Product Manager

Graco • Ann Arbor, MI

9h • Hybrid

About The Position

Graco manufactures and markets premium equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray a wide variety of fluid and powder materials. What does that mean? Well, we pump peanut butter into your jar, and the oil in your car. We glue the soles of your shoes, the glass in your windows and the screen on your phone. We spray the finish on your vehicle, coatings on your pills, the paint on your house and texture on your walls. Graco is part of your daily life. Where You’ll Work - QED Environmental Systems, a subsidiary of Graco, Inc., located in Dexter, MI QED Environmental Systems is the market-leading provider of environmental technology solutions. We design, manufacture and support solutions for groundwater, soil and gas management and detection applications into environmental, industrial and renewable energy markets worldwide. Since our inception, we have been the leading manufacturer of environmental monitoring and remediation equipment. We offer the best and most diverse product portfolio and solutions to our customers. Ready to join us? The ideal candidate is a results-driven, business-minded product leader who combines technical understanding with strong commercial acumen. They are comfortable making decisions, taking ownership, and challenging the status quo to drive growth. This role requires someone who can see the bigger business picture , connect the dots between customer pain points and market opportunity, and use unmet customer needs as their north star for innovation and prioritization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business , Marketing , Engineering or Technical field.
• 3 + years experience in product management, marketing, or commercial roles within environmental instrumentation, water quality, or equipment industries .
• Demonstrate strong financial and analytical skills (business case development, ROI modeling, competitive benchmarking) and the ability to confidently make decisions based on data and intuition.
• Exceptional communication skills — able to influence across technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating outside their comfort zone, eager to learn new markets, technologies, and business models.
• Stay grounded in the customer experience , using unmet needs as their compass for innovation and prioritization.
• Ability to travel up to 3 0%

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree desirable .
• Global Environmental Industry (or related market) experience and knowledge.
• MBA or Master’s degree
• Experience working in a B2B environment
• Exposure to CRM or ERP data systems (e.g., Salesforce, Oracle).
• High proficiency in Excel; experience using Power BI, Tableau, or similar tools for data visualization and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the single point of ownership for the Water Sub-Vertical, managing the entire product lifecycle — from concept development and design, to launch, commercialization, and end-of-life.
• Co-develop and maintain a 5-year product roadmap that aligns with QED’s broader Environmental Equipment Market and Business strategy, balancing innovation, profitability, and simplification.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute product marketing strategies that strengthen QED’s leadership in groundwater and surface water monitoring.
• Develop and manage product pricing, ensuring competitiveness, profitability, and alignment with value-based positioning.
• Evaluate new product and feature opportunities through data-driven market analysis, market sizing , pricing and margin modeling, and voice-of-customer (VOC) insights.
• Define portfolio strategy across product tiers to ensure clear customer value segmentation.
• Lead structured VOC programs and field engagement with environmental consultants, contractors, technicians, regulators, and industrial users.
• Translate customer problems and unmet needs into actionable business cases and product requirements that drive design and development decisions.
• Identify and quantify gaps and friction points in sampling, water quality monitoring, and PFAS detection applications.
• Gather and analyze data to assess QED’s competitive position, emerging technologies, and market trends; communicate insights clearly to leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Create presentations to division personnel summarizing findings, roadmap updates, and portfolio performance metrics.
• Partner with Engineering to define product specifications, testing criteria, and value propositions that reflect both VOC and regulatory drivers.
• Collaborate with Category Marketing and Sales to develop go-to-market strategies, create sales support materials, and ensure launch excellence across all products.
• Lead alignment between Marketing, Sales, Manufacturing, and Service teams to drive adoption and post-launch success.
• Contribute to cost-reduction and product simplification initiatives to support QED’s profitability .
• Drive accountability and clear communication through structured documentation, project reviews, and milestone tracking.
• Monitor product and portfolio performance — sales volume, margins, pricing discipline, lead times, and service cost — and recommend data-backed actions to improve financial outcomes.
• Lead product rationalization, cost optimization, and lifecycle management processes to ensure healthy, profitable portfolios.
• Establish and track clear success metrics for each product launch (adoption rate, gross margin improvement, VOC feedback, and customer retention).
• Plan and execute post-launch reviews to capture lessons learned and continuously improve QED’s speed-to-market and launch quality.
• Provide general guidance and mentorship to lower-level support staff or cross-functional contributors; may train others on product management tools and best practices.
• Operates with a moderate level of guidance on complex matters, while working independently and exercising sound judgment on daily product management decisions.

Benefits

• Graco offers attractive compensation, benefits and career development opportunities.
• Graco’s comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, stock purchase plan, 401(k), tuition reimbursement and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level