Associate Product Manager

The Associate Product Manager supports the development and execution of product strategies that drive brand growth, sales, profitability, and market share across channels of distribution. Working closely with the Brand Team Leader and cross-functional partners, this role helps manage products throughout their lifecycle, from concept and development through launch, in-market performance, and eventual discontinuation.

The Associate Product Manager serves as a central point of coordination for product information, timelines, samples, pricing, assortment planning, and project updates. The role combines strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and effective communication to help ensure product initiatives are delivered on time, meet business objectives, and remain aligned with the broader brand strategy. This is a hybrid role; we work on site 4 days and remotely 1 day weekly.

Product Strategy and Assortment Support

- Support the Brand Team Leader in developing and implementing product strategies across categories, channels, and consumer segments.
- Assist with the creation and maintenance of seasonal and long-range product roadmaps.
- Conduct product, consumer, competitive, and market analysis to identify trends, assortment opportunities, and potential business risks.
- Analyze sales, margin, inventory, pricing, and product performance to support assortment and lifecycle recommendations.
- Help maintain product architecture, segmentation, pricing, and channel-specific assortments.
- Support efforts to optimize the assortment, reduce unnecessary SKU proliferation, and minimize duplicate product development.
- Prepare product recommendations and supporting materials for internal reviews and leadership presentations.

Product Development and Project Management

- Coordinate product development activities in partnership with Design, Sourcing, Planning, Marketing, Sales, Ecommerce, and other business partners.
- Maintain product development calendars, project trackers, milestone dates, and action-item lists.
- Monitor projects from concept through commercialization, proactively identifying timing concerns, missing information, and potential roadblocks.
- Coordinate product specifications, samples, costing information, packaging requirements, and product-related approvals.
- Ensure product data and documentation are accurate, complete, current, and communicated to the appropriate stakeholders.
- Support costing and margin analyses for new and existing products.
- Follow up with cross-functional partners to help keep projects aligned with agreed-upon timelines, costs, quality expectations, and business objectives.

Go-to-Market Execution

- Support the go-to-market process for new product introductions, seasonal launches, and assortment updates.
- Compile and distribute product information required by Marketing, Sales, Ecommerce, Planning, and other channel partners.
- Partner with Brand Marketing and Ecommerce teams to support product storytelling, launch materials, digital content, packaging, and asset requirements.
- Assist in preparing seasonal product presentations, line reviews, pricing documents, product briefs, and selling materials.
- Help ensure launch plans accurately reflect product availability, positioning, segmentation, pricing, and channel strategy.
- Track deliverables and communicate changes that could affect launch timing or execution.

Business Analysis and Performance Management

- Prepare recurring reports and analyses related to sales, profitability, margin, inventory, forecasts, and product performance.
- Monitor new product performance and provide insights regarding opportunities, risks, and recommended actions.
- Support monthly forecasting, margin planning, and inventory review processes.
- Assist with identifying excess inventory risks and developing recommendations for product lifecycle, promotional, or liquidation strategies.
- Maintain accurate product and business information used in departmental reporting and decision-making.
- Translate data into clear findings and actionable recommendations for the Brand Team Leader and cross-functional partners.

Communication and Cross-Functional Collaboration

- Participate in weekly brand team meetings and biweekly product development meetings, providing relevant updates and documenting decisions, risks, and next steps.
- Prepare meeting materials, agendas, product status updates, and action-item recaps.
- Facilitate the consistent flow of product information across the organization to promote clarity, efficiency, and alignment.
- Build effective working relationships with Design, Sourcing, Brand Marketing, Performance Marketing, Planning, Merchandising, Sales, Ecommerce, Finance, and Operations.
- Escalate product, timing, costing, inventory, or communication concerns to the Brand Team Leader as appropriate.
- Contribute to a collaborative, transparent, and solutions-oriented team environment.

Scope of Decision-Making

- Recommends product, assortment, pricing, segmentation, and lifecycle actions based on analysis and business needs.
- Coordinates assigned product development projects and day-to-day deliverables within established strategies and approval parameters.
- Identifies and escalates material risks involving timing, cost, margin, quality, inventory, or launch readiness.
- Provides product information and analytical support to enable decisions by the Brand Team Leader and business leadership.
- Does not independently own final brand strategy, product architecture, long-range development plans, financial targets, or major assortment and pricing decisions.

Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree in Product Management, Merchandising, Marketing, Business, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- 2+ years of experience in product management, merchandising, product development, brand management, planning, sourcing, or a related consumer-products function.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales, margin, inventory, pricing, and market data.
- Demonstrated project-management and organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Ability to collaborate effectively across functions, organizational levels, and geographic regions.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with product lifecycle management, business intelligence, ERP, or project-tracking systems is preferred.
- Experience in consumer goods, travel products, accessories, retail, wholesale, or ecommerce is preferred.

Key Competencies

- Business and financial acumen
- Product and consumer orientation
- Analytical thinking
- Project coordination
- Planning and prioritization
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Clear and transparent communication
- Problem-solving
- Attention to detail
- Adaptability
- Accountability and follow-through
- Continuous improvement mindset