Position Description
Associate Product Manager for Conventional Processing & Embedding
General Position Summary
Under the close direction of the Senior Product Manager and Workflow Productivity Strategist, integrates and coordinates tactical and strategic marketing plans for assigned products. This includes but is not limited to product improvement, promotion, assisting in field demonstrations, pricing, and forecasting.
Is responsible for managing the Essential / Advanced Tissue Processing (VIP series) and Embedding (TEC series) instruments, their accessories and consumables, from a product management perspective (upstream marketing) and product marketing perspective (downstream marketing).
Essential Job Functions
Product Management and Marketing Activities
- Exhibits a strong understanding of histopathology, especially tissue processing and embedding.
- Plans, develops, designs, and implements all aspects of product management and marketing related to assigned products.
- Supports a team of field sales and applications product specialists with product training, product support, information, collateral, and programs to drive revenue and strategic objectives.
- Coordinates and oversees agencies and vendors to achieve objectives of product-related projects.
- Conducts market research, including voice of customer surveys, and collects market intelligence to identify customer needs and product potential.
- Defines product specifications and product enhancement specifications for assigned product lines.
- Researches, reports, and recommends new products to add to the portfolio.
- Designs and manages customer evaluations, beta testing and controlled releases for new products.
- Works in cross-functional teams including employees and/or customers developing, launching and nurturing products.
- Develops proposal for innovation of new products, new applications, new utilization, and improvements.
- Has an active role in projects and activities performed by the marketing team.
Planning and Administration Activities
- Develops and implements market launch plans to achieve sales and profit objectives.
- Provides marketing input for product development processes and documents in FDIS, MDIS and URS.
- Provides a monthly forecast for assigned products and identifies needs for actions and/or marketing campaigns.
- Studies and advises pricing policies to achieve profit objectives.
- Manages product-related expense budget and controls spending to maximize return on investment.
- Maintains technical information and competition information.
Information Management & Reporting Activities
- Coordinates information and provides expertise and education to both internal and external personnel, including distributors, Sakura Finetek Japan (SFJ), and Sakura Finetek Europe (SFE) personnel.
- Collects, interprets, evaluates, and summarizes information to report to top management and assist with the decision-making process.
- Plans, coordinates, and prepares various reports, surveys, research information, and any special informational requests by Company management.
- Reports all critical business decisions, risks, and strategy plans or changes to his/her manager.
Quality/Business Systems Activities
- Ensures that the Quality & Business Systems Activities are defined and deployed and actively seeks continuous improvement opportunities.
- Follows up on action items requested by his/her manager and supports resolution of quality issues.
- Reviews business metrics, business opportunities, and quality improvements.
- Initiates preventive action based on improvement opportunities or trends identified during Leadership Review meetings.
- Initiates and/or drives actions to advance market adoption of responsible product lines.
Communications Management Competency
- Regularly communicates progress reports and other appropriate information about projects or tasks to his/her manager.
- Manages communication with stakeholders through organized processes to ensure product marketing information is accurate, defined, collected, shared, understood, stored, and retrieved to meet project and stakeholder needs.
- Follows processes to ensure clear and effective two-way communication.
- Utilizes communication mechanisms appropriate to audience, urgency, and message.
- Manages stakeholder expectations.
- Works with customers in creating positive external communications, including publications, references, proof sources, and testimonials.
- Documents, communicates, and stores lessons learned in an appropriate repository.
Business Acumen Competency
- Applies knowledge, insights, and understanding of product management financials to benefit project decisions, actions, and performance.
- Supports product management performance goals and objectives with the organization’s performance goals and objectives.
- Meets or exceeds profit objectives such as ROI.
- Applies appropriate business analysis techniques such as return on investment, business cases, trade studies, and cost as an independent variable.
- Makes business recommendations in a timely and effective manner.
- Follows appropriate cost accounting practices.
- Analyzes environment such as political situations, industries, and competitors to achieve project and company objectives.
Other Activities
- Contributes to continuous improvement of departmental work processes, research procedures, administrative procedures, etc.
- Keeps up to date on industry-related and competitive information by attending meetings, conferences, and conventions, reading industry journals, and talking to contacts in the industry.
- Coordinates with Sales, R&D, Instrument Service, Customer Operations, and Technical Support Department personnel and global product marketing teams to solve problems.
- Assists product development personnel with product development as required.
- Assists in business-related activities of Sakura Finetek.
- Performs special projects and other miscellaneous duties as assigned.
Essential Job Requirements
Education
- Certification/registration: HT (ASCP), QIHC(ASCP), MT(ASCP) preferred
- Bachelor's degree (B.A. or B.S.) or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience & Minimum Qualifications
- Two (2) years of marketing experience in the clinical or research field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Three (3) years of work experience in histopathology or a closely related field
- Demonstrates an understanding of tissue processing and tissue embedding techniques.
- Demonstrates an understanding of common marketing terms and techniques like upstream and downstream marketing and brand management
- Working knowledge of computer applications like Microsoft Office Suite.
- May be required to travel for business related activities.
Physical Requirements & Working Environment
- Ability to travel within the U.S.A. and international locations up to 30%.
- Ability to work on weekends to travel, attend conventions, or perform related work.
- Ability to read and analyze hard-written copy and information on a computer screen.
- Ability to utilize personal computer.
- Ability to successfully respond to multiple work pressures.
- Ability to communicate verbally and in writing to individuals and groups.
- Ability to communicate verbally in person and using a phone.
- Ability to listen for understanding and assist in problem-solving.
- Ability to work remotely from home in designated home office.
- Ability to lift, push, and pull a minimum of 25 lbs.
"Sakura Finetek USA, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.”
The above description identifies the essential job functions and skills needed by the person or persons assigned to this position. These job functions and skills are not intended to be a complete and exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. The information contained herein is subject to change at the company's discretion.