Product Manager

Ritchie Engineering Co., Inc.

Ritchie Engineering Co., Inc. is a family-owned company that has been innovating HVAC & Refrigeration tools and test equipment for more than 75 years. From idea conception through development, production, and shipment; every team member plays a crucial role ensuring the quality, reliability, and efficiency of these American-made products.

What We Offer:

Join our team and enjoy a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you and your loved ones:

• 401(k) Retirement Plan: 100% company match with no vesting schedule on up to 4% of your contributions
• Health Insurance: Two Medical Plans, Dental, Vision and Flexible Spending Account options to suit your needs
• Company Paid Insurance: Long-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance at no additional cost
• Paid Time Off (PTO): We value work life balance and offer a generous PTO plan for exempt employees. You will start with 52 hours during the first 6 months, with the accrual increasing to 160 hours annually after 6 months. The accrual rate will continue to increase with tenure up to 202 hours annually after 20 years of service.
• Holiday Pay: In addition to PTO, all employees receive up to 80 hours of paid holidays annually
• Telemedicine: 24/7 access to healthcare professionals for you and your family
• Referral program: Earn rewards for helping the team grow

Compensation

• As you evaluate your career options, we recognize that salary is a key consideration. For this role, the pay range is $90,000-144,000, with individual compensation determined by your unique skills, experience level, and other relevant factors

Schedule

• Enjoy a 4-day work week, 10-hours a day (Monday–Thursday Between 6:00am and 6:00pm). Additional hours may be required during busier times

What You Will Be Doing

Identifies and analyzes opportunities for new products or changes to existing products based on market needs, competition, and product performance. Prioritizes these opportunities and creates product design specifications for engineering projects. Helps train both internal and external stakeholders on products.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Perform market research and analysis to identify opportunities for new products, keeping up to date on new developments and trends to understand customer and market needs
• Work with current and potential vendors who have new product offerings to evaluate products for fit within the YELLOW JACKET® brand [DK1]
• Acts as the point person for receiving new product ideas from employees, end users, sales, and outside inventors
• Establishes target technical specifications for new products
• Works with stage gate team providing feedback on new products
• Create and manage Business Cases for new products
• Evaluates product offering and identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and provides leadership with recommendations
• Keeps up to date on new refrigerants and changes to regulation
• Manages product life cycles; evaluates existing products for profitability, market share, and trends
• Assist Warranty Services on field customer product complaints
• Evaluates make or buy decisions
• Conducts internal and external trainings on existing and new products
• Develops product trainings for future dispersal in both written and video formats
• Collaborates internally to write new product manuals to help customers understand proper equipment operation
• Leads user focus groups and collects user feedback on new and existing products
• Works with marketing to provide features & benefits and other marketing materials
• Attends Sales meetings to discuss trends and market change
• Attends trade shows where applicable
• Proposes quarterly business travel agendas, confirm monthly travel plans the month prior, and follow Travel and Expense policy on trips including booking flights two weeks prior to trip
• Other duties as assigned including training others on known processes

What You Will Bring

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Marketing, or equivalent field
• 3+ years of demonstrated success in fast-paced product management or product marketing role for HVAC based products
• Proven record of accomplishment of launching successful new products/services and enhancing and scaling them through product releases
• Translate market research data, customer feedback, and technology trends into product requirements
• Ability to interpret, compare and write technical product specifications
• Proven ability to successfully collaborate with internal stakeholders from various levels and areas of the organization and drive successful outcomes cross-functionally
• Knowledge and experience with Refrigeration and A/C systems and their functions
• Experience with early-stage products and new product development from ideation specification through market launch and revenue generation.
• Experience working closely with an engineering organization to define applications and manage them through the entire product lifecycle
• Willingness to travel 20-30% for customer visits, trade shows, training, etc.
• Proficiency in reading and writing in English
• Highly organized, self-motivated and can work independently
• Must be highly self-motivated, work with minimal supervision and be able to perform multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills as well as excellent communication skills (both written and oral) with ability to manage multiple priorities.

Preferred:

• MBA
• EPA Certifications

Where and How You Will Work

On-site Engagement and Collaboration: This role works on-site in Bloomington, MN, where your direct contributions will make a real impact. Being in person will allow you to collaborate closely with others, build meaningful relationships, and play a key role in our company success.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Required to sit, stand, walk, handle or feel objects, tools and controls
• Vision required to inspect products and documents in detail
• Occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, and to stoop, kneel, or crouch
• Must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds; some workstations require lifting and/or moving up to 60 pounds

Work Environment:

The performance of this position may occasionally require exposure to the manufacturing areas where certain areas require the use of personal protective equipment, may work near moving equipment, and exposed to dust, odors, oil, fumes, and noise.

This document is an outline of the primary tasks assigned and may be changed at the discretion of management, formally or informally, either verbally or in writing. All team members are expected to assist Ritchie Engineering in achieving its goals even if such tasks are beyond the scope of this outline. The job description does not constitute an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the company and requirements of the job change.