Seeking a Product Manager - Chemicals 

Salary: $110,000 - $150,000
Location: Houston, TX

Responsibilities:

• Handle purchasing for the allocated products.
• Control, monitor and manage inventory (incl. long/short-positions) of the allocated products.
• Business focus - Trucks, railcars, barges, vessels.
• Define and execute the strategy for the allocated products.
• Respond to inquiries from Sales Managers for pricing, product information and documentation for the allocated products.
• Answer and/or forward customer questionnaires to the respective colleagues.
• Monitor/guide the activities of Sales Managers regarding the allocated products.
• Attend joint customer visits with Sales Managers.
• Visit inhouse customers.
• Regularly control P&L-calculations in the NAV-system for the allocated products on accuracy and completeness.
• Calculate and set sales prices.
• Prepare regular turnover/profit forecast.
• Regularly check and analyze import statistics for the allocated products.
• Develop marketing materials/ideas (e.g. product leaflets).
• Research and select suitable marketing opportunities (i.e. various trade shows).
• Identify potential new customers through cold calls and research tools (e.g. Hoovers, Manta etc.) and either pursue them directly or forward them to the respective sales manager.
• Identify and research potential new product offerings and discuss them with management.
• Establish and maintain sustainable customer and supplier relationships through emails, phone calls and personal meetings (selected accounts).
• Develop in depth customer knowledge (on products, volumes, order cycles, quality requirements etc.) for the respective inhouse accounts.
• Actively present products and prices to (potential) inhouse customers through emails, phone calls and personal meetings.
• Respond to inquiries for information, products and prices through emails, phone calls and personal meetings or forward them to the respective sales manager.
• Handle and offer solutions to problems and product claims.
• Attend national and regional trade shows and participate in their organization and planning (if relevant for the department).
• Prepare, attend and evaluate company strategy and sales meetings.
• Prepare and attend Annual Report (upon request).
• Regularly inform the sales managers about relevant market developments for the allocated products.
• Maintain and control the status spreadsheets for the allocated products.
• Maintain individual customer files for all inhouse customers.
• Communicate customer requirements and information to management, customer service and logistics, where necessary.
• Request new customers to be entered in Navision.
• Request customer credit lines for inhouse customers and make sure sufficient credit lines are in place at all times to cover the pertinent sales.
• Check and communicate purchase orders to customer service and logistics for processing.
• Monitor and follow up on customer payments.
• Write and save meeting reports that summarize discussed subjects/items and things to do.
• Manage and submit expenses according to the rules defined in the quality manual.
• Request customer service to send samples to (potential) customers whenever necessary.
• Provide existing product documentation to customers upon request.
• Understand local competition and occasionally, contact for product purchases, prices and product information.
• Backup for Sales Managers (e.g. during vacations).
• Backup for Supply Chain Coordinator (e.g. during vacations).
• Develop logistics concepts for the allocated products.
• Managing/overseeing the negotiations and selection with/of tank terminals and warehouses.
• Carry out the monthly reconciliation for all SPM-products in RSD

• Deviation from the education and/or experience level listed below is acceptable only if approved by the President. 
• Experience with handling chemicals (solid or liquid)
• Experience with Styrene or Acetone
• Bachelor’s degree in Business or bachelor’s degree in any field plus at least three years’ work experience in the respective industry
• Experience with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Navision / Salesforce
• Online research tools (e.g. Hoovers, Manta, Jigsaw, LinkedIn etc.)
• Ability to operate various devices (desktop computer, laptop, smart phone)
• Good communication, presentation and persuasion/debating skills.
• Good time management and organizational skills.
• Experience with Chemical products (Glycose, Polypropylene methane)