Knaack Manufacturing Company is looking for a Senior Product Manager for our Crystal Lake, IL facility!

Knaack Manufacturing Company, the leading manufacturer of jobsite, truck and van storage equipment, has an opening for a Sr. Product Manager.

This is an excellent opportunity for highly-skilled, aggressive individuals to join a company that is committed to operational excellence and leadership in its industry. The Senior Product Manager of an assigned business segment owns a line of business and is responsible for defining and driving the top line growth and profitability of the business segment. Growth is achieved through new product introductions, core product enhancements and promotional programs. The primary responsibilities include:

• Develop and execute strategies for multiple sub product lines including evaluation of new business opportunities. Feed the Portfolio Management function with new product ideas related to the assigned business segment. Develop compelling business cases and briefs and proactively champion them in all group planning meetings.
• Develop plans that drive growth of current product lines including new product development, product promotions, advertising, public relations, etc.
• Become “the” recognized expert for the assigned business segment through the definition, sourcing/execution and use of industry, channel, competitive and end user research. Identify unmet end user needs and define, develop and launch enhancements to current products or brand new products to satisfy those needs. Insure that our products always have meaningful differentiations “plus ones” that allow us to own the premium price performance space in support of our leadership brand.
• Drive the established new product development gate process and act as the program manager for all new products, leading all functional groups (design & manufacturing engineering, operations, manufacturing, procurement, etc.) to on time and on budget launch dates. Help fine-tune the process for maximum effectiveness.
• Prepare pricing strategies for new products and proactively monitor and manage pricing throughout the product life cycle in an effort to maximize revenue and margins and minimize inventory.
• Lead the planning and execution of all trade show related activities for the product category to include product demos, signage, sales collateral, promotional giveaways, speaking engagements, press meetings/coverage, etc. to reinforce and strengthen our brand image.

Position Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in Business or Marketing; MBA desired, but not required.
• Three to seven years experience in product marketing/management function. Must be able to demonstrate the ability to define, develop, and launch new products in a marketing customer needs environment.
• Must possess strong strategic planning abilities driver by the definition, collection and use of industry, competitor, channel and end-user data.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft® Office products, including Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong interpersonal skills, effective presentation skills, mechanical aptitude, quantitative skills, ability to work across disciplines, and team oriented .

We offer great wages, health insurance with prescription and dental coverage, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, profit sharing, 401(k) plan, tuition reimbursement program, uniforms, on-site exercise room, Sam’s Club membership and the list continues!

If you are interested in joining our Team and feel that you qualify for this position, please reference Sr. Product Manager and apply in person or send your resume in confidence to Human Resources Department at:

Knaack Manufacturing Company
420 E. Terra Cotta Ave.
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Confidential Fax: 815-459-4741
Email:

Equal Opportunity Employer