WHO ARE WE?

Mueller Water Products, Inc., is a leading manufacturer and marketer of products and services used in the transmission, distribution and measurement of water in North America. Our broad product and service portfolio includes engineered valves, fire hydrants, metering products and systems, leak detection and pipe condition assessment. We help municipalities increase operational efficiencies, improve customer service and prioritize capital spending.

Mueller Systems offers a full line of residential, fire line and commercial register, meters and communications devices in the AMR / AMI family of systems and related products. We are committed to providing utilities with the infrastructure technology needed to optimize their operations and ensure the sustainability of our water. By building on our expertise in water management, we help water utilities better manage their operations and resources.

Mueller Systems LLC is a Mueller Water Products company. Mueller Water Products has been a leading manufacturer and marketer of infrastructure and flow control products and services for more than 150 years. Mueller Water Products is continuously developing systems and components that make collecting information easier and more beneficial to utilities and their customers.

WHO ARE YOU?

Are you a creative thinker? Do you thrive on new experiences and collaborations? Can you work efficiently with people of all ages, backgrounds and viewpoints, at every level of an organization? Do you bring passion and energy to everything you do?

At Mueller Systems, we are all about our customers. We build systems that are simple, easy to use and make cities around the world smarter. Our innovative software focuses on rich functionality, great user experience, and extensive user configurability. The Product Manager – Network Communications (Mobile & API) will work closely with customers, our Scrum teams, and partners to build mobile products and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that customers love. This role is responsible for gathering requirements from internal and external customers, converting these into epics/stories, and ensuring that each feature works well. Passion for products and great attention to detail are required.

The Product Manager - Network Communications is responsible for product lifecycle management of Mueller Systems’  Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) products, this includes Hardware, Firmware, and Software. This extends from increasing the profitability of existing products to developing new products for the company. The Product Manager will build products from existing ideas, and help to develop new ideas based on industry experience and contact with current and potential customers. This position requires unique blend of business and technical savvy; a big-picture vision, and the drive to make that vision a reality.

The Product Manager must be able to communicate with all areas and all levels of employee, especially across matrixed boundaries of the Company. They will work with Design and Development engineering counterparts, Sales team counterparts, and management to define product release requirements. The Product Manager will work with marketing communications to define the go-to-market strategy, helping them understand the product positioning, key benefits, and target customer. The position also serves as the internal and external evangelist for our product offering,

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Specify product market and functional roadmap for current and future products by conducting market research supported by on-going visits to existing and prospective customers as well as business partners.
• Contribute to the product roadmap planning and development
• Drive a product solution to completion and release across teams including Development/Engineering and Quality Assurance.
• Interact with sales and marketing to develop market positioning papers and presentations
• Interact with customers and business partners on new product solutions.
• Ensure technical program execution and deliver products consistent with program needs
• Provide technical oversight and mentoring, and promote standard technical processes and standard methodologies
• Lead the program cross functional teams (CFT’s) to establish cost goals, identify & evaluate cost reduction initiatives, capture/develop funding, and successfully execute initiatives across the AMI product lines for production and development activities
• Develop, own and manage via program (CFT leadership, etc.) a validated phase gate plan to meet the target(s) and the tasks to support the program, Return on Investment and quality objectives.
• Drive project execution amongst key stakeholders to ensure success.
• Collaborate with other key lifecycle roles (i.e. Other Program Managers, Technical Leadership, Finance/Cost Estimation Lead, Supply Chain leadership and Production & Operations) to achieve affordability objectives while adhering to system performance constraints and program schedule requirements. 
• Drive the execution of product improvement and value Engineering Change Notifications (ECNs)
• Lead the program obsolescence strategy to ensure the AMI products are leading the industry
• Identify affordability opportunities that can be leveraged through obsolescence redesign

 #LI-AS1

Required Skills Required Experience

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Computer Science or related technical subject
• PMP certification
• Masters Degree or MBA desirable

 EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 5-10 years directly leading technical marketing projects
• Demonstrated ability to manage programs and projects.
• Knowledge of AMI systems, utilities, etc highly desirable
• Overall general LAN/WAN networking knowledge. Wireless technologies, Hardware/Software and communications devices
• Excellent problem-solving with the ability to evolve product strategy based on research
• Ability to think differently, challenge conventional wisdom, and drive new best practices
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organization

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE: 10+ years in the field of Manufacturing or Mechanical engineering.

TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE: Experience in continuous improvement activities will be required. This includes using tools such as kaizens, mistake proofing, establishing standard work practices, problem solving, pull systems, 5S, setup reduction, TPM, etc.

Knowledge of ISO 14001/9001 required.

Working knowledge of manufacturing operations, environmental compliance, industrial hazard and communication.  Well versed in OSHA regulations and ISO 14000 auditing and implementation.

Strong skills in the following areas:

• Leadership
• Lean
• Management
• Strategic
• Quantitative & Qualitative Assessment
• Communication (written & verbal)
• Presentation
• Analytical

Must have strong communication and organizational skills.

Black Belt or Lean Belt Certification preferred.

Applicant must have legal authority to permanently work in the U.S.

Must be flexible to travel as needed.