About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Furniture and Home Furnishings Manufacturing.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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What You’ll Do

This Associate Product Manager will support new product development (NPD) and product portfolio activities for a Confidential Client in the furniture and home furnishings manufacturing industry. You will work across functions to bring product concepts to market and help maintain a clear, commercial product roadmap.

• Conduct Market and Product trend research (inspiration, function, price) to inform new development projects and the Forward Plan
• Support preparation and presentation of project deliverables required by the NPD Stage Gate process
• Communicate NPD initiatives across cross-functional teams beyond gated milestones to ensure alignment
• Assist with product portfolio management by updating Value Profile data and maintaining visual Promote/Support/Retire displays by category and tier
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of the core product offering and category positioning
• Partner with corporate purchasing and quality teams to identify and resolve product concerns that negatively impact customer experience
• Collaborate closely with Design and D&E teams to incorporate new or updated functions and features into developments
• Travel as needed (approximately 10%)

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What We’re Looking For

We seek a proactive associate-level product manager who brings a mix of analytical, organizational, and communication skills:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required
• 1–3 years of experience in product support, product development, merchandising, or a related role (preferred)
• Solid research skills with the ability to synthesize market and competitive inputs into actionable product insights
• Familiarity with stage-gate NPD processes or other structured product development frameworks
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and presentation skills
• Comfortable maintaining product portfolio data and visual management tools
• Detail-oriented and able to manage multiple deliverables and timelines
• Willingness to travel ~10%

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Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in furniture, home furnishings, consumer products, or manufacturing environments
• Exposure to purchasing, quality, or supplier management processes
• Familiarity with product value profiling, lifecycle management, or assortment planning tools
• Hands-on experience supporting design or engineering teams

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Location & Work Type

This role is based in Dubuque, IA. The role supports cross-functional teams and includes occasional travel (~10%). (If remote or hybrid accommodations are required, those will be discussed during the interview process.)

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Why Join

As an Associate Product Manager with our client you’ll gain experience in end-to-end product development within a manufacturing environment, expand your cross-functional leadership skills, and contribute to products that reach retail customers. This is a solid opportunity to grow toward a full Product Manager or Category Manager role.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.