Knorr-Bremse AG
Website:
knorr-bremse.com
Job details:
Position Summary
The Associate Product Manager will support the Trailer Product Management team in managing the product portfolio across its lifecycle. The role acts as a key interface between Product Managers, Product Owners, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Sales, Quality, and Finance to ensure effective execution of product changes, VaVe initiatives, portfolio optimization, ramp-up monitoring, and lifecycle-related activities.
The ideal candidate is analytical, organized, collaborative, and comfortable working across global and regional teams. The role requires strong ownership, process discipline, and the ability to translate portfolio data into clear business insights and actionable recommendations.
Key Responsibilities
Product Lifecycle & Portfolio Management
- Support Product Managers in managing the complete product lifecycle from market introduction through phase-out and end-of-life.
- Maintain portfolio overviews and support portfolio optimization activities focused on profitability, complexity reduction, and strategic fit.
- Coordinate phase-in, phase-out, and ramp-up tracking activities with relevant stakeholders.
- Support optimization of wiring and trailer product portfolio, including process ownership for selected portfolio adaptation topics.
- Ensure product data accuracy and maintain lifecycle-related documentation and tracking files.
Change Management & Process Coordination
- Coordinate and run product Change Requests (CRs) through established business and engineering change processes.
- Lead implementation of engineering and product changes across Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Sales.
- Ensure timely communication, follow-up, and escalation for product-related change topics.
Commercial excellence
- Support data-driven decision-making through analysis of product, sales, profitability, complexity, and lifecycle data.
- Support the VaVe pipeline and maintain a structured overview of active and potential VaVe topics.
- Collaborate with Engineering, Purchasing, Operations, and Product Management to identify value engineering and cost optimization opportunities.
Analysis & Reporting
- Develop and maintain reports and dashboards using Power BI, Excel, and relevant business systems.
- Analyze portfolio gaps, product performance, ramp-up status, LTB stock, and phase-in/phase-out progress.
Cross-Functional Interface & Team Support
- Act as an interface between Product Managers, Product Owners, Engineering, Operations, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Sales, Quality, and Finance.
- Support Global Product Managers in day-to-day portfolio management activities, stakeholder follow-up, and preparation of decision documents.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, Electrical, Electronics Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Industrial Engineering.
- Masters degree or MBA in Product Management, Marketing, Operations, or Business Administration is an advantage.
Experience
- 3-4 years of experience in Product Management, Product Engineering, Project Management, Portfolio Management, Sales Engineering, or Automotive Industry roles.
- Experience in commercial vehicles, trailer systems, braking systems, wiring solutions, automotive components, or industrial manufacturing is preferred.
- Exposure to product lifecycle management, change management, VaVe, business case preparation, or portfolio optimization is desirable.
Technical & Functional Skills
- Understanding of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) principles and product portfolio processes.
- Experience with Change Request (CR) and engineering change management processes.
- Knowledge of Value Analysis / Value Engineering (VaVe), cost optimization, and business case development.
- Strong analytical skills with advanced Microsoft Excel capability.
- Experience with Power BI or similar data visualization tools.
- Ability to analyze product portfolio data, profitability, sales trends, product complexity, and lifecycle KPIs.
- Hands on experience with Creo with R&D background / wiring Harness experience is plus.
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