Product Manager II - Quick To Market

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical & dental

401(k) matching

Health Savings Account

Paid vacation

12 Paid Holidays

Bonus eligibility

Education reimbursement

Matching gifts

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation is seeking a Product Manager II - Quick to Market to drive rapid product innovations in the Drinking Water Business Unit. You will identify customer needs, translate insights into requirements, and lead cross-functional teams to deliver market-ready solutions on accelerated timelines.

The role requires strong analytical capabilities, experience guiding products from concept through commercialization, and a bias for action to accelerate time-to-market while

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, Product Management, or a related field.
• 5+ years in product management, project management, engineering, marketing, or related experience.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects through commercialization.
• Strong analytical, financial, and business-case development skills.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and influencing abilities.
• Strong project management and organizational capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Collect and prioritize customer feedback to guide product enhancements.
• Translate insights into actionable product requirements and business cases.
• Lead rapid development and commercialization of market-ready solutions.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Regulatory teams.
• Develop launch plans, pricing recommendations, and sales enablement materials.
• Track product performance and drive continuous improvements.

Skills

Product management

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Project management

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Marketing/Engineering

Job description

Product Manager II - Quick To Market

The Company Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation is a thriving, values-driven company focused on doing the right things. We’re a fast growing, publicly traded company (NYSE: ZWS), with an enduring reputation for integrity, giving back, and providing an engaging, inclusive environment where careers flourish and grow. Named by Newsweek as One of America’s Most Responsible Companies and an Energage USA Top Workplace, at Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation, we never forget that our people are at the center of what makes us successful. They are the driving force behind our superior quality, product ingenuity, and exceptional customer experience. Our commitment to our people and their professional development is a recipe for success that has fueled our growth for over 100 years, as one of today’s leading international suppliers of plumbing and water delivery solutions.

About the Role

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions is seeking a highly customer-focused and agile Product Manager - Quick to Market (QTM) to drive rapid product innovation and commercialization within the Drinking Water Business Unit. This role is responsible for identifying product gaps, limitations, and unmet customer needs through direct feedback from customers, sales representatives, channel partners, and internal stakeholders, then developing and launching market-ready solutions on an accelerated timeline. The QTM Product Manager serves as the bridge between the voice of the customer and the organization’s design, engineering, operations, sourcing, and commercialization teams. The primary objective is to quickly bring practical, profitable solutions to market that address customer pain points, expand catalog offerings, strengthen competitive differentiation, and generate sustainable revenue growth. This role requires a combination of product management expertise, commercial acumen, technical aptitude, project leadership, and a bias for action.

Key Responsibilities

• Collect, evaluate, and prioritize customer, representative, distributor, contractor, and end-user feedback regarding product limitations, installation challenges, unmet needs, and competitive gaps.
• Identify recurring issues or requests that present opportunities for product enhancements, line extensions, new configurations, or accessory offerings.
• Translate customer insights into actionable product requirements and business cases.
• Lead the rapid development and commercialization of product solutions designed to address specific market needs.
• Drive expedited product development processes while balancing speed, quality, compliance, and profitability.
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, and Regulatory teams to develop practical solutions with accelerated launch timelines.
• Champion a culture of speed, customer responsiveness, and continuous product improvement.
• Develop new catalog offerings, configurations, upgrades, accessories, and application-specific solutions.
• Identify opportunities to leverage existing platforms and components to minimize development costs and accelerate time to market.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of QTM initiatives that support strategic growth objectives.
• Evaluate market demand, competitive offerings, customer value, pricing, margin potential, and revenue opportunities.
• Develop recommendations supported by financial analysis, including expected sales volume, profitability, and return on investment.
• Present opportunities and business cases to leadership for prioritization and approval.
• Lead cross-functional teams through ideation, feasibility assessment, development, launch, and post-launch evaluation.
• Coordinate priorities across Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, Operations, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Commercial teams.
• Ensure all product changes meet performance, safety, certification, and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor market trends, customer preferences, regulatory changes, and competitive activity.
• Conduct competitive benchmarking to identify opportunities where speed-to-market can create competitive advantage.
• Partner with sales and channel teams to understand emerging customer challenges and market opportunities.
• Develop launch plans, product positioning, pricing recommendations, and sales enablement materials.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Sales teams to support successful product introductions.
• Track product performance and customer adoption following launch and implement continuous improvements as needed.
• Measure and report on key performance indicators including sales growth, margin performance, customer adoption, and time-to-market improvements.
• Continuously assess the portfolio for additional opportunities to expand offerings and solve customer challenges.

Qualifications / Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, Product Management, or a related field.
• 5+ years of product management, project management, engineering, marketing, or related experience.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects from concept through commercialization.
• Strong analytical, financial, and business case development skills.
• Demonstrated ability to convert customer feedback into innovative product solutions.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and influencing skills.
• Strong project management and organizational capabilities.

Total Rewards and Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• Medical, Dental, Vision, STD, LTD, AD&D, and Life Insurance
• Matching 401(k) Contribution
• Health Savings Account
• Up to 3 weeks starting Vacation (may increase with tenure)
• 12 Paid Holidays
• Annual Bonus Eligibility
• Educational Reimbursement
• Matching Gift Program
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan - purchase company stock at a discount!

Equal Opportunity Employer - Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Sustainability and Culture

What happens when two remarkable sustainability leaders come together as one? A sustainability powerhouse is born, making a splash in the markets they serve and saving the planet one innovative installation at a time. In early 2022, Zurn Water Solutions Corporation, a market leader in smart, sustainable water solutions, and Elkay Manufacturing, a commercial drinking water solutions leader, agreed to combine their two exceptional firms to become a single water solutions powerhouse. Together, the combined company offers a comprehensive package of innovative, sustainable, specified, engineered water solutions and sustainable plumbing products that provide water safety, water quality, and water conservation through critical service environments, while delivering total building solutions for new construction and retrofit applications around the globe. Our innovative solutions enable customers to advance their ESG initiatives and reduce operating costs while providing students, patients, patrons, and people within public and private spaces a safe, clean environment and access to fresh, pure, potable water – the essence of life itself.

What makes Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation special is our people and our culture. While playing a leading role in sustainability and water access are remarkable, what makes Zurn Elkay’s story so compelling is the alignment of the two well-respected companies with powerful legacies and a combined 224-year company history and shared values and cultures where people matter most. Sustainably inspired, the company has a deep commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, water, and environmental stewardship, and giving back to the communities where we live, work and play. Our powerful legacy of caring and commitment is made possible by the exceptional people that embody Zurn Elkay’s values. We are looking for innovative, energetic people who want to help solve tomorrow’s challenges today. Our Total Associate Engagement core value means we work hard to ensure our associates have opportunities to grow and an inclusive culture in which to thrive. From formal training to on-the-job development and exposure to new businesses, when you join Zurn Elkay, you will join a collaborative organization that will give you opportunities to thrive and grow.