Junior Product Manager

Job Title: Junior Product Manager

Kentec Electronics Ltd, during the last 40 years, has expanded into a major worldwide manufacturer of independent fire control panels. Over time, the Kentec brand has become known for its top-quality products, outstanding service, and exceptional support. Headquartered in Dartford, Kent, Kentec has established itself as a global leader, supplying control equipment to more than 90 countries across the world in multiple languages.

Department: Product Management
Reports To: Senior Product Manager
Location: Dartford, Kent
Contract: Fixed-Term Contract initially, with potential to become permanent
Salary: Up to £30,000 per annum, subject to experience

Role Purpose

The Junior Product Manager will provide structured support to the Product Management function across the product lifecycle.

The role will assist with voice-of-customer activities, OEM development, business case preparation, pricing support, product information, project reporting, product documentation and cross-functional coordination.

Working closely with the Senior Product Manager and colleagues across Technical, Sales, Quality, Operations and Administration, the role will help ensure that product activities are effectively coordinated, accurately documented and progressed in accordance with agreed business processes.

This is an excellent opportunity for a graduate or early-career professional looking to develop a career within Product Management and gain broad exposure to product development, commercial decision-making and cross-functional project delivery.

Product Management Support

• Support Product Management activities throughout the product lifecycle.
• Assist with the coordination of new and existing product initiatives.
• Maintain accurate and structured product information and documentation.
• Support product changes, lifecycle updates and related internal communications.
• Maintain product records, price lists and other relevant product information.
• Support cross-listing projects and product change activities.
• Ensure product-related records are accurate, complete and appropriately maintained.

Voice of Customer & Market Insight

• Support voice-of-customer activities by collecting and organising feedback from customers, Sales teams and other relevant stakeholders.
• Summarise customer and market information to support product decision-making.
• Assist in identifying recurring customer requirements, market needs and potential product opportunities.
• Work with Sales and other stakeholders to ensure relevant customer feedback is captured and communicated effectively.

Business Cases & Commercial Support

• Assist with the preparation of product business cases.
• Gather and organise customer requirements, market information and commercial inputs.
• Support pricing analysis and preparation of pricing information.
• Assist with the identification and documentation of risks, assumptions and implementation considerations.
• Prepare clear information and recommendations for management review.
• Support commercial evaluation of potential product opportunities where required.

OEM Development

• Support OEM development activities and associated projects.
• Gather and maintain information required to progress OEM opportunities.
• Coordinate actions with relevant internal stakeholders.
• Maintain appropriate project and product documentation.
• Track actions, deadlines and outstanding requirements.
• Escalate risks or delays to the Senior Product Manager where appropriate.

Project Coordination & Reporting

• Coordinate product project updates across relevant business functions.
• Track agreed actions, owners and deadlines.
• Prepare clear project status information for review by the Senior Product Manager and General Manager.
• Identify and escalate risks, delays or dependencies that could affect product activities.
• Support meetings by preparing information, recording actions and following up agreed activities.
• Help ensure product projects progress in accordance with agreed priorities and processes.

Cross-Functional Working

• Work closely with Technical, Quality, Sales, Operations and Administration teams.
• Support product change control and lifecycle management activities.
• Coordinate information required from different departments to progress product-related activities.
• Assist with resolving product information and documentation issues.
• Build effective working relationships across the business to support successful product delivery.

Documentation & Process Control

• Support the preparation and review of product manuals, internal communications and associated documentation.
• Ensure product information is accurate, complete and appropriately controlled.
• Follow agreed Product Management workflows and processes.
• Maintain clear records and documentation.
• Support continuous improvement of Product Management processes and working practices.
• Escalate risks, delays or information gaps in a timely manner.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential

• Degree or equivalent qualification in Business, Engineering, Product Management or another relevant discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Good numerical ability and confidence working with pricing and commercial information.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong organisational and coordination skills.
• Ability to work with structured information and technical documentation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and follow agreed processes.
• Good Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work effectively with stakeholders across different business functions.
• Commercial awareness and an interest in technical products and markets.
• Willingness to learn and develop within Product Management.

Desirable

• Up to two years' experience within Product Management, Engineering, Technical Sales, Operations, Supply Chain or a related discipline.
• Experience working with technical or manufactured products.
• Exposure to B2B markets.
• Experience coordinating projects or cross-functional activities.
• Exposure to product lifecycle management.
• Understanding of pricing or commercial analysis.
• Experience within an OEM environment.
• Experience working with product documentation, specifications or change-control processes.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Analytical and methodical.
• Highly organised and detail focused.
• Commercially aware.
• Proactive and willing to take ownership.
• Comfortable working with technical information.
• A clear and confident communicator.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively across departments.
• Able to prioritise competing requirements.
• Curious and keen to develop their Product Management knowledge.
• Comfortable escalating risks and issues where appropriate.

Development & Progression

The Junior Product Manager position is intended to provide a structured development pathway within the Product Management function.

The successful candidate will gain experience across customer insight, product lifecycle management, OEM development, pricing, business case development, product documentation and cross-functional project coordination.

As knowledge, capability and experience develop, there may be opportunities to progress into a Product Manager position and subsequently towards more senior Product Management responsibilities.

The position will initially be offered on a fixed-term basis to validate the scope of the role, workload and organisational fit. Subject to satisfactory performance, ongoing business requirements and management approval, the role may subsequently become permanent.

Where the position converts to permanent employment, a six-month probationary period will apply.

Job Specifics

• Working Hours are:
  • 08:30 – 17:00 Monday to Thursday and 08:30-16:00 Friday
• Free Parking
• Enhanced workplace pension scheme
• Enhanced parental leave
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Unlimited access to 24/7 GP and wellbeing experts (Smart Health)
• Financial well-being scheme (Salary Finance)
• Employee Referral Scheme
• Long service awards
• Free Mental Health First Aid courses (M.H.F.A.)
• Life Assurance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Company sick pay
• Internal Training
• Company Events
• Employee benefits, discounts and perks (Rewards Gateway)
• Volunteer with a charity of your choice for a day each year
• Get the latest tech at the best price and spread the payments over your salary, interest-free (SmartTech)