Product Manager (USA)

ProFound Talent Inc.; De Forest (MN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The Little Potato Company is seeking a Product Manager to lead the development and execution of a North American product roadmap, driving innovation and portfolio health across consumer and foodservice channels.

The role requires 5–7+ years in Product Management within CPG or food manufacturing, with a strong ability to translate insights into action, partner with Brand, Marketing, and Sales, and manage cross-functional projects through commercialization.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing product portfolios and lifecycles.
• Ability to translate consumer insights into product plans and initiatives.
• Strong collaboration with Brand and Insights teams to inform decisions.

Responsibilities

• Execute the product roadmap and portfolio priorities aligned with strategy.
• Partner with Brand and Insights teams to understand consumer needs and opportunities.
• Develop data-driven recommendations for product enhancements and positioning.
• Monitor portfolio performance and key business metrics to improve value and growth.
• Lead product and packaging innovation from concept to commercialization and manage the development pipeline.

Skills

Product management

Cross-functional collaboration

Market research

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing/Product Management or Food Science

Job description

For a complete job description, please visit: Product Manager - Profound Talent

THE ORGANIZATION

Our client, The Little Potato Company, began its journey in 1996 with the owners (Jacob and Angela – father and daughter) wanting to be able to produce little creamer potatoes, like what Jacob knew from his Dutch roots. They grew their first acre by hand; planting, weeding, harvesting, and washing it themselves. They then packed them into the back of Angela’s hatchback, setting off to farmers markets and restaurants. The potatoes were popular with chefs early on, with one of their first accounts being the Banff Springs Hotel. Jacob and Angela bought their first plant in 2000 and with their continued success, have expanded to increasingly larger facilities over the years with their new state of the art facility located just outside of Edmonton in Nisku. With further expansion and growth across Canada and into the United States, LPC partnered with a co-packing plant in PEI and opened a second production plant in DeForest, Wisconsin. Today, Angela leads the organization as CEO and Jacob runs a research and breeding company for little potatoes. The Little Potato Company has grown to have products on store shelves in every Province in Canada and State in the United States and operates with over 360 employees across Canada and the United States.

For further information on The Little Potato Company, please visit their website at www.littlepotatoes.com.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Product Manager is accountable for the development and execution of The Little Potato Company’s product roadmap across North America to ensure the organization delivers the right products and packaging solutions to the right consumer and customer segments. This role is responsible for identifying, evaluating, developing, commercializing, optimizing, and managing products throughout their lifecycle to support business growth, profitability, and category leadership.

The Product Manager translates consumer insights, market opportunities, and business objectives into actionable product plans and innovation initiatives. Through hands-on management of the product roadmap and innovation pipeline, the role leads product and packaging innovation and renovation projects from concept through commercialization, partnering across the organization to drive alignment, remove barriers, and ensure successful execution.

The Product Manager is accountable for managing portfolio performance throughout the product lifecycle, supporting successful commercialization efforts, identifying opportunities to optimize products, strengthen portfolio performance, and drive continuous growth.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities for this position include, but not limited to, the following:

• Execute the product roadmap and portfolio priorities in alignment with the overall product and business strategy.
• Partner with Brand and Insights teams to understand consumer needs, trends, behaviors, and unmet opportunities that inform product decisions.
• Develop data-driven recommendations for product enhancements, repositioning, renovation, rationalization, phase-out, or discontinuation.
• Monitor portfolio performance and key business metrics, identifying opportunities to improve consumer value, commercial performance, and portfolio health.
• Apply consumer, market, competitive, and performance data to inform recommendations and ensure alignment with brand positioning and business objectives.
• Support annual planning processes by providing portfolio insights, product recommendations, and innovation opportunities.
• Lead product and packaging innovation and renovation initiatives from concept through commercialization.
• Manage the innovation pipeline, including idea generation, evaluation, prioritization, and progression through the development process.
• Serve as the marketing lead for assigned product development projects, ensuring alignment across cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Lead stage-gate activities and project reviews, ensuring key deliverables and business requirements are completed on schedule.
• Partner with Consumer Insights and Brand teams to conduct concept testing, product validation, market research, and consumer testing activities.
• Develop and execute commercialization and go-to-market plans in partnership with Sales, Brand, and Marketing teams.
• Lead marketing support for Foodservice product launches, product expansions, and channel-specific innovation initiatives.
• Conduct post-launch and post-test analyses to evaluate performance, identify learnings, and recommend actions to improve future launch success.

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Build and maintain effective working relationships with cross-functional stakeholders to support the successful delivery of product and packaging initiatives.
• Partner with business leaders and functional teams to ensure product roadmap priorities, innovation projects, and commercialization activities align with business objectives.
• Facilitate stakeholder alignment on project goals, requirements, timelines, risks, and key decisions throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Proactively identify and elevate risks, dependencies, and resource constraints that may impact project success.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Communication

• Coordinate cross-functional activities to ensure product and packaging initiatives progress effectively from concept through commercialization.
• Lead regular project meetings and working sessions to align stakeholders, track progress, and address challenges.
• Establish and maintain effective communication plans that provide clear visibility into project status, milestones, risks, decisions, and next steps.
• Ensure stakeholder requirements and feedback are incorporated into project planning and execution where appropriate.
• Serve as a central point of contact for assigned product initiatives, ensuring consistent communication and alignment across the organization.

FIRST YEAR – MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Develop and formalize the food service product innovation roadmap, partnering with cross functional teams to define capabilities, timelines, and development milestones aligned with the organization's growth strategy.
• Successfully launch one new food service product and one new retail product during the 2027 calendar year, achieving agreed-upon launch, market, and commercial objectives.
• Manage day to day execution of the product portfolio,partnering cross functionally to deliver commercialization, product changes, and continuous improvements.

THE INDIVIDUAL

Given the pivotal role this individual will be expected to play in achieving the strategic objectives of the company and in supporting the success of the organization, it is essential that the successful candidate possess the following experience and attributes:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Product Management, Food Science (Research & Development), or a related discipline with the ideal candidate having a strong foundation in market research, product strategy, and analytical decision-making.
• Consideration will be given to candidates with experience in Research & Development within the food industry, particularly those with exposure to product portfolio management, commercialization, and innovation.
• An MBA or other advanced business degree would be considered an asset.

Experience

• 5 - 7+ years of progressive experience in Product Management, Brand Management, Innovation, Marketing, or a related field, preferably within the consumer-packaged goods (CPG), food manufacturing, produce, or agricultural sectors.
• Experience managing product portfolios and product lifecycles, including the development and execution of product roadmaps, innovation initiatives, and commercialization plans.
• Experience leading complex product and packaging launches from concept through commercialization in a cross-functional environment.
• Demonstrated ability to influence, build alignment, and work effectively across cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience working with external suppliers, packaging vendors, co-manufacturers, or service providers to support product development and commercialization activities is considered an asset.

COMPENSATION

An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.

LOCATION

DeForest, Wisconsin, USA. Remote candidates will be considered conditional on working MST operating hours.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

In office or remote as a consideration, with flexibility.

TRAVEL

This position is based in the USA, with occasional travel required to company facilities, customer meetings, conferences, or industry events within Canada and the United States. Estimated travel is 10-20%. A valid driver’s license and passport are required.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

ProFound Talent is a woman owned and operated business, recognized and certified by Women Business Enterprise (WBE). We pride ourselves in supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives in our recruitment processes and in our work environment, where every individual feels valued and respected. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals to which you may confidentially share your accommodation needs at time of application. We will adjust our processes to ensure you have an inclusive, fair, and respectful experience that allows you to represent yourself in your unique and most authentic way.