Product Manager

Travel : 15% (Domestic trade shows, supplier visits, athlete / coach insight s)

Job Description

The Product Manager is responsible for owning the full product life cycle of Epoch Sports' hard-goods equipment (e.g., lacrosse, hockey, and baseball / softball lines) from concept through end-of-life. Operating out of our Detroit headquarters and collaborating daily with Engineering, Design, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, and Finance, the Product Manager will translate athlete insights and market analytics into profitable, best-in-class products that reinforce Epoch's reputation for performance and innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy & Road-Mapping
• Build and maintain a 3-year product roadmap aligned with corporate strategy, category trends, and revenue / profit targets.
• Conduct market segmentation, competitor benchmarking, pricing analysis, and consumer research to identify white-space opportunities
• New Product Development (NPD)
• Author product briefs with clear value propositions, feature sets, volumes, cost targets, and launch timing; secure cross-functional approval through stage-gate process.
• Serve as the Program Manager for assigned NPD projects—driving timeline adherence, risk mitigation, and milestone communication.
• Champion voice-of-customer (VOC) testing with athletes, coaches, and dealers; translate feedback into actionable design requirements.
• Lifecycle Management
• Monitor sell-through, margin, and inventory health post-launch; drive cost-reduction, line extensions, or end-of-life decisions.
• Collaborate with Operations and Finance to manage SKU rationalization and maintain optimal inventory turns.
• Commercial Readiness
• Partner with Marketing to build go-to-market (GTM) assets—positioning statements, feature / benefit narratives, packaging, POP, and digital content.
• Train Sales Reps, Customer Service, and Retail Partners on product knowledge, differentiation, and competitive advantages.
• Source additional manufacturing equipment to bring products to market.
• Financial Ownership
• Own P&L for assigned categories—set pricing, forecast volumes, track COGS, and optimize gross margin.
• Prepare business cases and ROI analyses for capital expenditures or tooling investments.
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Stay abreast of emerging materials, technologies, and consumer trends; recommend patent or IP opportunities.
• Facilitate cross-functional retrospectives to capture lessons learned and refine the Product Development Process (PDP).

Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

Work Environment and Physical Demands