Product Manager-Filters

Key Responsibilities: Filtration Expert & Service Advisor Serve as the company's primary filtration product and application expert. Provide technical and application support to customers, Territory Managers, customer service teams, distributors, and other internal departments. Assist with filter identification, application questions, troubleshooting, product selection, and fleet filter conversions. Provide expertise across oil, fuel, air, hydraulic, transmission, coolant, cabin air, crankcase ventilation, and other filtration products. Support customer meetings, fleet surveys, sales presentations, and major account conversions. Provide product and application training to sales teams, customers, and distributors. OEM-to-Aftermarket Cross-Referencing Research and manually cross OEM filter part numbers to aftermarket filter replacements. Develop and maintain accurate OEM-to-aftermarket cross-reference information. Validate crosses using dimensions, thread specifications, gasket dimensions, micron ratings, efficiency, media, bypass settings, flow requirements, capacity, and other technical specifications. Research OEM supersessions and obsolete/replacement part numbers. Review customer filter lists and develop complete OEM/competitive-to-company filter conversion lists. Identify applications where an acceptable aftermarket cross does not currently exist. Customer & Market Insights Maintain regular direct contact with fleet managers, maintenance managers, mechanics, technicians, purchasing managers, distributors, and other filter users. Visit customer maintenance facilities, shops, and equipment yards to understand real-world filtration requirements. Understand what customers currently purchase, which brands they use, and why. Determine what is required to convert customers from OEM and competitive filter brands. Identify customer pain points involving application coverage, availability, pricing, quality, packaging, and technical support. Turn customer feedback into actionable product and market opportunities. Heavy-Duty & Off-Highway Market Development Identify new filtration opportunities within the Class 6–8 truck and off-highway equipment markets. Research opportunities within construction, agriculture, landscaping, mining, forestry, municipalities, utilities, equipment rental, material handling, waste, industrial, and other equipment-intensive markets. Analyze equipment populations and high-volume applications to identify opportunities for new filter SKUs. Identify high-volume OEM filter numbers not currently covered by our product line. Monitor new engines, trucks, equipment platforms, and filtration technologies for future aftermarket opportunities. Benchmark product coverage against major aftermarket competitors. Identify opportunities for preventive-maintenance filter kits and fleet-specific filtration programs. New Product & Product-Line Development Identify product-line gaps and prioritize new filter opportunities based on customer demand, equipment population, unit potential, revenue, margin, and strategic importance. Maintain a prioritized pipeline of new-product opportunities. Develop business cases for potential new filter introductions. Work with suppliers and internal teams to source and evaluate new products. Support new products from initial opportunity through validation, launch, and ongoing sales. Monitor new-product performance and customer acceptance after launch. Incoming Product Quality & Vendor Inspection Inspect new filter samples, first production runs, and vendor-supplied products for potential quality issues. Compare incoming filters against approved specifications, OEM requirements, drawings, and benchmark samples. Inspect dimensions, threads, gaskets, media, pleat construction, seals, components, workmanship, labels, packaging, and part-number accuracy. Identify and document defects or product nonconformances. Work with vendors and internal quality, sourcing, purchasing, and operations teams to resolve quality issues. Assist with determining whether products should be accepted, rejected, returned, reworked, or subjected to additional testing. Help maintain product quality standards and approved benchmark or “golden” samples.

What We're Looking For: The ideal candidate is a hands-on product manager with strong mechanical aptitude and filtration knowledge who enjoys researching applications, working directly with products, talking with customers, and identifying opportunities to grow the business. You should be comfortable moving between technical and commercial responsibilities—from researching an OEM filter number and physically inspecting a supplier sample to visiting a fleet customer and presenting a new-product opportunity to management.

Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree (4-year degree) required in Business Management, Marketing, Engineering, Product Management, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a closely related field.5+ years of relevant experience preferred in filtration, heavy-duty aftermarket parts, diesel engines, commercial vehicles, construction equipment, agricultural equipment, off-highway equipment, or a related industry. Strong knowledge of filtration products and applications. Experience researching and cross-referencing OEM and aftermarket filter part numbers. Strong mechanical and technical aptitude. Ability to interpret product specifications, technical information, drawings, and application data. Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills. Excellent customer communication skills. Strong attention to detail and organizational skills. Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and related business software. Ability and willingness to travel to customers, vendors, trade shows, and industry events as required.

Preferred Experience: Experience with a filter manufacturer, heavy-duty aftermarket supplier, OEM, parts distributor, equipment manufacturer, or large fleet operation is strongly preferred. Experience with filter catalogs, cross-reference databases, product-line development, fleet maintenance operations, supplier evaluation, and field sales support is highly desirable. How Success Will Be Measured Success in this role will include: Increased heavy-duty and off-highway filter application coverage New OEM-to-aftermarket crosses developed and validated Cross-reference accuracy and response time New filter SKUs successfully launched Revenue and gross margin generated from new products Reduction in no-cross and lost-sale opportunitiesOEM and competitive filter conversions Customer and fleet engagement Product quality and supplier performance Reduced product defects, returns, and warranty issues The Mission The Product Manager – Filters will help determine not only which filters we sell today, but which filters we should be selling tomorrow. The mission of this position is to combine technical filtration expertise, customer insight, OEM-to-aftermarket cross-referencing, market research, product development, supplier collaboration, and quality control to expand our filtration offering and drive profitable growth in the heavy-duty truck and off-highway markets. We are looking for someone who will continually ask: What filters are our customers buying today? What are they buying from our competitors that we don't currently offer? What OEM applications are we missing? Can we develop an accurate aftermarket replacement? Does the product meet our quality standards? How large is the opportunity? How do we turn that opportunity into profitable sales growth?