Director – New Product Introduction

Director – New Product Introduction

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related field; advanced degree (MBA, MS) preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in new product introduction (NPI) or related roles within a manufacturing environment, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership position.
• Proven experience managing NPI operations, including production workforce management and cross-functional program leadership.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, quality systems, and supply chain dynamics.
• Exceptional project management skills with a track record of successfully launching new products on time and within budget.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and drive results across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end program management of new product introductions, from concept through to the hand-off of full-scale production.
• Develop and execute comprehensive NPI strategies to ensure seamless change management by consolidating input from discipline experts and building a complete plan that ensures a clear value proposition and predictable results when changing products and processes in our manufacturing system.
• Drive NPI cross-functional collaboration to ensure all stakeholders, including design engineering, manufacturing engineering, R&D, quality, commercial, and finance, are aligned on project goals and deliverables.
• Identify and mitigate risks throughout the NPI process, implementing contingency plans including establishing a plan to coordinate changes between the many stakeholders with solution oriented problem solving.
• Partner with and drive alignment among the many stakeholders with conflicting objectives to ensure critical considerations like design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) principles are integrated into new products.
• Participate in manufacturing, design, and schedule reviews and technical discussions to ensure new products and changes are introduced with high confidence in meeting quality, cost, performance and manufacturing feasibility targets.
• Create and implement Form’s NPI process including: forecasting and prioritizing changes, supporting development of validation trial plans with relevant stakeholders, executing trials, coordinating validation and data reviews, developing and executing plans for coordinated changes in a way that minimizes risk and maximizes predictability.
• Lead all NPI operations, including managing the NPI production workforce to ensure timely and efficient new product launches.
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and engineering teams to ensure alignment and smooth transitions from development to mass production.
• Monitor and manage NPI budgets, timelines, and resources to achieve project objectives.
• Build and lead a high-performing NPI team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and develop team members, providing guidance and support to enhance their skills and advance their careers.
• Set clear performance objectives and provide regular feedback to drive accountability and high performance within the team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the clean technology sector or a related industry is highly desirable.