Product Manager

Job Purpose
Reporting to the Director of Product Management and Business Optimization, the Product Manager will be responsible for managing and leading the optimization of one of Conestoga Meats’ product categories. This role is a market expert on opportunities for their category and ensures that we remain competitive with pricing by providing cost recommendations to their Sales partners. Analytic and project work is done to ensure that category plans are being executed and for continued growth to be possible.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead category optimization by creating strategic plans 6 – 12 months in timeline including learnings from previous years, market opportunities, and key priorities
Be a partner to the broader Sales team on opportunities for new business development and customer requests
Work on strategic projects to support future planning and sales capabilities
Review unsold product mix and make recommendations to the Sales team on optimal items to sell
Prepare and present key category financial insights/pain points and initiatives weekly
Provide leadership to Sales Planner (direct report) for dedicated category, supporting their development, training, and day to day production planning
Responsible to develop and execute disposition plans for fresh/frozen inventories at optimal levels
Weekly review and accountability for targeted KPI’s, i.e. sales results, mix, profit margins, etc.
Provide short- and long-term cost forecasting to the Sales team to enable pricing decisions leveraging USDA, Chisholm and key industry benchmarks
Research and gather industry market intel from internal experts and external sources, building a network, and reviewing industry newsletters/market reports

Spend time in production weekly to understand and be accountable to ensure accurate product specifications for associated category (including updating product spec sheets)
Responsible for knowing product yields for category; reporting on weekly, questioning variances and suggesting opportunities
Prepare fresh offer (responsible for providing availability and forecasted cost)
Lead commissioning on new product requests and product changes on approved items

Other:

Demonstrates and promotes the Conestoga WAY (Company values)
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned
Available for on call in evenings as well as Saturdays as required

Personal Development

Attend company required training
Remain current with technical knowledge in areas of responsibility
Attend regular 1:1 coaching/update sessions

Qualifications

3-5 years of work experience working as a product manager or relevant role required
2-3 years of experience in managing production timing and pricing in the meat industry is required

Understanding of commodity markets preferred
University degree in Business Administration, Finance or Mathematics required
Financial skills in order to prepare budgets, cost standards, analyze variances, etc.
Office/project management software skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Strong attention to detail
Strong Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, especially Word and Excel
Team player: maintain a positive attitude, and work collaboratively cross functionally
Proactive problem solver with a focus on continuous improvement
Strong initiative and drive to succeed

Key Competencies

Accountability and Initiative

Takes initiative and demonstrates a “do whatever it takes” work ethic to get the job done
Consistently delivers on personal targets

Service Excellence

Displays personal ownership and a sense of urgency over any issues or complaints that arise from the customer experience
Maintain an outstanding customer experience despite time pressures or obstacles

Communicating with Clarity

Verifies the meaning of messages sent by others and confirms any next steps required

Key Performance Indicators

Optimal daily production plans for assigned category
Weekly review and accountability for targeted KPI’s
Developing and executing short- and long-term pricing strategies
Ensure accurate costing, product specifications, and communication
Financial return optimized