Associate Product Manager

McLane is one of the largest and most stable supply chain services leaders in the United States. We've been at the forefront of delivering retail and restaurant solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants, drug stores, and chain restaurants for over 125 years. Our vision is to be an agile, innovative, and unified supply chain partner that delivers a superior customer experience, improves the lives of our teammates and community, and produces best-in-class returns. This position is based in Temple, TX, which will require the candidate to report and work from the office on a regular basis. Therefore, interested candidates should be within a 50-minute commute to Temple, TX. The Associate Product Manager is responsible for executing and supporting McLane's Fresh Food programs for convenience store customers. Responsible for day-to-day management of assigned Fresh categories - including assortment execution, innovation calendar coordination, supplier communication, item lifecycle management, and cross-functional support across culinary, operations, supply chain, marketing, and sales. Manages the process of bringing new items to market, coordinating core menu and Limited Time Only (LTO) rollouts, and ensuring McLane Fresh programs are executed with quality and consistency. Responsible for translating strategy to execution. JOB DUTIES: Support the development and execution of fresh food programs for convenience store customers. Partner with manufacturers and vendors to build a diverse and competitive assortment of fresh food offerings for assigned programs. Manage the day-to-day execution of the innovation calendar, including core menu updates and LTO rollouts, in coordination with supplier partners for assigned programs. Manage all phases of new product commercialization, including business case development, product testing, supplier alignment, operational readiness, pricing strategy, launch execution, and ongoing portfolio optimization. Collaborate with customer operations to ensure smooth execution, on-time launches, and a strong end-customer experience. Lead the end-to-end product development lifecycle for assigned Fresh Food programs, from concept generation and consumer insight development through commercialization, launch execution, and post-launch performance evaluation. Support financial management of assigned McLane Fresh food categories - including budget tracking, cost monitoring, and pricing recommendations. Participate in vendor contract discussions and maintain strong day-to-day working relationships with key supplier partners. Partner with the Fresh procurement team to manage in-stock performance across assigned program brands- monitoring inventory health, forecasting demand, and coordinating on supply issues to ensure product availability at the DC and store level. Monitor industry trends, competitive activity, and market demands to inform innovation opportunities and continuous improvement. Support customer-specific program customization requests, evaluating feasibility with culinary, supply chain, and procurement, and coordinating execution with leadership. Mentor analysts and associate product managers as needed. Monitor and inform on category compliance with regulatory requirements, food safety, and quality standards. Represent McLane professionally in interactions with manufacturers, customers, and industry stakeholders. Perform other duties as assigned. SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor's degree or related experience in business-related field. Two or more years of related experience. Data analysis background preferred. Three years of food service or retail industry experience is preferred. Strong category management fundamentals, including assortment planning, pricing, promotion, and lifecycle management. Solid financial acumen - able to manage category budgets and support margin and cost-improvement decisions. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Power BI (or equivalent BI/reporting tools). S…

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