Program Manager - Instrument Replacement

Overview

Our Enterprise Transformation team is on a mission to improve business outcomes and employee experiences by driving step-change improvements in critical enterprise processes, and the technology and analytics supporting these.

As a Sr. Principal, Lifecycle Program Lead, you will be responsible for delivering transformative improvements in enterprise Instrument Replacement capabilities, defining and scaling a consistent, data driven approach to managing instrument lifecycle replacement across business units, regions, and commercial motions.

This role is accountable for end-to-end replacement excellence, supporting the commercial teams with installed base intelligence, replacement strategy and playbooks to improve commercial execution, governance model, and value realization.

Partnering with global sales leadership, commercial excellence, finance, IT, and operations, the desired business outcomes include translating lifecycle strategy into repeatable operating models that improve revenue retention, revenue growth and customer loyalty.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Instrument Replacement strategy

• Collaborate with commercial leadership and functional SMEs in the definition of the enterprise instrument replacement strategy, ensuring a consistent, scalable approach across regions, product lines, and customer segments
• Lead gap analysis, future-state model for replacement timing logic, segmentation, and prioritization frameworks anchored in installed base health, service signals, technology evolution, and customer value
• Facilitate cross-functional working sessions to define clear principles for repair vs. replace, upgrade pathways, and trade-in / migration models ensuring consistency while allowing business unit flexibility

End-to-End Lifecycle model design

• Collaborate with commercial leadership and functional SMEs to design and support governing the future-state replacement operating models, including:

• Installed base intelligence and lifecycle triggers
• Commercial plays and GTM motions
• Pricing guidance

• Ensure replacement programs are simple to understand, easy to deploy, and measurable, enabling effective adoption by business units

Cross-Functional Leadership & Governance

• Lead cross-functional collaboration across Sales, Service, Commercial Excellence, Sales, Service, Product Management, Finance, IT, and Analytics
• Facilitate executive alignment and decision making by clearly articulating trade-offs, value cases, and risks
• Define success metrics, KPIs, and partner with stakeholders to support governance, operating cadence for instrument replacement excellence

Digital, Data & Analytics Enablement

• Partner with the Commercial Operations and Customer 360 teams to:

• Ensure accurate and actionable installed base visibility
• Embed lifecycle and replacement triggers into CRM and analytics platforms
• Enable consistent tracking of replacement opportunities, conversion, and value realization

Value Realization & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track enterprise-level impact of instrument replacement initiatives on:
• Revenue retention and growth
• Margin and asset productivity
• Customer experience and loyalty
• Identify systemic bottlenecks and improvement opportunities, partnering with business units to address them
• Scale best practices globally while enabling regional and segment-specific execution flexibility

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Economics, or a related field
• 12+ years of experience in lifecycle management, commercial excellence, sales operations, service operations, or enterprise transformation
• Proven experience leading complex, cross-functional programs in a global, multi-BU environment
• Strong understanding of:

• Installed base management and asset lifecycle concepts
• Commercial motions supporting replacement, upgrades, and renewals
• Sales and service operating models

• Experience working with CRM, installed base, and analytics platforms (e.g., Salesforce or similar)
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and drive alignment across senior stakeholders
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate strategy into execution
• Lean / continuous improvement experience a plus
• Results-oriented, with a strong sense of ownership and urgency

Company Description

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of ~16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide.

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our core values at Waters Corporation. It benefits our employees, our products, our customers and our community. Waters complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, marital status (including civil unions), military service, veteran status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, legally recognized disability, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Waters is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All hiring decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

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