Category Manager

Benchmade Knife Company, Inc; Oregon City (OR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Benchmade Knife Company, Inc in Oregon City seeks a strategic Category Manager to own one or more product categories, shaping long-term strategy, portfolio, and profitability. You will lead a cross-functional team of engineers and designers, translate customer insights into products, and drive launches that grow market share.

You will coach and develop talent, partner with Brand, Marketing, Sales, Operations, and Finance, and balance innovation with lifecycle management to deliver results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.
• 5+ years in Product, Category, or Product Line Management.
• 2+ years of direct people leadership.
• Demonstrated P&L ownership, budgeting, forecasting, and executive presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Own long-term category strategy for one or more categories.
• Develop rolling 3-year category plans and product roadmaps.
• Own category P&L, budgets, forecasts, pricing, and investment priorities.
• Present category strategy and financial performance to leadership.
• Serve as the primary voice of the customer.
• Lead customer research, field engagement, and competitive analysis.
• Translate customer needs into product strategy and validated opportunities.
• Lead products from concept through end-of-life.
• Partner with Innovation and Advanced Prototyping to pull future technologies and capabilities into the category.
• Balance innovation, lifecycle management, and commercial performance.
• Directly lead their team of engineers and designers.
• Coach, develop, recruit, and evaluate team members.
• Create an accountable, collaborative, high‑performing culture.
• Partner with Brand, Marketing, E-commerce, Sales, Operations, Finance, and Supply Chain.
• Ensure successful commercialization and launch execution.
• Measures of Success: Commercial performance (revenue, margin, P&L).
• Customer satisfaction and validated customer insight.
• Successful product launches and portfolio health.
• Team development and cross-functional leadership.

Skills

Product management

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA preferred

Job description

We are people powered — by makers, problem-solvers, and leaders who elevate everything they do. Guided by our core values and a relentless pursuit of better, we continue to set the bar for premium.

Core Values

ELEVATE EVERYTHING

We each bring a specific set of skills to the table, offering up our expertise and resources to enhance the work of others. We challenge each other to be the best in order to achieve enduring value in the eyes of our customers.

BETTER IS BETTER

There is no finish line; we strive for continuous improvement in everything we do. We obsess over every detail to find ways to improve both our products and our process.

UNAPOLOGETICALLY ACCOUNTABLE

We’re open and honest in how we speak and listen. We celebrate each other’s successes, and collectively rally to solve every challenge. We own it!

COURAGEOUS INNOVATION

There are elegant ideas awaiting discovery in everything we do. We push everyone around us to pursue those ideas openly so we can continue to dominate the category.

COMMUNITY DRIVEN

As a family business, we understand the importance of enriching the communities we call home. As a company, and as individuals, we work to make our expertise available to do the most good for those around us.

Job Summary

The Category Manager serves as the business and product leader for one or more assigned product categories. They own category strategy, customer understanding, product portfolio, commercialization, and category P&L while their team of engineers and designers. They balance strategic leadership with hands‑on product management and determine what products Benchmade builds—and why. Category Managers are the company's foremost experts in their categories. They advocate for customers, translate insight into products, create demand for future technologies through innovation and prototyping, and are accountable for both business results and product execution.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Category Leadership

• Own long-term category strategy for one or more categories.
• Develop rolling 3-year category plans and product roadmaps.
• Own category P&L, budgets, forecasts, pricing, and investment priorities.
• Present category strategy and financial performance to leadership.

Customer & Market Leadership

• Serve as the primary voice of the customer.
• Lead customer research, field engagement, and competitive analysis.
• Translate customer needs into product strategy and validated opportunities.

Product & Innovation Leadership

• Lead products from concept through end-of-life.
• Partner with Innovation and Advanced Prototyping to pull future technologies and capabilities into the category.
• Balance innovation, lifecycle management, and commercial performance.

People Leadership

• Directly lead their team of engineers and designers.
• Coach, develop, recruit, and evaluate team members.
• Create an accountable, collaborative, high‑performing culture.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Brand, Marketing, E-commerce, Sales, Operations, Finance, and Supply Chain.
• Ensure successful commercialization and launch execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.
• 5+ years in Product, Category, or Product Line Management.
• 2+ years of direct people leadership.
• Demonstrated P&L ownership, budgeting, forecasting, and executive presentation skills.

Working Conditions

• Primarily on-site leadership role with hybrid flexibility as business needs allow.
• Office-based with regular interaction across Design, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, Sales, and executive leadership.
• Travel as required (typically less than 10%).

Measures of Success

• Commercial performance (revenue, margin, P&L).
• Customer satisfaction and validated customer insight.
• Successful product launches and portfolio health.
• Team development and cross-functional leadership.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Benchmade Knife Company, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Benchmade complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, benefits, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity, please see this government poster: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.