hand2mind ยท 8 hours ago
Associate Product Manager, Hardlines
Vernon Hills, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Entry Level
$70K/yr - $80K/yr
1+ years expHand2mind is a family-owned company that creates engaging educational materials for children. The Associate Product Manager will oversee the development of educational products and toys, managing a product portfolio from concept to market launch while collaborating with cross-functional teams and overseas manufacturers.
Publishing
Responsibilities
Manage 5-12 new products through the product life cycle, from ideation to market launch, ensuring products align with our educational mission and meet quality standards
Products will include items available to all customers as well as custom items for specific customers
Take responsibility for project management tasks, including tracking key milestone dates, to ensure efficient project execution
Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including editorial, industrial design, creative, sales, custom solutions, and marketing, to bring innovative educational products to market on time and within budget
Work with vendors to quote products, negotiate prices, and determine delivery schedules to meet product launch goals
Support market research efforts by gathering data, customer feedback, and conducting competitor analysis to identify opportunities, trends, and insights that inform product strategy
Identify competitors, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and assess market trends
Organize, participate, and lead product testing for new concepts
Participate in data maintenance projects utilizing Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) and product related spreadsheets
Work closely with Sales and Marketing on key sample requests for customer meetings, photoshoots, video shoots, trade shows, etc
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's Degree required
1-3 years of consumer product development experience or 3-5 years working with children (i.e. PreK-5 education, speech language pathology, etc.)
Excellent organization, presentation, and communication skills (both written and verbal)
Creative mindset with entrepreneurial spirit who thinks outside the box
Able to meet multiple, challenging deadlines and work within budgets
Comfortable with analyzing basic financial data for assigned categories and to make recommendations that support overall brand/product goals
Excellent at solving problems creatively and/or knowing when to seek help
Proficient in Microsoft Office
Able to effectively communicate with key stakeholders including colleagues, executive team, vendors, and customers
Benefits
Profit sharing bonus potential
401k matching
A variety of other benefits
Company
hand2mind
We believe in the power of learning by doing: that hands-on learning engages children, deepens their understanding, and provides them with the confidence they need to reach their fullest potential.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Rick Woldenberg
Chairman/CEO
Company data provided by crunchbase