Category and Product Manager

With a purpose to make tomorrow a little bit better than today for each other, our customers, and our communities, Ascentek provides an environment where you can love what you do and be your best every day.

What you will enjoy by being a part of a 2024 USA Great Place to Work certified company:

A position that is: Salary, Full time

• Medical Plan options, including fertility coverage and free mental health and telehealth coverage
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• FSA/HSA options
• Paid parental leave
• Company-provided short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance
• Supplemental Insurances, including accident, critical illness, hospital, and supplemental life insurance
• 401(k) with a generous company match
• Pet Insurance Benefits
• Tuition reimbursement
• 21 Paid Days Off
• 7 Paid Holidays

• Short-Term Incentive Plan (STIP), ask your Talent Partner for details
• Dress For Your Day (casual dress environment)
• Work Your Way (hybrid work) - Three days on site
• Paid comprehensive on-the-job training
• Company provided phone
• Company provided computer
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  Career advancement opportunities

  
  

Lube-Tech produces high-performance lubricants and fluids for today's world leaders in powersports, outdoor power equipment, industrial, marine and heavy equipment engine manufacturing, as well as customers in automotive, fleet and manufacturing-use settings. At Lube-Tech, our Business Development Management team is responsible for the 4Ps (product, price, place, promotion) of the lubricants, fluids, hard parts and services that support those customers, with our products at the center of what we do.

The Category and Product Manager has primary responsibility for understanding applicable economic, market and raw material trends, lubricant/fluid and/or hard parts product lines and customer wholesale products. They will use this information to drive and influence product strategies directly with their customer(s). The Category and Product Manager also performs analysis and follow-up on: market and product trends, account performance (e.g., on-time ship, product line performance) and costing/pricing to maximize company revenue and profitability. The Category and Product Manager is responsible for managing a broad range of both customer-facing and internal continuous improvement projects.

Segment Expertise

• Becomes the lubricants/fluids, equipment/hard parts and/or services expert for their assigned segment(s); potential segment assignments include:
  
  
  
  • Automotive, Fleet, Heavy Duty/Agriculture and Outdoor Power Equipment
  • Industrial, Specialty, Chemicals, Environmental and Hard Parts
  • Powersports and Marine
  
  
  
  
• Performs, documents, analyzes and synthesizes research on economic, market, product and application trends and presents findings to internal and external stakeholders

Segment Performance

• Builds/maintains key customer relationships while investigating/facilitating new opportunities within their businesses
• Analyzes and ensures adherence to segment KPIs, including margin targets (via ownership of cost and pricing management), on-time ship goals (while partnering with sales, SIOP and operations), product line performance (through thoughtful product lifecycle management), etc.
• Directly manages account- and segment-specific projects such as new fluid development, product marketing, training, category management, channel & competitive analysis, etc.

Product Lifecycle Management

• Makes proposals to national and regional teams and/or customer base to enhance product offerings based on industry/market knowledge and respective customer business models
• Works cross-functionally with internal departments (e.g., Sales, Supply Chain, Marketing) to manage the product lifecycle and achieve business objectives
• Builds and owns the business case for new product opportunities based on market and customer intel including sales volumes, pricing, profitability and go-to-market strategy; oversees the development of these opportunities alongside Business Development Specialists

Other

• Proposes and implements improvements to Category and Product Manager processes and procedures
• Leads, influences and/or strategically navigates enterprise-level projects and initiatives that may or may not be directly tied to the operations of the Category and Product Manager team
• Acts as the subject matter expert (SME)/owner of select core processes (e.g., commercialization, inventory management, pricing, etc.) and owns their overall performance and continuous improvement
• Must be able to travel to customer and industry specific events via air or ground transportation; travel up to 10% of time
• Other duties as requested

Education:

• 4-year degree with a focus in marketing, product management or related field

Experience and/or Training:

• 5+ years related job experience; emphasis in project management a plus
• Minimum 2+ years' experience in a product management role
• Requires the ability to use a personal computer and is proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel (minimum intermediate), Word and PowerPoint
• Experience with ERP systems preferred

License/ Certification:

• Valid driver's license (auto)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Demonstrated self-starter who can work independently and has the ability to lead without authority
• High degree of self-accountability, punctuality, accuracy and reliability
• Works well in ambiguous situations with the competency to develop and improve processes
• Requires excellent oral and written communication skills to effectively communicate throughout the organization, with customers and with other external business contacts
• Requires comprehensive analytical skills
• Requires strong attention to detail and organizational skills

PHYSICAL and MENTAL DEMANDS:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand, talk and/or hear or use hands, handle, or touch objects, tools or controls. The employee must occasionally lift and and/or move up to 40 pounds while moving actual products, files or small packages.

The employee must have sound mental reasoning and decision making as recommendations of action based on analysis of mathematical data, complex processes & procedures and narratives are an integral element of this position.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS:

Work is primarily conducted in a hybrid office-remote environment with a minimum of three days per week in office or at customer locations where the noise level is usually moderate. The position requires infrequent travel via air or auto.

The anticipated hiring range for the role you are applying for is between $71,725.00 and $91,355.00 annually. This anticipated hiring range is based on several factors, and subject to increase based on the below:

1. Experience and qualifications: The depth of relevant experience and specific skills you bring to the position.
2. Education and certifications: Any additional qualifications that enhance your ability to succeed in the role.
3. Market and industry benchmarks: We compare compensation packages with industry standards to ensure we are competitive.
4. Internal equity: We strive to maintain pay equity across the organization to ensure fairness for all teammates performing similar work.

Ascentek is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified applicants including women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.