Product Program Manager
Chicago, IL
Strategy & Development – Strategy & Development /
Full-Time /
On-site
About Culligan Quench
Culligan Quench’s purpose is to impact people’s lives and improve the earth by helping to eliminate the 500 million plastic bottles consumed each year. We play a front-line role in the battle against single-use plastic water bottles by delivering on-demand filtered water solutions to more than 120,000 healthy and environmentally conscious customers across North America. Our bottle-free water coolers, ice machines, sparkling water dispensers and coffee brewers purify the existing water supply, providing an endless supply of clean water and water-based beverages for a fixed monthly fee, typically under a long term bundled service and rental subscription agreement. Culligan Quench has grown from a small regional company to an international leader that had a successful NYSE public offering in 2016 and is now a strategic company owned by private equity backed Culligan. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Quench has more than 1,600 team members operating out of more than 90 locations across North America and Puerto Rico. For more information visit https://quench.culligan.com/
About Culligan
Founded by Emmett Culligan in 1936, Culligan is a world leader in delivering superior water solutions that will make a real difference in improving the health and wellness of consumers. The company offers some of the most technologically advanced, state-of-the-art water filtration and treatment products. These products include water softeners, drinking water systems, whole-house systems and solution for businesses. Culligan's network of franchise dealers is the largest in the world, with over 900 dealers in 90 countries. Many of Culligan dealers have valuable equity in their local communities as multigenerational family owners of their franchises. For more information visit www.culligan.com.
Values: 5Cs
Culligan as One
Customers come first
Commitment to Innovation
Courage to do what's right
Consistently deliver exceptional results
The Position
- We are looking for a high-impact Product Program Manager to join our Product team, driving execution of critical product initiatives that directly impact growth, customer experience, and operational excellence.
- This role is ideal for someone who is:
- Strategic yet execution-focused – able to connect high-level priorities to clear action plans.
- Able to lead and align cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment, bringing clarity and momentum to complex initiatives.
- Outcome-oriented, ensuring projects deliver measurable results, not just task completion.
- Unlike a traditional project manager, this role focuses on enabling strategic decision-making, removing execution roadblocks, and ensuring that projects deliver intended business value, not just deadlines.
Responsibilities
- Product & Project Leadership
- Drive Strategic Alignment: Partner with Product, Engineering, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Service leadership to ensure initiatives are prioritized effectively and resourced to achieve business goals.
- Orchestrate Execution: Develop and maintain cross-functional project plans, tracking progress against defined success metrics such as launch readiness, adoption, or cost savings.
- Optimize Project Frameworks: Own and enhance the Monday.com tracking system, establishing repeatable best practices that improve visibility, accountability, and decision-making.
- Clear Risk Management: Identify risks early, proactively escalate issues with recommended solutions to keep projects on track.
- Execution-in-the-Weeds: Roll up your sleeves to coordinate dependencies and tasks while keeping teams focused on the bigger picture outcomes.
- Lead cross-functional teams through influence and collaboration: Drive clarity and alignment across stakeholders without relying on direct reporting lines.
- Operational & Strategic Impact
- Enhance Product Operations: Improve planning templates, intake processes, and reporting frameworks to support faster, more informed decision-making.
- Lead Special Initiatives: Manage high-impact cross-functional projects that improve customer experience, product adoption, or operational efficiency beyond standard launches.
- Data-Driven Decision Support: Assist in building business cases and use data insights to influence prioritization and investment decisions.
- Executive Communication: Deliver concise dashboards, executive-ready updates, and story-driven presentations that enable leadership to make faster, better decisions.
Qualifications
- 5+ years in project, product, or program management, preferably in fast-paced, tech-enabled or product-driven sectors.
- Proven track record of delivering complex, cross-functional initiatives that achieved measurable business outcomes.
- Experience establishing or improving project management frameworks (Monday.com, Jira, or similar).
- Strong cross-functional leadership skills: able to lead, influence, and align teams across different functions and geographies in a matrixed organization.
- Analytical and business acumen: ability to interpret data, understand ROI, and support financial trade-off decisions.
- Technical curiosity, ideally with familiarity in IoT, connected devices, or related product ecosystems.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related field; MBA or advanced degree a plus.
Attributes
- Proactive problem solver who takes ownership for removing roadblocks and driving momentum.
- Collaborative relationship-builder who fosters trust and shared accountability across teams.
- Results-driven mindset, focused on delivering value rather than just checking boxes.
- Growth-oriented, eager to learn, adapt, and improve processes continuously.
$120,000 - $120,000 a year
Equal Opportunity Employer
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