Associate Product Manager - Fortress Building Products

Job Title:           Associate Product Manager

Department:      Product & Brand

Manager:            Director

FLSA Status:       Exempt

Location:           Garland, TX (Hybrid)

OVERVIEW

The Associate Product Manager is a member of the Product Management team for Fortress Building Products. This position will support the team with administrative needs, quantitative product data, consumer/market feedback, organizing, planning, and implementing strategies for building and sustaining strong product categories, meeting market demands, and ensuring long-term financial success.

In addition to working closely with the Director and Product Managers, the Associate Product Manager will engage directly with multiple departments including Channel Sales, Marketing, Innovations, Customer Order Fulfillment, Global Logistics & Planning, Global Sourcing & Manufacturing, Accounting, and the Senior Leadership team on a variety of initiatives.

OUR PURPOSE STATEMENT

Lead Global Change in the Way People Build and Live

OUR NICHE

Innovative Building Solutions

OUR CORE VALUES

Work Hard, Play Hard – We seek passionate people. We take our work seriously and we take the enjoyment of our lives seriously.

Positive, Can DO Attitude – We are optimistic, we set challenging goals and we find a way to accomplish them. We approach challenges with the intention of finding solutions.

Compete & Win As A TEAM – We put the TEAM first. Our team is what makes our company great. We are a competitive group that like to win. We keep score.

Innovate & Seek Continuous Improvement – We believe it can always be better. We want better products and processes. We want to be better individuals. We want to be a better organization.

We Are Respectful – We respect fellow team members, our partners, ourselves and our company. We are known to be “the good guys”.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Product Development Support:
  • Assist the product management team in conducting market research to identify customer needs and market trends.
  • Contribute to the creation of product concepts and specifications based on market insights and technical requirements.
• Competitive Analysis:
  • Monitor and analyze competitor products, pricing, and strategies to identify opportunities for differentiation and market positioning.
• Product Launch:
  • Support the planning and execution of product launches, coordinating with marketing and sales teams to ensure effective go-to-market strategies.
• Product Lifecycle Management:
  • Track product performance metrics, customer feedback, and market trends to identify opportunities for product improvements and updates.
  • Participate in product lifecycle management, including product updates, refreshes, and end-of-life decisions.
  • Keep track of factory pricing and raw materials updates.
  • Develop a practical understanding of Fortress price structures and maintain customer pricelists, technical data sheets, warranty documents, and other category collateral.
  • Own product part number maintenance by managing part numbers, UPC codes, product descriptions, and label database.
• Customer Support:
  • Collaborate with customer support teams to address product-related inquiries and resolve issues promptly.
  • Collect and analyze customer feedback to improve product offerings and customer satisfaction.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Work closely with various teams, including marketing, sales, engineering, operations, and supply chain, to ensure alignment and successful execution of product strategies.
  • Act as a liaison between different departments to facilitate smooth communication and project coordination.
  • Order inventory items for testing, trade shows, and special projects.
  • Work trade shows as applicable and lead efforts for planning and coordination.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• None

COMPETENCIES: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

Adaptability – Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delay, or unexpected events.

Analytical – Synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data; designs workflows and procedures.

Attention to Detail – Demonstrates thoroughness in accomplishing a task through concern for all the areas involved; carefully monitors the details of own and others’ work to ensure accuracy and quality; plans and organizes time and resources efficiently; completes all work according to procedures and standards.

Business Acumen – Understands business implications of decisions; displays orientation to profitability; demonstrates knowledge of market and competition; aligns work with strategic goals.

Communications – Expresses ideas and thoughts verbally; expresses ideas and thoughts in written form; exhibits good listening and comprehension; keeps others adequately informed; selects and uses appropriate communication methods.

Continuous Learning – Assess own strengths and weaknesses; seeks feedback to improve performance; pursues training and development opportunities; strives to continuously build knowledge and skills; shares expertise with others.

Cooperation – Establishes and maintains effective relationships; exhibits tact and consideration; offers assistance and support to co-workers; works cooperatively in group situations; works actively to resolve conflicts.

Customer Focus – Identifies and prioritizes customer needs and recognizes constraints; responds promptly to customer needs; seeks to find out more about customers and provide a better product or service; adopts professional approach to customers; is reliable and delivers on promises.

Dependability – Follows instructions; responds to management direction; takes responsibility to own actions; keeps commitments; commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals; completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternative plan.

Initiative – Volunteers readily; undertakes self-development activities; seeks increased responsibilities; takes independent actions and calculated risks; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities; asks for and offers help when needed.

Organization Support – Follows policies and procedures; completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; supports organization’s goals and values; benefits organization through outside activities.

Planning/Organizing – Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently; plans for additional resources; sets goals and objectives; organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; develops realistic action plans.

Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

Project Management – Develops project plans; coordinates projects; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and budget; manages project team activities.

Teamwork – Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others’ views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; supports everyone’s efforts to succeed.

Technical Expertise – Effectively applies technical knowledge to solve a range of problems; develops solutions to problems that cannot be solved using existing methods or approaches; is sought out to provide advice or solutions in the area of expertise; keeps informed about current developments in the area of expertise.

QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience/Additional Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, engineering or related field preferred
• 1-2 years of experience in product management, product or channel marketing, or technical sales, preferably within the building materials industry
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills including the ability to derive insights from analytical data
• Ability to manage and execute projects on time
• Detail-oriented and capable of managing multiple tasks and priorities simultaneously Consistent, dependable, and positive work ethic a must
• Demonstrated ability to be a team player and lead/participate in cross-functional teams
• Strong technical / mechanical aptitude with the ability to learn our products
• Strong ability with Microsoft Office – specifically Microsoft Excel
• Experience with project management and collaboration tools (e.g. Wrike) a plus
• Great Plains and Adobe Illustrator experience a plus
• Willingness and ability to travel overnight up to 10% of the time

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements. Light to moderate lifting is required. Ability to uphold the stress of traveling.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor.