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First Quality · 5 hours ago

Product Development Manager - Absorbent Hygiene

Lewistown, PA

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level

7+ years exp

First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown significantly over the past 35 years, producing high-quality personal care and household products. They are seeking a Product Development Manager for Absorbent Hygiene, responsible for developing and introducing new products while collaborating with various teams to meet customer needs and market demands.

ConsumerHealth CareInformation ServicesManufacturingRetail

Hiring Manager

Kathy Thompson

Responsibilities

Leads a cross-functional team to plan, develop, and implement product improvements and new product introductions from Operations through to the Marketplace

Investigates new technologies (materials & equipment) and their applicability to absorbent products

Works with Marketing to plan, conduct, analyze, and interpret consumer/market research studies

Plans, conducts, analyzes, and interprets product use tests to benchmark competitive product performance

Works with Patent/Trademark attorney on intellectual property considerations (patentability, infringement searches, right-to-market reviews, etc.)

Prepares preliminary product costing for new products

Provides market-intelligence to corporation (patents/trademarks/industry news/etc)

Benchmarks competitive products and develops strategies to maintain effective advantages

Conduct periodic review of technology patents, industry trademarks, as well as keeping abreast of new product introductions into the category

Develop new products from concept through commercialization. Comprise initial specifications developed in collaboration with customers, concept demonstrations, product/process development steps, scale up and final spec for product and process acceptance by customers

Work in a close collaboration with Business unit, Engineering, Marketing and Operations to identify opportunities for new products and improvements to current products

Work closely with customers’ and suppliers’ technical staff and present to them our appropriate technical capabilities

Work with Engineering, Process and Quality Assurance teams to optimize the technical and economic performance of existing products

Maintain extensive contacts with material suppliers to allow development of new raw materials and optimize the performance of current raw materials

Maintain contacts with academic institutions and outside labs to augment the technical capabilities of First Quality

Qualification

Product developmentAbsorbent hygiene productsCross-functional team leadershipMarket researchStatistical analysisDesign of ExperimentsPatent knowledgeMicrosoft OfficeMinitabCustomer interactionProject managementProblem-solving

Required

Minimum of a bachelor's degree in engineering or science; MS preferred

Knowledge of absorbent hygiene markets, products, competition, consumers, trends, etc

Knowledge and use of Probability and Statistical Inference

Knowledge and use of Design of Experiments

Knowledge and use of Patents/Trademarks, especially with regards to absorbent products and materials

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions

Ability to develop and organize multiple projects

Ability to manage and lead a diverse, cross-functional team of professionals to deliver against key objectives and timelines

Ability to assess process and raw material impacts on product performance and consumer satisfaction

Ability to interact with customers on all levels in both technical and sales capacities

Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, Minitab, as well as other office systems

Able to travel domestic and international to manufacturing plants, conferences, suppliers for product and process trials, customer meetings and other business

Preferred

Minimum of 7 years of product development related absorbent hygiene products industry experience preferred, preferably in adult incontinence hygiene products