Associate Product Manager

Lasko Products, a market leader in home comfort products for over 100 years, is looking to add an Associate Product Manager to the product team in our West Chester, PA headquarters. This role will be hybrid, working in office 3 days a week. 

The Associate Product Manager will assist in evaluating and developing new products in support of Lasko team’s strategic plan to drive sales and profit of the product line. This position requires excellent project management skills and the ability to effectively work with others across the organization including marketing, IT, engineering, industrial design, finance, manufacturing, sales and customer service. Candidates should be self-motivated individuals, possess a strong work ethic, and enjoy working in a team environment. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to begin their career in product marketing. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Responsible for supporting the Business Unit Manager for all product management activities and new product launches for the ongoing management of assigned product categories, including life-cycle management and implementation of profitable new product introductions in assigned product segment(s) and for specific retail/channel customers.
• Support development of the 3-year product plan for assigned product categories with consideration of key target market segments and strategic focus delivering product line growth and profitability through analysis of the market and reviewing market data.
• Work with Business Unit manager to conduct planning and analysis to provide product development for new products, including pricing, forecasting, launches, life cycle management, etc.
• Perform market research to gain insight into consumer behavior and uncover unmet consumer needs.
• Develop a deep understanding of the market and competitors, their products, and how they go to market including pricing and promotion by leveraging existing materials and research (internal and external).
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and design to generate insights and opportunities through ideation, teardowns, mock-ups, and other analysis.
• Support the Business Unit manager to approve final product concepts presented by the Product Design team based against criteria outlined in business requirement document and work closely with the Creative team in package design and development.
• Conduct timely analysis of sales performance across key retailers and determine proper course of action based on insights.
• Assist the Business Unit manager in planning, tracking, and managing product availability across all channels to ensure on time product launches and meeting customer line review requirements
• Help the Business Unit manager develop specific product models for online channels and for open channel customer purchases.
• Aid in the development and validation of product claims, packaging design and A+ marketing content
• Support the Business Unit Manager for marketing/sales support activities such as sale presentations, merchandising, promotions, collateral, and point-of-purchase for assigned product categories.
• Help the Business Unit Manager to prepare for and participate in product line reviews as needed.
• Manage items in declining stage of lifecycle. Manage the appropriate system coding and disposition of related inventory within budget. Monitor product inventory levels to identify outliers and opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree required; an MBA is a plus.
• 1-3 year of experience in sales/finance/marketing/ business analytics is a plus.
• Possess very strong analytical and financial skills essential for market and competitive evaluation, pricing and line management
• Ability to work effectively across functions and lead teams. 
• Team player with good interpersonal skills to lead/coach cross-functional teams.
• Possess excellent verbal, written and presentation skills.
• Strong project management skills, with ability to prioritize and meet deadlines with acute attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint and Word.
• Ability to travel as needed.

About the Company

Lasko Metal Products was founded in 1906 by Henry Lasko in Philadelphia. Lasko designs, manufactures, assembles, and distributes portable fans, heaters, and humidifiers for the consumer market (Lasko brand), air purifiers (Germ Guardian brand), ventilation products such as range hoods and bathroom exhaust fans to the construction industry (Air King brand) and water damage restoration products such as air scrubbers and dehumidifiers (B-Air brand).  Lasko’s products are sold in North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Asia. Th