Associate Category Manager

Job Title: Associate Category Manager, Baseball Bats

Supervises: N/A

Department: Product Management 

Reports to: John Loeffler

Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

FLSA: Exempt

General Overview: 

The Associate Product Manager plays a critical role in supporting the development and execution of our baseball bat product portfolio. This position serves as the operational backbone of the Product Management team, ensuring product information, sample management, and commercialization activities are executed with precision while providing valuable market insights to help shape future product strategies.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, analytical, and passionate about consumer products. This role offers significant exposure to the full product creation process - from concept through commercialization

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Own and maintain Master Line Plan data at the SKU level, ensuring accuracy throughout the product lifecycle. 
• Manage the creation and setup of new SKUs from initial request through system completion. 
• Support the development and maintenance of annual price lists, sell sheets, and other product marketing materials. 
• Update and maintain style-level transition lists to support effective inventory planning and supply chain execution. 
• Receive, catalog, photograph, and organize all incoming product samples, ensuring sample availability for internal teams and key initiatives. 
• Manage and maintain the organization of the product sample room, coordinating multiple rounds of product samples throughout development. 
• Conduct competitive product research, monitor marketplace trends, and gather consumer insights to support product strategy. 
• Coordinate product testing initiatives, including athlete evaluations, consumer testing, and product performance validation. 
• Evaluate product samples and prototypes, providing feedback on product performance, quality, and design execution. 
• Maintain accurate product information within PLM systems and other internal databases. 
• Assist with product lifecycle management activities, supporting products from concept through commercialization and end-of-life. 
• Prepare presentations, reports, and supporting materials for product line reviews, business updates, and strategic planning meetings. 
• Support retailer meetings, sales conferences, trade shows, product launches, and other customer-facing events as needed. 
• Perform ad hoc analyses, reporting, and special projects to support the Product Management team and broader business objectives. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

Working Conditions: 

Safety Hazards: 

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and interpret documents such as contracts, reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers, athletes, coaches, parents, guardians, internal employees or organizations. Must have proven exceptional written presentation and verbal communication skills. 

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Strong math aptitude with ability to interpret data analysis reporting

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to apply common sense understanding and carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and use hands requiring finger dexterity, and handling or working with equipment. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is regularly required to stand and walk. The employee will occasionally lift and/or move objects weighing 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and color vision. Employee will be required to hear telephone.

This job description does not list all the duties of the job. Position may be required to perform other duties as needed.