Product Lifecycle Manager

Universal Companies

We offer great benefits like: Company discretionary bonus plan 401(k) with company match Competitive benefits package (healthcare / dental / vision / LTD / life / supplemental) Personal, vacation, and sick time Professional development, including complimentary online CEU courses for training and licensing requirements Discounted spa products Wellness programs Employee / family events Beautiful location

*Universal Companies is at home in the historic small town of Abingdon, Virginia, which is nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia and was voted one of the top two "Best Southern Small Towns" by USA Today readers in 2015.

Product Lifecycle Manager – Job Description

Location: Hybrid - Onsite 2 days per week (Abingdon, VA) Department: Operations Reports To: Chief Operating Officer Employment Type: Full-time

Job Summary

The Product Lifecycle Manager plays a critical role in driving the success of Universal Companies' product portfolio across its full lifecycle – from onboarding and inventory optimization to vendor accountability and product retirement. This is a high-impact, cross-functional position requiring strong project management skills, a systems-thinking mindset, and the ability to align stakeholders around process improvements and change implementation.

The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented organizer, skilled at bringing people, data, and workflows together to solve problems and improve efficiency – not just managing inventory, but managing how we manage inventory.

Key Responsibilities

Project & Process Management

• Lead cross-functional initiatives that streamline product onboarding, inventory flow, and end-of-life procedures.
• Develop and refine operational workflows to support product lifecycle stages and align departments around shared goals.
• Organize meetings, define action plans, and follow up with stakeholders across purchasing, sales, marketing, product development, and quality assurance.

Product Onboarding & Data Management

• Own the process of onboarding new SKUs, ensuring all required data (e.g., cost, pricing, dimensions, product details) is captured accurately and consistently.
• Coordinate with marketing, product development, and operations to enable seamless new product launches.

Inventory Risk & Optimization

• Proactively monitor inventory reports to identify SKUs with excess supply (6+ months) and drive promotional or liquidation strategies.
• Track expiration dates on products and repurpose at-risk items (e.g., as samples) before they lose value.

Performance Monitoring

• Evaluate product performance across 10,000+ SKUs and 500+ brands – tracking sales, margins, vendor consistency, quality issues, and availability.
• Recommend products for discontinuation and manage the inventory reduction process.
• Escalate critical issues to the product development or leadership teams when needed.

Vendor Relationship Management

• Coordinate with the Senior Vendor Manager assigned to each vendor to resolve issues such as:
  • Negotiating returns or recovery strategies for unsold inventory.
  • Vendor performance issues that impact product availability or quality.

Quality Oversight

• Implement procedures to flag products for inspection during receiving.
• Coordinate with the quality assurance team.

New Product Sell-Through

• Work to increase the percentage of first-time product purchases that generate sales within the first 90 days of launch.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in product lifecycle management, inventory control, operations coordination, or supply chain planning.
• Strong project management skills – able to organize complex initiatives across multiple departments and follow through to execution.
• Comfortable developing and improving business processes, documentation, and cross-functional workflows.
• Proficient with data analysis, reporting tools (e.g., Excel, ERP systems), and inventory reporting.
• Excellent communicator with the ability to drive collaboration across teams.
• Experience with vendor negotiation and performance tracking preferred.
• Familiarity with product-based industries such as wellness, beauty, or spa is a plus.

Preferred Skills

• Experience managing product onboarding and discontinuation in a multi-brand, multi-SKU environment.
• Skilled in facilitating meetings, defining priorities, and following through on next steps.
• Exposure to demand forecasting tools, product lifecycle platforms, or ERP systems.
• Able to thrive in a hybrid work environment with fast-changing priorities.

Metrics for Success

• The success of the Product Lifecycle Manager will be measured in part by performance against the following key metrics:
  1. Reduction in Excess Inventory - Decrease in the percentage of on-hand inventory considered "excess," defined as stock unlikely to sell within the next six months.
  2. Improved Inventory Turns - Increase in the frequency of inventory turnover, indicating better alignment of stock with demand.
  3. Minimized Expired Inventory - Reduction in inventory write-offs due to expiration, through proactive monitoring and mitigation.
  4. Cost-Effective Liquidation - Successful liquidation of excess inventory, with preference for vendor returns to minimize margin erosion.
  5. New Product Sell-Through - Increase in the percentage of first-time product purchases that generate sales within the first 90 days of launch.