Associate Product Manager

Why join us? Our purpose is to design for the good of humankind. It’s the ideal we strive toward each day in everything we do. Being a part of MillerKnoll means being a part of something larger than your work team, or even your brand. We are redefining modern for the 21st century. And our success allows MillerKnoll to support causes that align with our values, so we can build a more sustainable, equitable, and beautiful future for everyone.Associate Product ManagerJob descriptionJob title: Associate Product ManagerDepartment: APAC Product Management Locations: Herman Miller IndiaCandidate description A graduate with 36-48 months experience with the desire to build a career in an innovative and high performing business overseeing a brand held in high esteem by the furniture industry. We will also consider those with good A level grades supported by 18 – 24 Months experience. Experience gained from a sandwich degree will be considered.Purpose of the jobTo provide critical support for the development and growth of the relevant Herman Miller portfolio, and support the offer management team to ensure that this product line achieves its objectives in terms of sales volume and profitability.The job title is ‘Associate Product Manager' and the role covers the same basic activities and responsibilities as a Product Manager, but with training and coaching on the job. It’s an excellent opportunity for someone with 18-24 months experience in a marketing, finance or product role to gain experience and develop in a central, cross-functional position.Specific responsibilities New product introduction. Support new product launches, working with the relevant Product manager(s), developing a business case and leading the introduction of those products, including vocabulary definition and PDM/EOS/CET setup. Product expertise. Intimate knowledge of the products within your portfolio, to ensure that you can speak with authority about them, and provide technical or sales support where necessary. This covers technical information (construction/materials), standards conformance, vocabulary information, CMF, pricing, margins, inventory policy, competitive products, market statistics etc. Maintenance activities. Responsible for accuracy and availability of information concerning allocated portfolio available to the international sales team and dealer community Project/dealer support. Supports sales activity - particularly in the case of major projects. Also involved in discussions with major clients on product or service issues. Communications. Associate Product manager works with Marketing Communications team to define requirements for their projects. They are responsible for checking and approving all such communications activity under supervision from the Product Manager. Competition. Detailed knowledge of competitive products for benchmarking exercises and to help you develop sales arguments against the competition, both in terms of the products and their price/value relationships.Resource management Financial: Prepare capital approval requests resulting from business plans. Work with communication and sales colleagues on marketing budgets. Associate Product Manager Job Des.doc 3 Mar 2017Human: Good interpersonal skills. Able to work within multi-disciplinary teams of people on development, cost-saving and product maintenance projects.Contacts and relationshipsInternal contacts:PDM teamEngineeringSalesMarketing/WebFinanceOperations/PurchasingR&DITProduct Management EMEAProduct Management USAExternal contacts:DealersCustomersSuppliersCompetitorsIndustry associationsPerson profileEducation and experienceEssential: Degree or equivalent qualification in any relevant discipline. Preferred: At least 4 years experience in industry. Experience relating to the office furniture industry. Knowledge of AutoCAD is preferable.Competencies Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills.Highly competent with Microsoft Office applications including Excel and PowerPoint.Comfortable working as part of a team of professionals.Able to manage multiple projects and prioritise.Able to write English clearly and concisely.Able to articulate own thoughts clearly and persuade others.Able to lead decision making meetings without the formal structural authority. Able to contribute to strategic direction/development.Able to complete regular tactical tasks with accuracy and timeliness.Be flexible over working hours and be prepared to travel occasionally.Characteristics Is inquisitive.Thinks logically and conceptually.Has confidence and ‘presence’ to command attention and respect outside own department.Willing to accept challenges, make decisions and take responsibility for results.Has patience and persistence to work through temporary set-backs or rejection.