated products through active participation in the ECO process.

Works with the Marketing Department to develop, implement, and assist in managing sales campaigns for product segment. This includes:

• Literature
• Website content
• Catalogs
• Media advertisement campaigns
• Product communication efforts

Stay abreast of legal, legislative, and other exterior market information to protect and expand business opportunities.

OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Develops new products through the creation of product definitions, negotiation of critical resources and associated product management.
• Responsible for leading cross-functional teams.
• Monitors actual vs. projected cost targets and recommend actions to achieve goals.
• Makes product-pricing decisions based upon analysis of markets/competitive data that result in proper price positioning for the product line. Also participates in the quoting of special products or pricing.
• Forecast assigned product segment(s) future sales for use by Purchasing, Manufacturing and other departments. Responsible for ensuring forecast validity, structure, and timeliness.
• Develop, implement, and assists in managing sales campaigns for product segment. Includes working with Marketing Department on website content, catalog and media advertisement campaigns, and other product communication efforts.
• Up to 25% travel to supplier, dealer, distributor or end user locations as necessary to perform essential job functions.
• Participates in the customer VIP visits though training and entertainment opportunities to develop relationships, enhance product awareness and gather customer feedback directly.   
• Other duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PREREQUISITES: 

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field, marketing, sales or related field.
• Ten (10) or more years sales experience in weighing or related industry preferred.

Skills

• World class customer service skills
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
• Advanced interpersonal and organizational skills
• Personal computing skills including Excel, Word, Internet and Outlook
• Exceptional negotiating skills
• Exceptional marketing and product management skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong forecasting skills
• Strong team building, project management and supervisory skills

RLWS is a successful, energetic, customer-driven organization that offers competitive wages, great working conditions, medical, dental, vision, flexible spending, disability, life, 5 weeks PTO, holidays, 401k, and wellness benefit programs.

If you need assistance with your application, please contact Rice Lake Weighing Systems at (800) 472-6703.

Rice Lake Weighing Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.  Rice Lake Weighing Systems is a Substance-Free Workplace and requires pre-employment drug screens.