Product Manager in Chicago, Illinois at Keltec

Summary: The Product Manager oversees KELTEC's product portfolio to drive profitable growth, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Serving as the link among Sales, Finance, Customer Service, Operations, Engineering, and Manufacturing, this role leads product development, pricing, portfolio optimization, product data, and market expansion initiatives.

Duties / Responsibilities:

• Identify and prioritize new products, line extensions, and portfolio improvements using customer needs, market trends, competitive analysis, feasibility, and business impact.
• Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, and Sales to develop, launch, and improve products.
• Develop and validate product cross-references and competitive comparisons to support product positioning, replacement opportunities, and market expansion.
• Develop pricing strategies, including list and MAP pricing where applicable; partner with Finance and Sales to evaluate costs, margins, profitability, and competitive positioning.
• Review product-line performance and recommend SKU expansion, consolidation, or discontinuation to improve profitability and operating efficiency.
• Maintain accurate product taxonomy, classifications, specifications, data sheets, and supporting documentation across company systems.
• Coordinate with internal teams to validate technical details and improve product-data integrity, accessibility, and reporting accuracy.
• Serve as a product knowledge resource for Sales and Customer Service, supporting selection, application, specification, cross-reference, and training needs.
• Provide leadership with recommendations on product strategy, portfolio gaps, market opportunities, and long-term development priorities.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Three to five years of experience in product management, product development, technical sales, or a related function, preferably involving industrial, manufacturing, distribution, or technical products.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and maintain accurate product data and documentation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience with industrial filtration, aftermarket replacement parts, ERP or product information systems, SKU rationalization, product lifecycle management, pricing analysis, technical cross-referencing, competitive analysis, and new product launches.

Key Competencies: Strategic thinking and business acumen; product and market knowledge; analytical problem-solving; cross-functional collaboration; data accuracy; continuous improvement; customer and sales support; project management and prioritization.

Key Performance Indicators: Revenue and margin growth; portfolio profitability; product-data and documentation accuracy; reduction of obsolete or redundant SKUs; expansion and accuracy of cross-references; timely completion of product initiatives; and effective support of Sales and Customer Service.