Associate Product Manager

Job Details Plant 11 - Mocksville, NC SalaryDescription The Associate Product Manager partners with the Product Director, Operations & Sales to define the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition for products and/or product lines. They are the champion of a product and lead cross-functional teams from a product's conception through to its launch. Strong thought leadership is required, coupled with strong communication skills.    What You’ll Do  Product Strategy & Market Insight:  Become the product category expert for the larger Decorative Surfaces offering of the Genesis-Funder offering, including TFL, HPL, 2D/3D foils, edgebanding, printed papers.   Supporting to translate voice of customer (VOC) inputs, buying behavior, and perceived value into clear product requirements and business cases.  Build and maintain a competitive and trend radar—pricing, décor direction, texture, format, and sustainability claims; track competitor launches/discontinuations and identify gaps.  Product Development Process:  Drive projects through the Product Development Process (PDP).  Own cross-functional timelines (SharePoint tasks), risks, and decision logs; ensure samples, data sheets, marketing assets, and SKU setup are complete for launch.  Participate in the Commercialization Strategy efforts with Sales/Marketing to accelerate adoption, distributor onboarding, training, and A&D specification pull-through.  Décor Stewardship & Color/Finish Integrity:  Serve as a steward of the décor/decorative surface offering: manage collections, families, and cross-material matches.  Review color/texture matches across substrates; provide actionable feedback to suppliers and internal teams for color accuracy across surfaces.  Ability to pass a color-acuity assessment (e.g., Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue or similar).  Business & Portfolio Management:  Monitor and track lifecycle performance (adoption, spec wins, service levels, returns); drive cost-outs and SKU rationalization while protecting market coverage.  Manage vendor programs within the Genesis-Funder portfolio; coordinate qualification, quality, and commercial terms.  Field, Customer & Spec Engagement:  Partner with Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) on opportunity reviews, line reviews, spec packages, and conversion playbooks.  Maintain a sample and literature library; ensure fast, accurate sampling to the A&D community and key OEMs.  Attend relevant trade shows/events to identify trends and gather VOC; present product stories tailored to each audience.  Required Qualifications:  BS degree (Business, Engineering, Materials/Design, or related).  3–6 years in product management/marketing or adjacent industrial/commercial role (surfaces, laminates, furniture, millwork, building materials, or adjacent preferred).  Demonstrated project ownership within a stage-gate or PDP environment; on-time delivery of cross-functional milestones.  Strong analytical skills (advanced Excel or equivalent) for business cases, margin/cost modeling, and forecasting.  Excellent communication—able to distill complex technical and commercial info for executives, sales, and specifiers.  Detail orientation under speed; organized and process-driven with comfort in fast-paced environments.  Color acuity sufficient to evaluate décor/finish matches (willing to complete a color-vision test).  Qualifications Preferred Qualifications:  Experience with decorative surfaces (TFL, HPL, 2D/3D foils, edge banding) or related engineered materials.  Familiarity with OEM, Distributor, and A&D go-to-market motions and specification cycles.  Hands-on with PLM/ERP systems (expected to learn Genesis ERP) and collaboration tools (SharePoint, Teams).  High proficiency in shared assets for collaborative efforts (includes Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)  Exposure to testing/qualification methods for laminated surface products.  Experience building commercialization plans with cross functional teams.  Traits That Win Here:  Resourceful, curious, data-driven; comfortable with ambiguity.  Customer-back mindset with strong partnering skills across Sales, Marketing, Ops, and suppliers.  Creative problem-solver who can balance décor design nuance with product line performance.  Success Metrics (First 12 Months):  Driving the Product Development Process delivering with on time commercialization assigned projects.  Launch readiness: Supporting Sales and Marketing in Commercialization efforts (samples, tech data, sell-in tools) within launch readiness timeline.  Competitive program maintained and tracked quarterly with insight summaries to leadership.  Work Environment:  Travel up to 20–30% to plants, suppliers, customers, and trade shows.  This role interfaces daily with Operations, Sales, Engineering, and Marketing.