Assistant Product Manager (Toronto Hybrid)

HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin Enterprises ULC; Toronto, Cardinal; Hybrid; CAD 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in the romance publishing sector is seeking an Assistant Product Manager to join their dynamic New Product team. This role offers an exciting opportunity to leverage data-driven insights to shape product strategies and enhance brand presence in the North American market. As a key contributor, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop compelling product offerings and ensure alignment with market trends. If you are passionate about books and have a knack for strategic thinking, this position could be your next great adventure!

Benefits

Summer Hours

Hybrid work

Paid time off

Flexible benefit plans

Pension matching

Access to free/discounted books

Qualifications

• Minimum two years experience in a product management environment.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret sales and market data.

Responsibilities

• Analyze sales data to inform strategic acquisitions and increase profitability.
• Develop and execute product line strategy focusing on brand equity.

Skills

Data Analysis

Market Research

Project Management

Communication Skills

Microsoft Office Suite

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing or Business Administration

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Overview

Company: Harlequin Enterprises ULC

Date: April 23, 2025

Job Title: Assistant Product Manager

Department: Harlequin Brand Group, New Product team

Reporting To: Product Manager

Status: Regular Full Time

Location: 22 Adelaide Street West, Toronto (hybrid)

Do you believe in romance ever after? We do!

For over 75 years, Harlequin is the leading romance brand with a loyal fan-following all over the world. We’re the romance experts! Our New Product team is bringing our coziest, monster-iest, darkest, rom-com-iest diverse-est, and often spiciest titles yet to new readers.

Reporting to the Product Manager, the Assistant Product Manager will be a key member of the Harlequin Brand Group working specifically within the Harlequin New Product team.

Responsibilities

This role involves:

Data-driven decision making

• On a weekly basis, explores sales and market data to provide meaningful insights and action steps to inform strategic acquisitions and increase profitability.
• Analyzes results across multiple KPIs from multiple data sources to understand short- and long-term performance trends, developing insights and recommending actions (e.g., acquisitions, pricing adjustments).
• Identifies areas where additional insights are needed and liaises with data science and sales teams to investigate further.

Strategy development & execution

• Develops and executes short- to medium-term product line strategy with product development team members, focusing on brand equity and author growth in print and digital channels for the North American market.
• Collaborates with art and editorial teams to create compelling, relatable, and saleable packaging for each title within a series, ensuring execution on brand, on positioning, and on time.
• Maintains deep knowledge of editorial content and range to collaborate with editors, ensuring books align with imprint strategy and are creatively positioned to target audience segments.
• Communicates product strategy and results to key stakeholders—up to the VP level—to secure buy-in on goals, strategy, and tactics.

Multi-stakeholder project management & influence

• Demonstrates strong self-sufficiency and accountability across multiple priorities and deadlines, coordinating various stakeholder groups to ensure successful execution.
• Applies intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) to create story-driven presentations and to manipulate and visualize data effectively.
• Leverages clear and concise communication skills to influence outcomes and align cross-functional stakeholders toward shared goals.

Ownership of market awareness

• Maintains ongoing awareness of the competitive, author, and consumer landscapes (romance and broader categories), identifying trends, validating opportunities, and adapting imprint strategy accordingly.

What’s In It For You?

• Summer Hours from late May to early September
• Hybrid work
• Paid time off days and vacation allotment, starting at three weeks
• Flexible benefit plans to fit your needs and pension matching
• Author events and access to free/discounted books

Qualifications

We are looking for an avid reader who resourcefully tackles challenges, loves staying in the know about books, and rallies teams with gusto. You are a Business, Marketing or Business Administration graduate with a minimum of two years working experience in a product management environment.