New Product Introduction Manager

KerberRose; Kiel (WI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential Client in Northeast Wisconsin is seeking an NPI Program Manager to lead new product introductions from customer award through production launch and stabilization. This role requires coordinating cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, supply chain, finance, and sales.

The successful candidate will drive schedules, manage risks, and ensure manufacturability and cost targets while communicating with customers and leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a related field preferred.
• Experience leading NPI, new product development, or program management in a manufacturing setting.
• Experience coordinating multiple departments and managing competing priorities.
• Strong communication with customers, internal teams, and leadership.
• Proven ability to develop and manage detailed project schedules.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage new product introduction programs from customer award through production launch and stabilization.
• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules, milestones, deliverables, and launch timelines.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, supply chain, finance, and sales.
• Lead regular cross-functional NPI meetings and track action items and owners.
• Create meeting agendas, document minutes, and communicate decisions; maintain project documentation.
• Monitor progress; identify schedule, cost, quality, resource, and production risks.
• Coordinate customer communication and provide timely status updates.
• Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing to ensure manufacturability, cost targets, and production efficiency.
• Coordinate prototype, pre-production, tooling, testing, validation, and production-readiness activities.
• Ensure critical launch requirements are completed prior to production release.

Skills

NPI program management

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Manufacturing environment

Communication skills

Excel

PowerPoint

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Project Management, Manufacturing

Tools

Microsoft Office

Project scheduling tools

Job description

Confidential Client | Northeast Wisconsin

Position Summary

I’m working with a well-established and rapidly growing custom manufacturing client in Northeast Wisconsin that is adding an NPI Program Manager to its team. This is a newly created opportunity with significant visibility and responsibility as the organization continues to expand its customer base, product portfolio, and manufacturing capabilities.

The NPI Program Manager will serve as the central point of accountability for new product introduction programs from customer award through successful production launch and stabilization. This person will coordinate cross-functional teams, manage timelines and deliverables, facilitate communication, identify risks, and ensure new products move from concept to production efficiently and successfully.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys being the person who keeps complex projects moving, works across multiple departments, and wants meaningful exposure to customers, senior leadership, engineering, manufacturing, and operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage new product introduction programs from customer award through production launch and stabilization.
• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules, milestones, deliverables, and launch timelines.
• Serve as the primary point of coordination across engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, supply chain, finance, sales, and other internal stakeholders.
• Lead regular cross-functional NPI meetings and ensure action items, owners, and deadlines are clearly established and followed through.
• Create meeting agendas, document minutes, communicate decisions, and maintain project documentation.
• Monitor project progress and proactively identify schedule, cost, quality, resource, and production risks.
• Coordinate customer communication throughout the NPI process and provide timely updates on project status.
• Work closely with engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, quality, cost, and production efficiency.
• Coordinate prototype, pre-production, tooling, testing, validation, and production-readiness activities.
• Ensure critical launch requirements are completed prior to production release.
• Track project budgets, tooling requirements, capital needs, and other launch-related costs.
• Facilitate resolution of issues that could impact timing, cost, quality, or customer expectations.
• Develop and maintain project status reports and communicate progress to leadership.
• Support continuous improvement of the company's NPI processes, systems, and documentation.
• Help establish repeatable launch processes, standards, and best practices as the organization continues to grow.
• Travel periodically to customer locations and other facilities as needed.

Cross-Functional Leadership

This position will work extensively across the organization and will regularly interact with:

• Manufacturing
• Operations
• Quality
• Purchasing
• Supply Chain
• Finance
• Customers and external partners

The successful candidate does not necessarily need to be a technical expert in every function. Rather, they need to be an exceptional project leader and communicator who can understand the big picture, ask the right questions, hold people accountable, and keep everyone moving toward the same objective.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Project Management, Manufacturing, or a related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in program management, project management, NPI, new product development, manufacturing, or a closely related environment.
• Experience managing projects involving multiple departments and competing priorities.
• Experience working within a manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of project schedules, milestones, deliverables, and project management fundamentals.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to lead meetings, establish accountability, and drive action items to completion.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Comfortable communicating with customers, internal teams, and senior leadership.
• Ability to identify potential issues before they become significant problems.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and project scheduling tools.
• Willingness to travel periodically for customer meetings and project requirements.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is someone who is highly organized, naturally accountable, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

This person should enjoy coordinating people and projects, but also be willing to get into the details when necessary. They should have the confidence to work with engineers, operations leaders, customers, and senior executives while maintaining strong relationships across the organization.

Someone coming from NPI Program Management, Project Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Development, Operations, or a similar cross-functional role could be a strong fit.

The client is particularly interested in someone who has demonstrated the ability to take ownership of complex initiatives, communicate effectively, and consistently drive projects toward completion.

Why This Opportunity

This is a newly created position with significant growth potential. The organization is experiencing substantial growth and is investing in the people and processes necessary to support that expansion.

The NPI Program Manager will have an opportunity to make a meaningful impact by helping establish and improve the company's NPI processes while working directly with key internal stakeholders and customers.

For the right individual, this role offers the opportunity to grow alongside a successful manufacturing organization and potentially take on increasing levels of responsibility as the business continues to expand.

Location: Northeast Wisconsin

Position: NPI Program Manager

Employment Type: Full-Time

Travel: Periodic customer and business travel required