NPD Project Manager

Vibe Recruit; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

Rugby-based? Not specified. Cardiff-based manufacturing firm seeks an experienced NPD Project Manager to own multiple product development projects through to production readiness and final release.

The role requires leadership of cross-functional teams and a disciplined stage-gate process to ensure milestones, approvals and documentation are in place. The candidate will coordinate Design, Technical, Production and Quality teams, manage risks, and report progress to senior management.

Qualifications

• 10+ years' relevant experience within manufacturing, engineering, product development, NPD, NPI or similar.
• Strong project management experience within a manufacturing or technical setting.
• Previous people management experience is essential.
• Experience managing several projects simultaneously.
• Experience with structured development processes such as stage-gate, NPD, NPI or APQP.
• Strong planning, organisation and documentation skills.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams.
• Understanding of prototype development, testing, validation and production readiness.
• The ability to challenge delays, follow up actions and hold stakeholders accountable.
• A delivery-focused approach.
• Strong communication across technical and operational teams.
• A relevant qualification in project management, engineering or manufacturing would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Managing multiple NPD and product introduction projects from development through to production readiness and release.
• Creating and maintaining project plans, milestones, priorities and responsibilities.
• Coordinating internal resources and monitoring progress against agreed timescales and budgets.
• Managing project risks, issues, dependencies and outstanding actions.
• Leading regular cross-functional project meetings and ensuring actions are followed through.
• Coordinating prototype builds, product trials, internal testing and external testing.
• Working closely with technical teams to ensure testing and validation requirements are completed.
• Liaising with external testing and certification partners.
• Ensuring test results, failures and corrective actions are properly documented and resolved.
• Managing the stage-gate process and ensuring projects only progress once the appropriate approvals are in place.
• Maintaining clear project documentation and traceability throughout the development process.
• Coordinating the handover of approved products into Production.
• Managing and prioritising the workload of a small team of technicians.
• Providing direction, support and performance management to the team.
• Reporting project progress, risks and key decisions to senior management.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional teams

People management

Stage-gate process

Documentation

Risk management

Education

Project management qualification

Job description

NPD Project Manager

Location: Cardiff

Salary: £48,000 per annum

Full-time | Permanent

We are working on behalf of an established manufacturing business in Cardiff who are looking to appoint an experienced NPD Project Manager to take ownership of multiple product development projects through to production readiness and final release.

This is not a product design role. The products and technical concepts are already developed; the successful candidate will be responsible for project managing the process, bringing structure, accountability and momentum to each project and ensuring every stage is completed, documented, tested and approved before progressing.

We are looking for an experienced professional with 10+ years' experience within manufacturing, product development, NPD/NPI or a closely related technical environment, together with proven people management experience.

The Role

As NPD Project Manager, you will manage several projects simultaneously, coordinating activity across Design, Technical, Production, Quality and external testing partners.

You will be responsible for ensuring projects progress through a structured stage-gate process, with clear milestones, responsibilities, approvals and supporting documentation in place.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Managing multiple NPD and product introduction projects from development through to production readiness and release
• Creating and maintaining project plans, milestones, priorities and responsibilities
• Coordinating internal resources and monitoring progress against agreed timescales and budgets
• Managing project risks, issues, dependencies and outstanding actions
• Leading regular cross-functional project meetings and ensuring actions are followed through
• Coordinating prototype builds, product trials, internal testing and external testing
• Working closely with technical teams to ensure testing and validation requirements are completed
• Liaising with external testing and certification partners
• Ensuring test results, failures and corrective actions are properly documented and resolved
• Managing the stage-gate process and ensuring projects only progress once the appropriate approvals are in place
• Maintaining clear project documentation and traceability throughout the development process
• Coordinating the handover of approved products into Production
• Managing and prioritising the workload of a small team of technicians
• Providing direction, support and performance management to the team
• Reporting project progress, risks and key decisions to senior management

What We're Looking For

To be considered, you will need:

• 10+ years' relevant experience within manufacturing, engineering, product development, NPD, NPI or a similar environment
• Strong project management experience within a manufacturing or technical setting
• Previous people management experience is essential
• Demonstrable experience managing several projects simultaneously
• Experience working with structured development processes such as stage-gate, NPD, NPI or APQP
• Strong planning, organisation and documentation skills
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams
• An understanding of prototype development, testing, validation and production readiness
• The confidence to challenge delays, follow up actions and hold stakeholders accountable
• A practical, delivery-focused approach
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively across technical and operational teams

A relevant qualification in project management, engineering or manufacturing would also be beneficial.

The Opportunity

This would suit an experienced Project Manager, NPD Manager, NPI Manager, Technical Project Manager or Product Introduction professional who enjoys taking ownership of complex projects and driving them through to completion.

You do not need to be a product designer. The key requirement is the ability to take an existing product concept and successfully manage the process required to validate, test, approve and transition it into production.