What does a new product manager do?
A new product manager's role is to determine the needs and desires of a customer. They do complex tasks in line with the production and introduction of new products with the help of the sales director. They forecast the current and future product lines by reviewing product specifications and requirements, appraising new product ideas and/or product or packaging changes. The role also includes an assessment of product market data by reaching out to customers with the help of field salespeople and evaluating sales call results.
New product manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real new product manager resumes:
- Manage confidential ideation process and intellectual property (IP) protection.
- Manage and train QA staff to create culture of quality throughout the organization.
- Manage regional marketing and sales team to deliver flexible merchandising system using OEM supplier.
- Manage engineering, testing, documentation, and communications for FDA equipment review in a highly regulate field.
- Standardize engineering standards to receive achieve ISO certifications for design/engineering.
- Develop work statements and manage project schedules in support of OEM sub-contract agreements to support regional requirements.
- Obtain upper management agreement to a profitable Habitrol OTC strategy and submit to FDA.
- Participate in preliminary and annual ISO audits.
- Utilize SQL to support data-driven analysis and decision processes to inform project prioritization, assess feature effectiveness, and troubleshoot issues.
- Facilitate the integration of JM Lafferty acquisition and utilize the IP to increase firm revenue.
- Evaluate state-of-the-art technologies and prepare inter-operability designs for RF network monitoring / optimization solutions and for implementing PTP over wireless networks.
New product manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of New Product Managers are proficient in Market Research, Product Management, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of New Product Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Market Research, 15%
Conducted thorough market research to identify new product concepts to help company reach additional consumer segments.
- Product Management, 12%
Initiated Global Product Management strategies that increased utilization of installed manufacturing capacity while bringing new products into markets previously left unsupported.
- Project Management, 12%
Provide project management to multidisciplinary project teams in order to facilitate the implementation of strategic initiatives and business critical projects.
- Product Development, 10%
Achieved product software reliability by managing proper product verification and ensured immediate response to customer needs during product development.
- R, 5%
Team of 5 R S M, of the Year, 2 x's.
- Logistics, 4%
Major Responsibilities Soft-Tex-manage warehouse and logistics as well as responsible for shipping Responsible for all off site distribution-Charleston and Calif.
Common skills that a new product manager uses to do their job include "market research," "product management," and "project management." You can find details on the most important new product manager responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. This is an important skill for new product managers to perform their duties. For an example of how new product manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a new product manager: "performed life cycle analysis for all product lines, including future technological expectations as part of the strategic planning process. ".
Communication skills. new product manager responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process." This resume example shows what new product managers do with communication skills on a typical day: "developed product line marketing and communications plans, including profitability measures associated collateral materials and sales direction for dme product line. "
Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in new product manager job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what new product managers do. New product manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." You can also see how new product manager duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "executed an organizational initiative to implement a project management system that would claim 2 mm in savings in year 1. "
Creativity. While "creativity" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to new product manager responsibilities. Much of what a new product manager does relies on this skill, seeing as "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of new product managers: "worked with materials manager on cost reduction and inventory issues. "
The three companies that hire the most new product managers are:
- DoorDash16 new product managers jobs
- Ernst & Young8 new product managers jobs
- Bausch + Lomb7 new product managers jobs
Compare different new product managers
New product manager vs. Engineering program manager
As an engineering program manager in the world of technology, it is their main responsibility to lead the development of important modules of new technology such as display, camera, touch ID, etc. It is their job to ensure that modules are correctly built according to specifications and given timeline. They drive day-to-day engineering related activities at the vendor's factory to meet overall program ideas. They are knowledgeable of the hardware process development and other features like display or camera design.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between new product managers and engineering program manager. For instance, new product manager responsibilities require skills such as "market research," "product management," "digital marketing," and "business cases." Whereas a engineering program manager is skilled in "program management," "software development," "team coordination," and "scrum." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Engineering program managers earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $127,984. On the other hand, new product managers are paid more in the retail industry with an average salary of $119,149.The education levels that engineering program managers earn slightly differ from new product managers. In particular, engineering program managers are 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a new product manager. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.New product manager vs. Product director
The duties of a product director depend on one's place or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the product development operations to ensure smooth flow and efficiency, devise strategies to improve processes, gather relevant data such as sales and customer feedback, and coordinate with different departments in developing new products and services. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage departments to meet goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its mission and vision.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, new product manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "logistics," "brand management," "design engineering," and "cost reduction." Meanwhile, a product director has duties that require skills in areas such as "product strategy," "product roadmap," "software development," and "product vision." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Product directors may earn a higher salary than new product managers, but product directors earn the most pay in the internet industry with an average salary of $155,810. On the other hand, new product managers receive higher pay in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $119,149.product directors earn similar levels of education than new product managers in general. They're 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.New product manager vs. Marketing manager/project manager
A marketing manager/project manager oversees a company's marketing programs and projects, aiming to attract more customers and increase the brand value of a business, product, or service. They primarily perform market research and assessments to identify marketing trends and opportunities, gather and analyze data to generate business leads, study the consumer and competitors in the industry, and identify the weaknesses and strengths of existing marketing projects, utilizing information to enhance operations. Additionally, a marketing manager/project manager leads operations and empowers staff while implementing company policies and industry standards.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from new product manager resumes include skills like "product management," "logistics," "lifecycle management," and "business cases," whereas a marketing manager/project manager is more likely to list skills in "marketing campaigns," "powerpoint," "email campaigns," and "email marketing. "
Marketing manager/project managers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $95,863. New product managers earn the highest pay from the retail industry, with an average salary of $119,149.Most marketing manager/project managers achieve a similar degree level compared to new product managers. For example, they're 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.New product manager vs. Product lead
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
Types of new product manager
Updated January 8, 2025
