Assistant Product Manager

The Panther Group; Orange (CT); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Panther Group is seeking an Assistant Product Manager to support new product development, portfolio extensions, and lifecycle initiatives within a growing manufacturing organization.

Under Product Management, you will coordinate projects from concept through launch, collaborating with cross-functional teams to evaluate opportunities, support customer needs, and drive business growth and profitability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Management, or related field.
• 1-3 years experience in product management, development, commercialization or project coordination.
• Experience with CRM, marketing automation, or enterprise systems is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support new product development, line extensions, and commercialization from concept to launch.
• Coordinate briefs, timelines, prototypes, samples, and development deliverables.
• Track progress and help ensure milestones are achieved.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Operations and other teams.

Skills

Product management

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical skills

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing/Business

Tools

CRM

Marketing automation

MS Office

Job description

We are seeking an Assistant Product Manager to support new product development, product line extensions, commercialization, and product lifecycle initiatives within a growing manufacturing organization.

Working under the direction of Product Management, this individual will coordinate projects from concept through launch, collaborating with cross-functional teams to evaluate opportunities, support customer needs, and contribute to business growth and product profitability.

The ideal candidate is organized, analytical, collaborative, and comfortable working with both commercial and technical teams in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Support new product development, product line extensions, and commercialization initiatives from concept through launch.
• Coordinate product briefs, project timelines, prototypes, samples, and development deliverables.
• Track project progress and help ensure milestones are achieved.

Cross-Functional Project Coordination

• Collaborate with Engineering/R&D, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Operations, and other internal teams.
• Support product feasibility evaluations, development activities, and resolution of project challenges.
• Maintain project documentation, trackers, and communication to support timely execution.
• Partner with Sales teams to support customer-facing product initiatives.
• Participate in customer meetings, innovation discussions, site visits, and industry events.
• Gather and interpret customer feedback to identify potential product opportunities.

Market & Competitive Research

• Conduct market and competitive research to identify industry trends, customer needs, pricing considerations, and portfolio opportunities.
• Maintain competitive analyses, product comparisons, category matrices, and market intelligence resources.
• Identify potential gaps and opportunities within the existing product portfolio.

Financial & Business Analysis

• Prepare preliminary cost, margin, and profitability analyses to support product development decisions.
• Analyze sales, pricing, and other business data to support recommendations.
• Assist with evaluating product opportunities and their potential business impact.

Prototype, Sample & Product Information Management

• Coordinate prototypes, product samples, and competitive product samples.
• Maintain accurate product development records and historical tracking information.
• Support the organization and distribution of product information across internal teams.

Product Systems & Process Improvement

• Maintain and improve product management processes, project trackers, documentation, and checklists.
• Support the use of internal business systems to improve project visibility, consistency, and efficiency.
• Help maintain accurate product information and standard operating procedures.

Product Launch & Marketing Support

• Collaborate with Marketing and internal stakeholders on product launch activities and communications.
• Support product training, presentations, sales materials, product catalogs, and other launch resources.
• Assist with product photography, video content, and the development of application-related materials.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Management, or a related field.
• 1-3 years experience in product management, product development, commercialization, marketing, or project coordination.
• Understanding of engineering terminology or experience working with technical teams is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Experience with CRM, marketing automation, collaboration, or enterprise business systems preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret technical and financial information.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to apply mathematical and statistical concepts to forecasting and financial analysis.
• Ability to analyze complex data and draw data-driven conclusions.
• Strong organizational, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.