Product Commercialization & Launch Lead

Farmers Union Industries, LLC; Mitchell (SD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

PTO

Paid holidays

401K match

Job summary

Performance Pet Products is opening a new position at Farmers Union Industries, LLC to serve as a bridge between Sales, R&D, Operations, and the customer, owning the flow from product development through commercialization and launch.

They manage the commercialization workflow and R&D hopper, keep customers aligned on orders and forecasts, and drive follow-up across teams so projects keep moving and Sales can focus on winning and growing business.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; bachelor's preferred in business, project management, food science, or supply chain.
• 3+ years in project management, account support, customer service, commercialization, manufacturing, or product development.
• Strong organization and follow-through with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with customers and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain new product development and commercialization workflow forms, checklists, timelines, and status updates
• Manage the R&D Hopper with Sales and R&D; identify projects approaching commercialization and ensure clear handoffs, owners, and next steps
• Serve as the primary coordination point between Sales, R&D, QA, Procurement, Operations, and customers as products move toward launch
• Drive follow-up on commercialization requirements including customer approvals, packaging and artwork, pricing, documentation, trials, ERP setup, and launch readiness
• Follow up with customer accounts on order status, upcoming needs, forecasts, launch timing, and open action items
• Communicate customer forecasts and demand changes to Sales and plant planning teams to support production and material planning
• Support Sales with account administration, customer communication, project follow-through, and preparation needed to achieve account and commission goals
• Maintain accurate customer, product, launch, and account information in applicable systems and shared files
• Identify delays, missing information, and unclear ownership early; coordinate resolution with the appropriate team member
• Support new product trials, first production runs, customer launches, and post-launch follow-up as needed
• Maintain regular and predictable on-site attendance
• Travel as needed to support customers, launches, and business needs
• Situations may arise that require employees to temporarily or permanently assume responsibility for tasks not specifically outlined in this job description.

Skills

Project management

Customer service

Cross-functional coordination

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business

Bachelor's in Food Science

Supply chain degree

Tools

ERP systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Performance Pet Products is opening a new position at Farmers Union Industries, LLC to serve as a bridge between Sales, R&D, Operations, and the customer, owning the flow from product development through commercialization and launch.

They manage the commercialization workflow and R&D hopper, keep customers aligned on orders and forecasts, and drive follow-up across teams so projects keep moving and Sales can focus on winning and growing business.