Program Manager - New Product Development

This position has overall responsibility for driving successful execution and delivery of new product development (NPD) programs from concept through launch. The Program Manager serves as the cross-functional leader responsible for achieving program objectives related to schedule, cost, quality, and launch readiness. 
 
This role partners closely with Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Quality, Sourcing, Manufacturing, and Commercial teams to proactively drive accountability, manage interdependencies, mitigate risks, resolve execution challenges, and ensure adherence to the NPD process. 
 
The ideal candidate is a highly proactive leader who drives alignment, accelerates timelines, removes barriers, and owns program outcomes. 

Reports to: Sr. Director, Product Management 

Key Focus Areas  

• Own successful execution of NPD programs from initiation through commercial launch 

• Drive achievement of committed program timing, cost, quality, and performance objectives 

• Develop and actively manage integrated program timelines, including critical path identification and recovery planning 

• Proactively identify risks, develop mitigation strategies, and lead countermeasure activities to address deviations 

• Drive timeline acceleration opportunities through understanding of cross-functional dependencies and execution tradeoffs 

• Enforce NPD process rigor, including stage-gate deliverables, standard work, and launch readiness requirements

• Identify gaps in current NPD processes and standard work; partner cross-functionally to improve execution effectiveness 

• Hold cross-functional teams accountable to commitments, deliverables, and action items 

• Lead program escalation discussions with clear problem statements, options, recommendations, and recovery plans 

• Facilitate effective executive and core team communication with clear prioritization of risks, decisions, and actions 

• Coordinate across Engineering, Product Management, Operations, Sourcing, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, and Commercial teams to ensure successful launches

• Drive decision-making and issue resolution to avoid program delays 

• Establish program governance, tracking mechanisms, and operating cadence to ensure visibility and accountability 

• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to NPD execution and program management effectiveness 

Qualifications 

•  Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business or related field, Master degree preferred 

• 8+ years’ experience leading complex cross-functional product development programs 

• PMP Certification a plus 

• Demonstrated success managing schedule recovery, risk mitigation, and cross-functional execution 

• Experience operating within stage-gate or formal NPD process 

• Strong understanding of product development lifecycle, manufacturing readiness, validation processes, sourcing, regulatory considerations, and commercial launch requirements 

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills 

• Energy and desire to deliver high-quality projects on tight schedules 

• Candidate should have strong and effective decision-making skills 

• Strong leadership presence with ability to influence at all organizational levels 

• Strong interpersonal skills, positive attitude, an ability to engage and create trust in others to build and foster team relationships 

• Possess strong organization skills and ability to multitask 

• Strong ability to coach and mentor resources 

• Possesses general understanding in the areas of mechanical product design and manufacturing