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What does a product line manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a product line manager do

A product line manager is an individual who provides product and market intelligence by increasing the market share of a company. Product line managers must create competitive analysis and interpret market trends so that they can provide recommendations and guidance to the company. They are required to identify target markets and should come up with strategies for market penetration. Product line managers must also monitor the creation and development of new products as well as to measure the success of the products in the market.

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Product line manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real product line manager resumes:

  • Lead Sr. VP staff to define a business partner program.
  • Hire 35 RN's as well to manage Alere business to support their CHF program.
  • Lead cross-functional team in pioneering the application/game download ecosystem with the implementation of Java games and generating significant new revenue stream.
  • Discuss various cloud base and on prem solution options to host the controller software.
  • Utilize SQL to support data-driven analysis and decision processes to inform project prioritization, assess feature effectiveness, and troubleshoot issues.
  • Develop and implement the comprehensive GTM and marketing plans.
  • Work closely with the FAA to ensure compliance.
  • Create business justification by developing ROI analysis that involves buy-vs-build decisions.
  • Develop detailed ROI analysis on product investment strategies for executive management.
  • Review product key words and tags to improve SEO rankings.
  • Devise GTM strategy (customer segmentation/acquisition) in collaboration with marketing.
  • Provide statistical analysis and technical responses to customer RFQ.

Product line manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 7% of Product Line Managers are proficient in Product Management, Customer Service, and PLM. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.

We break down the percentage of Product Line Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Product Management, 7%

    Complete product management/ life cycle responsibility for all Bravo family desktop computers, worldwide.

  • Customer Service, 6%

    Educate customer service coordinators, regional managers and sales representatives on product lines and direct technical questions as appropriate.

  • PLM, 5%

    Support the Product Line Manager (PLM) in the day to day leadership and management of the product line.

  • Project Management, 5%

    Project Management and report organization for open purchase orders, budget concentrations, and project implementation.

  • Market Research, 4%

    Perform comprehensive market research for current and future products, including field visits to existing and potential customers/distribution channels.

  • Market Trends, 4%

    Analyzed and interpreted the competitive landscape and market trends, and identified competitive advantages.

Common skills that a product line manager uses to do their job include "product management," "customer service," and "plm." You can find details on the most important product line manager responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a product line manager to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." Additionally, a product line manager resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "managed java based td ameritrade's streamer and real-time market data system serving over 200k clients. "

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform product line manager duties is communication skills. Product line managers responsibilities require 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." Product line managers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "attended trade shows to act as representative for marketing communications shelter. "

Creativity. product line managers are also known for creativity, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to product line manager responsibilities, because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." A product line manager resume example shows how creativity is used in the workplace: "created seasonal product briefs, providing efficient tool used by creative team in design / product development process. "

Organizational skills. For certain product line manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a product line manager rely on this skill, as "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what product line managers do: "developed specifications to meet customer requirements and managed product development projects across numerous organizational groups. "

All product line manager skills

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Compare different product line managers

Product line 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.

The annual salary of marketing manager/project managers is $18,869 lower than the average salary of product line managers.Even though product line managers and marketing manager/project managers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require project management, market research, and market trends in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a product line manager are more likely to require skills like "product management," "customer service," "plm," and "continuous improvement." On the other hand, a job as a marketing manager/project manager requires skills like "digital marketing," "marketing campaigns," "powerpoint," and "email campaigns." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Marketing manager/project managers earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $95,863. On the other hand, product line managers are paid more in the energy industry with an average salary of $141,035.On average, marketing manager/project managers reach similar levels of education than product line managers. Marketing manager/project managers are 3.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Product line manager vs. Director, product marketing

A Director of Product Marketing directs the marketing activities of one or more products or product lines within the organization. They develop strong relationships with key customers.

Director, product marketing positions earn higher pay than product line manager roles. They earn a $44,462 higher salary than product line managers per year.A few skills overlap for product line managers and directors, product marketing. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "product management," "market research," and "market trends. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, product line manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "plm," "project management," and "continuous improvement." Meanwhile, a director, product marketing has duties that require skills in areas such as "digital marketing," "cloud," "competitive landscape," and "go-to-market strategy." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Directors, product marketing earn a higher average salary than product line managers. But directors, product marketing earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $146,919. Additionally, product line managers earn the highest salaries in the energy with average pay of $141,035 annually.In general, directors, product marketing achieve similar levels of education than product line managers. They're 2.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Product line manager vs. Web manager

Web Managers are responsible for managing websites for organizations. Their duties include managing website upgrades, testing for website performance, implement a strategy to increase web traffic and subscribers, troubleshooting website issues, and responding to security breaches. They create content audits as well as ensuring the website has brand strategy alignment. A Web Manager ensures website compliance with all regulations and keeps abreast of the best practice of the industry. They must possess good problem-solving skills and knowledge in search engine optimization.

On average scale, web managers bring in lower salaries than product line managers. In fact, they earn a $14,541 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on product line managers and web managers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "project management," "roi," and "customer support.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, product line managers are more likely to have skills like "product management," "customer service," "plm," and "market research." But a web manager is more likely to have skills like "digital marketing," "wordpress," "html css," and "b testing."

Web managers typically earn lower educational levels compared to product line managers. Specifically, they're 8.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Product line manager vs. Market manager

A marketing manager is an executive who manages a brand or product's promotion positioning. Marketing managers analyze the trends in the industry and the demand for certain products and services. Typically, they attract more customers to purchase products and/or services and raise brand awareness through marketing campaigns. They research, identify, examine, and evaluate product demand. Also, they review advertising materials like print ads to boost the marketing strategy of the company and strengthen its campaign.

Market managers typically earn lower pay than product line managers. On average, market managers earn a $9,179 lower salary per year.While their salaries may vary, product line managers and market managers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "project management," and "market research. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between product line managers and market managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a product line manager might have more use for skills like "product management," "plm," "continuous improvement," and "product strategy." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of market managers require skills like "strong analytical," "excellent interpersonal," "human resources," and "strong time management. "

In general, market managers earn the most working in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $85,133. The highest-paying industry for a product line manager is the energy industry.market managers reach lower levels of education compared to product line managers, in general. The difference is that they're 7.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of product line manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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