Senior Product Manager

Why Badger Meter?
 

Badger Meter is a leading global water technology company, with a mission to preserve and protect the world’s most precious resource.  For more than 100 years, cities and businesses have utilized our innovative and trusted solutions to enhance operational efficiency and conserve water while making it more affordable, clean and resilient.  Just like every drop counts, at Badger Meter every employee counts because our contributions have a lasting impact on the world!

Here at Badger Meter, we believe that our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion is the very foundation of our success. Our commitment is reflected in our core values, where we strive to create an environment that celebrates differences, encourages innovation, and ensures that every voice is celebrated and appreciated.  

We understand that a diverse team brings a variety of perspectives and ideas, which ultimately fosters creativity and excellence. Badger Meter provides opportunities for career growth and development for every employee by creating a supportive and inclusive workplace where they can make meaningful contributions while preserving the world’s most precious resource. 
 

What You Will Contribute:
 

Are you ready to take charge of dynamic, multidisciplinary projects that push the boundaries of innovation?

As a Senior Project Manager (NPD) reporting to the Manager of the Project Management Office, you will be at the forefront of delivering complex product development and industrialization initiatives with precision and expertise. This is an opportunity to lead cross-functional teams, shape processes, and make a lasting impact on cutting-edge products in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment. If you thrive on collaboration, excel in problem-solving, and are driven by achieving tangible results, this role is your chance to shine!

This will be a hybrid position based in our Milwaukee, Wisconsin location.

This position is responsible for project planning, project oversight, facilitation, and escalation of project issues and support of project team members across the organization. Additionally, this position has the responsibility of providing comprehensive project management support including, but not limited to, the use of effective project management techniques in planning, coordinating and managing the accelerated development and industrialization of new products and major product modifications in a multidisciplinary engineering environment. This role demands exceptional project planning, risk management, and leadership skills, as you guide projects from conceptualization to market release. If you excel in collaboration, possess advanced technical knowledge, and thrive under pressure, this position offers you the opportunity to drive transformative results in the field of New Product Development.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain an effective product planning process to ensure meeting a minimum 90% of company-defined target metrics relative to product schedules, product and project costs. All items must be kept current for the duration of the product development process.

• Ability to lead a cross-functional team through 5–7 New Product Development (NPD) projects without a direct reporting structure from product conceptualization through release for sale in a high-volume product manufacturing corporation.

• Ability to partner with cross-functional teams to set and continually manage project expectations and communicate project status with transparency. 

• Ability to problem solve and ensure all project risks are proactively identified, documented or avoided throughout the lifecycle of a project. 

• Responsible for driving cross-functional team members through successful risk mitigation tools and techniques to remove barriers to success and maintain original project release schedules.

• Proven track record of successful collaboration with all levels of the organization demonstrating superior written and verbal skills.

• Provide updates to the Priority Project Status Report on a monthly basis.

• Assist management by assessing financial viability of a product as well as mitigation of financial risks (either associated with development or delays).

• Manage projects to comply with requirements of the ISO 9008 Standard.

• Continued education in the latest project management techniques and remain on the forefront of business practices.

• Ability to lead hardware projects using agile techniques. 

• Lead Sprint Planning Sessions and Daily Stand-Up meetings.

• Develop & Maintain Project Burn Down Charts.

• Assist Product Owner in developing and maintaining the Project Backlog.

• Assist Product Owner in obtaining, managing and supporting relevant stakeholder buy-in.

• Create, implement and maintain comprehensive project documentation.

• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of the Project Management department including, but not limited to, process and value stream mapping, standard operating procedure (SOP) evaluation and development. 

• Conduct New Product Development (NPD) postmortems to create and disseminate report outs relative to successful and unsuccessful completed project elements (product cost, budget, timeline, otherwise).

• Assist in the development of phase gate and milestone achievement metrics (Key Performance Indicators).

• Proficiency in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.

• Additional projects, tasks, and/or assignments as assigned. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5+ or more years of related experience in Project Management, Process management, Workflow Management, or Continuous Improvement.

• Bachelor's degree in Business or Technical field

• Basic experience with Microsoft Project, NPD Phase Gate Process, and Scrum/Agile Methodologies

• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

• Intermediate experience with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Software and Earned Value Methodology.

• KPI development

• Detail orientation 

• Process improvement 

• Advanced negotiation skills

• Advanced communication skills 

• Creative problem solving 

• Risk mitigation and management 

• Leadership and coaching/mentoring experience

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in business or technical field preferred

• PMI-ACP 

• Experience managing cross-functional teams

• Familiar with compliance agency protocols and standards such as UL, CSA, CE, OMIL

• PERT techniques

• Familiarity with financial/accounting metrics including IRR, Gross Margins, Payback etc.

• Conflict Resolution

Competitive Total Rewards at Badger Meter:

• Competitive Pay

• Annual Bonus

• Eligible for Annual Pay Increases

• Comprehensive Health, Vision, and Dental Coverage 

• 15 days Paid Time Off + 11 Paid Holidays  

• Two Ways to Save for Retirement: Badger Meter contributes 25 cents for every dollar you contribute to the plan, up to 7% of your eligible compensation.  In addition to the match, the company will also contribute 5% of your eligible compensation to your Defined Contribution account on an annual basis. Additional access to a certified financial planner to help ensure your money is working for you, at no cost!

• Employer Paid benefits including: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Basic Group Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, and more 

• Educational Assistance – Tuition Reimbursement up to $5,250 

• Voluntary benefits including: Additional Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, Accident and Critical Illness coverage

• Health Savings Account (HSA) & Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options

Information

• Location: Milwaukee, United States

Industry experience

Education: Masters

Seniority: Manager, Director, Professor

Years of experience: 10 to 20 years

Taxonomy

• Consumer Products
• Water Management & Security
• Process
• Project Management
• Project Management
• Wisconsin, United States
• Construction of Water Projects