Product Manager in West Chicago, Illinois at BALL HORTICULTURAL COMPANY

This role is responsible for developing and executing product strategies for a defined portfolio of crops across the full product lifecycle. The Product Manager serves as a bridge between market needs and product development, working closely with breeding, production, sales, marketing, and operations teams to deliver commercially successful products. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of horticultural products, a deep passion for plants, the ability to connect customer needs with product development, and a clear communication style.

Job Responsibilities and duties

• Own the performance management of the assigned crop portfolio and provide recommendations on investment, expansion, maintenance, or discontinuation of products.
• Develop and execute product launches, including positioning, market differentiation, and go-to-market strategy, while monitoring post-launch performance and adjusting strategies as needed to align with overall business objectives and commercial goals.
• Manage product trialing activities to ensure accurate data collection, documentation (including photos and video), and reporting to support product validation, commercialization decisions, and successful market performance.
• Leverage sales performance data, trial results, and direct engagement with growers and industry stakeholders to identify market trends, customer needs, and competitive opportunities that inform product strategy and portfolio decisions.
• Evaluate the competitive positioning of assigned crops, identifying key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and areas for differentiation relative to competing offerings.
• Partner closely with breeding teams to align breeding priorities, product concepts, and development timelines with market needs, portfolio strategy, and commercial opportunities.
• Partner with production operations teams to align supply availability with commercial demand and launch timing.
• Support sales teams with product knowledge, positioning, and materials to drive successful market adoption.
• Present product information, trial results, and launch updates to internal teams, growers, and external audiences, including presentations at trade shows and industry events.

• Minimum of 5+ years of relevant experience in horticulture, product management, production, or trialing, with exposure to product development or portfolio management.
• Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture or a related field. A background in horticulture, botany, or plant science is a plus.
• Ability to understand strengths and weaknesses of Ball FloraPlant products and competitor products in relevant crops.
• Proven ability to lead, manage, support, and motivate colleagues while fostering a positive culture.
• Excellent project management skills and the ability to prioritize tasks effectively.
• Data-driven decision-making and the ability to analyze market trends are important.
• Ability to align product and portfolio decisions with business objectives while balancing internal priorities and external grower and market needs.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and comfort working with digital tools and business systems, with the ability to quickly learn new software platforms.
• Collaborates: Works cooperatively with others across the organization to achieve shared objectives
• Manages complexity: Acquires data from multiple and diverse sources when solving problems.
• Global perspective: Looks toward the broadest possible view of an issue or challenge.
• Plans and aligns: Sets objectives to align with broader organizational goals.
• Decision quality: Makes sound decisions, even in the absence of complete information.
• A genuine passion for plants is highly desirable.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds several times per day.
• Domestic and international travel of approximately 30–35% is required, depending on the needs of the role and the season.
• Ability to stand for prolonged periods in a greenhouse or during outdoor field trials.
• May be required to push or pull benches; weight requirements vary by facility.
• May be required to kneel or bend.
• Ability to work in various greenhouse conditions and outdoor elements, including heat, cold, rain, mud, and humidity (approximately 50% of the time).
• Minimal climbing and balancing required (less than 1% of the time).

Salary Range: $75k-$90k

Our promise to you

Ball is a global leader in horticulture: we develop, produce, and sell plants around the world. Our vision is to color the world through our customers. We create excitement in the world of flowers and are the first choice for service. We deliver all the best and nothing else! To you, we deliver a work environment and a culture where building long-lasting relationships internally and externally is important. We believe that good communication, sharing ideas and collaborating on projects will set us up for success. We keep both our feet on the ground and are approachable.

In addition to this we provide a comprehensive Total Rewards package that includes:

• Medical, dental, life and long-term disability insurance
• 401k/Profit Sharing Retirement Plan
• Paid time off benefits including vacation and holidays
• Tuition assistance
• An onsite subsidized café overlooking 30 acres of renowned display gardens and
• restored natural areas
• Employee Assistance Program and Positive Health programs