OES Product Manager

Job Description

About the team: Responsible for the strategic management and development of the Passenger Vehicle Control Systems OES category, including the planning and execution of initiatives that drive business growth, innovation, and regulatory compliance. Works in close collaboration with OES Sales, Purchasing, and Project Management teams to ensure effective category stewardship and the successful delivery of cross-functional projects. Contributes to the achievement of ZF Aftermarket's strategic and financial objectives through portfolio optimization, stakeholder alignment, and value-driven decision making.

What you can look forward to as an OES Product Manager: 

• Create, launch, and track, a long-term product roadmap aligned with customer needs, service strategy, and business goals.
• Engage directly with assigned customers and sales teams to gather insights and feedback for continuous product and process improvement.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, logistics, marketing, and sales to ensure timely and successful project outcomes.
• Introduce and manage new OES components ensuring compliance with internal standards and processes into systems including SAP, PIMS, BPCS, PLQ & others.  
• Drives process improvement on data analytics and lifecycle management (also on the interface to OE division) and contributes to definition, deployment and continuous improvement of data integrity, standards, processes, tools under the coordination of the functional excellence in the domain
• Quickly resolve all issues within your control that are impacting internal and external customer satisfaction.
• Drive relevant project and project status communications among ZF stakeholders (customer, supplier, project team, functional & divisional management).
• Manage and communicate project milestones and KPI tracking
• Become an expert in the technical attributes of your product, understand typical failure modes, service life.
• Coordinate the implementation of engineering changes across all functions: Supply management, planning, quality, and production.
• Coordinate closely with ZF OE Braking divisions including Braking Electronics on future product launches and technology changes in a forward approach to new product introduction
• Lead cross-functional teams to include OES Sales, OE Sales, Engineering, Purchasing, Packaging, Manufacturing, Finance.

Your Profile as an OES Product Manager:

• Bachelor’s degree in project management, marketing, engineering, or related technical field required. MBA preferred
• 4 to 6+ years of automotive OE or OES experience
• Proven experience in product/category management and specification development
• Strong knowledge of project management tools and methodologies (planning, risk & change management, quality systems).
• Understanding of ZF processes and standards such as GDPEP
• Ability to read and interpret product drawings and specifications
• Strong computer skills including excellent Microsoft Excel analysis abilities, experience developing impactful PowerPoint presentations and knowledge of PowerBI
• User knowledge of SAP, Windchill, cPlace, PIMS and other product related software
• Effective communication and organizational skills plus the ability to cooperate with multiple departments and companies.
• Practical, firsthand experience with and interest in automotive technology is a plus
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to build relationships, prepare and deliver formal presentations
• Ability to independently troubleshoot issues/concerns and determine course of action
  
  

Physical Demands & Work Environment

Physical demands and work environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to have sufficient hand, arm and finger dexterity to operate a computer keyboard and other office equipment; and speaking and hearing ability sufficient to communicate in person or over the telephone. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds.

While performing the duties of the job, the associate is in an office environment and is exposed to a warehouse/manufacturing floor atmosphere.