Associate Product Manager

Location: Markham, Ontario

**Job Description**:
This role is to monitor the product development process to ensure the on-strategy and timely delivery of new products and updates to existing products. The APM will also support the development of product plans. Under the supervision of the Product Manager, the Associate Product Manager, Private Brands will have the opportunity to own end-to-end product launch from ideation through commercialization for a reduced portfolio. This customer (DPL) and product obsessed role will utilize a wide range of data to identify new product development opportunities to improve sales, penetration, and profitability.

Essential

**Responsibilities**:
Product
- Help identify & develop new Private Brand opportunities & line extensions.
- Responsible for master label copy creation.
- Support the PM in the development of a strategic product plan which meets or exceed category financial objectives.
- Act as a liaison between the project team and design team.
- Support the PM in chairing kick-off meetings to ensure team alignment to the project strategy by gathering information and samples.
- Manage, maintain product adherence to brand positioning, brand guardrails, and customer value proposition to drive brand loyalty and equity.
- Assist in the development of rationale and business cases for new product development including financial feasibility, supplier selection, product and packaging features, sales projections, pricing recommendations, marketing, merchandising and promotions.

Project Management
- Develop project timelines.
- Monitor the development and execution process to ensure on
- time and on-strategy delivery of new products and updates to existing products.
- Manage the critical path for all active projects and report on project status.

Vendor Management
- Support the PM in chairing project kick-off meetings with the vendor/sourcing agent. Develop vendor-specific timelines and communicate all the information a vendor will require to support the on-time delivery of a project, as well as understand Pet Valu critical path milestones.

Collaboration
- Assist and capture meeting minutes during bi-weekly category management meetings.
- Chair weekly team meetings with the team to review the status of projects and help develop solutions to barriers/project delays.
- Work in collaboration with Category Managers & Associate Category Managers to understand category strategy and set appropriate product strategies and roadmaps to maximize private label penetration, market share, sales volume & profitability of assigned product categories.
- Participate in department meetings to develop strategies, troubleshoot, and actively pursue innovative items, ingredients, and packaging ideas.
- Develop strong working relationships with key stakeholders including Category Management, Supply Chain, Allocation and Marketing to ensure effective collaboration and execution of Private Brand strategies and plans.

Reporting
- Utilize available financial & management information systems to monitor sales results and other reporting as required.

Skills, Experience, Education, Certifications
- Well-developed project management skills are essential.
- Strong time management skills and problem-solving skills.
- Strong work ethic with a passion for detail and accuracy
- Private Brands experience with a retailer is a plus.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written
- Adept at working cross-functionally and collaboratively.
- Comfortable in a fast-paced environment.
- Willingness to roll up sleeves and get things done.
- Strong analytical skills an asset.
- Ability to multi-task and prioritize with a high sense of urgency.
- Possess the ability to connect with the merchandising organization and be able to convert opportunities into practical business strategies.
- Proactive thinker and doer - anticipate issues before they arise, has a strong pride of ownership to see projects through end to end.
- Relevant post-secondary education.

Competencies
- Customer Focus
Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and
gains their trust and respect.
- Business Acumen
Knows how businesses work; knowledgeable in current and possible future policies, practices, trends, and information affecting their business and organization; knows the competition; is aware of how strategies and tactics work in the marketplace.
- Planning
Accurately scopes out length and difficulty of tasks and projects; sets objectives and goals; breaks down work into the process steps; develops schedules and task/people assignments; anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks; measures performance against goals; evaluates results.
- Problem Solving
Uses rigorous logic and metho