Associate Product Manager

Job Summary:

Oil-Dri Corporation, the maker of Cat’s Pride® and Jonny Cat® litter, has enjoyed strong, consistent growth. We invented the first lightweight cat litter, Cat’s Pride® Fresh & Light® and have continued to innovate in litter technology ever since. Our expertise in sorbent minerals has also been leveraged in our rapidly growing Private Label business. We are focused on developing innovative, superior quality products as well as growing our existing franchise. To that end, we are seeking a highly motivated and results-driven Associate Product Manager who can effectively plan and execute product management initiatives.

The Associate Product Manager is responsible for:

Product management planning and execution of Branded and Private Label commercialization projects, package design, item setup, quality audits requested by retail customers, completion of administrative forms for new business, new product setup or changes to existing items at retailers, inventory tracking and coordination with Procurement, and updating product specifications.

• Lead project management planning and execution for Branded and Private Label product and packaging changes. Manage commercialization projects from start to finish, leading cross-functional pre-production meetings, tracking and providing updates to team.
• Manage entire product life cycle including execution of product improvements and claims, SKU rationalization, and end-of-life management working with Procurement and SCOPS to minimize waste and inventory write-offs.
• Work with design agency to develop impactful package designs and internal cross-functional team to commercialize new packaging and design changes. Attend off-site press approvals for new packaging as needed.
• Work with Sales, PDM, Operations, Procurement, R&D, Customer Service and Logistics to execute new item setup and changes to existing items. Monitor and communicate the status of product changes.
• Coordinate product quality testing with Quality, Operations, R&D, and retail customers and complete necessary paperwork.
• Work with Operations and R&D to develop, set up, modify, and publish product and packaging specifications.
• Work with Sales and Finance to help develop sales forecasts used in planning as needed.
• Manage the customer complaint process for Private Label products. Assure that root cause to complaints is obtained, addressed and corrective action taken if necessary. Translate customer feedback into tangible opportunities for product improvements.
• Coordinate product quality testing with Quality, Operations, R&D, and retail customers and complete necessary paperwork.
• Review and provide input on inventory to Procurement for ordering packaging materials.
• Complete and update product specifications as needed. Publish product specs to Sales as needed. Complete product specifications/information in retailer systems as requested.
• Manage and coordinate quality audits, social compliance, and samples needed for retail customers with cross-functional team and shepherd through the process from start to finish.
• Assist team in development and update of branded selling materials, including packaging images, product sales samples, image management systems, selling sheets, and customer presentations.
• Assist in planning for the disposition of slow moving and obsolete inventory.

Qualifications:

(Include experience, education, special skills, physical requirements, and travel requirements in this section.)

• 2-4 years product management experience in CPG industry or related role
• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in business discipline
• Detail-oriented with excellent project management, organizational and multi-tasking skills
• Demonstrated ability to work well with cross-functional teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Collaborative, team player with positive attitude
• Strong competency in MS Excel, PowerPoint and Word
• Based in Chicago, IL
• Up to 5% travel

Oil-Dri Corporation of America