Product Manager III - Drinking Water

Elkay Manufacturing•Downers Grove, IL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Product Manager III for Drinking Water is responsible for leading the NPD, sustaining, and supply chain product roadmap and driving 80/20 strategies across the Drinking Water portfolio execution across assigned product categories. This role owns NPD product roadmaps, the sustaining project idea funnel, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and operational efficiency goals. The position also provides technical product training and customer support, partnering closely with engineering, operations, and commercial teams to improve product performance, simplify portfolios, and enhance customer experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Marketing, or related field; MBA preferred.
7+ years of experience in Product Management, Engineering, or Operations, ideally within a manufacturing or industrial products environment.
Proven experience leading sustaining initiatives or 80/20 portfolio simplification programs.
Strong understanding of product lifecycle management, cost reduction, and value engineering principles.
Excellent project management, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Technical aptitude with the ability to translate engineering concepts into customer value.
Proficiency in data analysis and product performance reporting.

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred.

Responsibilities

Own and evolve the multi-year NPD roadmap for the Drinking Water portfolio, ensuring alignment with market trends, customer needs, and enterprise strategic priorities.
Translate strategic objectives into clear, actionable NPD project pipelines with defined value propositions and business cases.
Lead cross-functional teams—including engineering, operations, procurement, finance, and commercial—in the execution of NPD programs from ideation through commercialization.
Drive stage-gate activities and ensure projects meet scope, schedule, cost, and quality deliverables.
Develop and maintain the executive roadmap for sustaining and supply chain projects within the Drinking Water category, aligning business objectives and customer expectations.
Build and manage the sustaining project idea funnel, prioritizing initiatives that drive quality improvements, cost reductions, and supply continuity.
Lead portfolio simplification and standardization efforts across the Drinking Water product line to improve profitability, operational efficiency, and customer focus.
Partner with engineering, operations, supply chain, and sourcing teams to deliver sustaining initiatives on time and within budget.
Own the strategy and execution of parts business to optimize product offering and maximize profit within the category.
Monitor and manage existing products throughout their lifecycle to ensure ongoing competitiveness, compliance, and manufacturability.
Identify and execute opportunities to mitigate risk, enhance material availability, and improve production flow through product changes or sourcing adjustments.
Develop and deliver training materials for internal stakeholders, sales representatives, and customers to strengthen technical product knowledge and confidence.
Serve as a technical point of contact for product-related inquiries, field applications, and issue resolution.
Use analytics to measure project performance, cost savings, and product health, providing insights that guide strategic priorities.
Promote a culture of simplification, operational excellence, and data-based decision-making throughout the Drinking Water product organization.