NPD Readiness Lead

Marmon Holdings, Inc.; Carol Stream (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Life insurance

Wellness programs

Health advocate

Job summary

Marmon Foodservice Technologies, Inc. is seeking an NPD Readiness Lead to ensure service readiness for new product introductions. You will bridge Product Development, Engineering, and Aftermarket to translate designs into actionable service requirements.

In this role you will coordinate diagnostics, training, documentation, and field readiness, driving early-life support and closing gaps before launch to protect customer experience and reduce escalations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in technical, engineering, or service-related field.
• 5–8+ years of experience in technical support, field service, product support or NPD environments.
• Experience working cross-functionally with engineering, product teams and service operations.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end service readiness for all new product introductions.
• Coordinate readiness across engineering, product, support, and field.
• Define diagnostic pathways and validate readiness prior to launch.
• Align training content with real product functionality and failure modes.
• Develop documentation, job aids, and knowledge tools for launch.
• Monitor early-life performance and address readiness gaps.

Skills

Technical diagnostics

Cross-functional leadership

Troubleshooting

Communication

Project management

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Marmon Foodservice Technologies, Inc.

As a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best.

Though you may not know us by name, you’ve most likely enjoyed meals and refreshments supported by our industry-leading brand portfolio. For decades, we’ve designed and manufactured foodservice equipment for some of the world’s biggest, most recognized consumer brands.

We are driven to innovate with a clear purpose in mind: revolutionizing the future of foodservice. Guided by our commitment to Doing Things That Matter, Leading at Every Level, and Winning a Better Way, we focus on delivering meaningful impact for our customers, our communities, and each other.

Ensures new products are service-ready at launch by driving end-to-end operational readiness across diagnostics, training, documentation, field execution, and support—preventing avoidable demand, reducing early-life failures, and accelerating time to stable performance.

This role creates value by translating product development outputs into clear, executable service readiness—ensuring Support, Field, Training, and Customer Operations teams are prepared to diagnose, resolve, and support new products effectively from day one. Through cross-functional coordination and disciplined readiness processes, the NPD Readiness Lead reduces escalation risk, improves first-time resolution, and protects customer experience during product introduction.

Role Summary

The NPD Readiness Lead is responsible for ensuring all new products are fully prepared for service execution prior to and during launch, acting as the operational bridge between Product Development, Engineering, and Aftermarket teams.

This role owns end-to-end service readiness for new product introductions (NPD)—including diagnostics, documentation, training alignment, field readiness, and early-life support. The NPD Readiness Lead ensures that all service-facing teams are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and processes required to support new products at launch and stabilize performance post-release.

Key Responsibilities

1. End-to-End Service Readiness Ownership (NPD)

• Own service readiness for all new product introductions

• Ensure readiness across:

• Technical support (diagnostics and troubleshooting)

• Field service execution

• Training and capability development

• Documentation and knowledge tools

• Define readiness criteria and ensure all requirements are met prior to launch

• Prevent gaps that would result in avoidable escalations, repeat contact, or field failure

• At times project management may be required

2. Cross-Functional Coordination (Engineering, Product, Support, Field)

• Act as the primary operational interface between:

• Engineering / Product Development
• Support Contact Center
• Field Service (ASA)
• Training (Virtual + University)

• Ensure alignment between:

• Product design intent
• Serviceability and diagnostic capability
• Translate technical product details into clear, executable service requirements

3. Diagnostic & Technical Readiness

• Ensure diagnostic pathways are defined, validated, and documented prior to launch

• Partner with Engineering and operational teams to:

• Identify likely failure modes
• Develop troubleshooting logic and flows
• Validate that support teams can:
• Diagnose issues accurately
• Apply correct resolution pathways
• Ensure readiness aligns to diagnose-before-dispatch principles

4. Training Alignment & Capability Enablement

• Partner with:

• Technical Training Specialist (Virtual)
• Technical Trainer (Internal University)
• Technical Trainer (External)

• Ensure training content is:

• Developed prior to launch
• Aligned to real product functionality and failure modes
• Validate readiness of:
• Dispatch/Warranty
• Technical Case Owners
• Customer Operations Lead
• Field/ASAs
• Ensure capability is sufficient to support first-time resolution from launch

5. Documentation & Knowledge Readiness

• Ensure all service-facing content is complete and validated prior to launch:

• Work instructions
• Diagnostic flows (e.g., Zingtree)
• Technical documentation
• Job aids and field guides
• Establish a single source of truth for new product support
• Identify and close gaps that would create confusion or inconsistent execution

6. Launch Execution & Early-Life Support

• Support go-live readiness and launch execution

• Provide heightened oversight during early product lifecycle
• Monitor:
• Early failure trends
• Escalation patterns
• Diagnostic gaps
• Act quickly to resolve readiness issues impacting service execution

7. Diagnostic Troubleshooting & Resolution

• Lead technical diagnosis of equipment issues using structured troubleshooting methods

• Identify root cause through effective questioning, analysis, and tool utilization
• Resolve issues via:
• Phone fix / remote guidance
• Knowledge base resources
• Correct field dispatch when required
• Reinforced diagnose-before-dispatch principles to minimize unnecessary service events
• Ensure all resolutions are accurate, complete, and repeatable

8. Demand & Failure Mode Feedback Loop

• Capture and analyze:

• Early-life product failures
• Repeat issues and escalation drivers
• Translate insights into actionable improvements for:
• Engineering (design or product adjustments)
• Training (capability gaps)
• Support (process or diagnostic improvements)
• Ensure learnings are fed into the broader closed-loop improvement model

9. Risk Identification & Mitigation

• Identify risks to service readiness prior to product launch:

• Incomplete diagnostics
• Training gaps
• Documentation deficiencies
• Field readiness issues
• Proactively escrow risks and drive mitigation plans
• Ensure launch occurs with clear visibility of readiness status and residual risks

9. Standardization & Continuous Improvement of Readiness Model

• Develop and refine standardized NPD Service Readiness processes

• Ensure repeatable, scalable readiness practices across products
• Continuously improve readiness based on:
• Launch performance
• Service outcomes
• Feedback from cross-functional teams

Key Decisions Owned

• Readiness status determination (ready vs. at risk vs. not ready)

• Prioritization of readiness gaps impacting launch success
• Escalation of product, capability, or documentation risks
• Validation of diagnostic readiness and service pathways
• Recommendations for product or training adjustments based on early-life performance

Measures of Success

• First-Time Resolution (New Products):Strong resolution quality at launch
• Early-Life Failure Rate: Reduction in repeat issues and failures post-launch
• Escalation Rate (New Products):Minimized escalations due to readiness gaps
• Time to Stability: Speed at which new products reach steady-state performance
• Customer Effort (CES):Reduced friction during initial product adoption
• Training Readiness: Capability achieved ahead of or at launch
• Documentation Completeness: Availability and usability of service content
• Field Dispatch Accuracy: Reduction in unnecessary or incorrect dispatch
• Readiness Compliance: % of readiness criteria achieved prior to launch

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in technical, engineering, or service-related field

• 5–8+ years of experience in:
• Technical support
• Field service
• Product support or NPD environments
• Experience working cross-functionally with:
• Engineering
• Product teams
• Service operations

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong technical and diagnostic understanding

• Systems thinking across product, service, and customer impact

• Cross-functional leadership and influence without authority

• Ability to translate technical complexity into operational execution

• Strong problem-solving and risk identification capability

• Data-driven decision making and insight generation

• Clear communication and stakeholder alignment

• Project management experience

Nice-to-Have / Future-Focused Capabilities

• Experience supporting product launches or NPD programs

• Familiarity with service readiness frameworks or stage-gate processes

• Experience in aftermarket or equipment-based service environments

• Exposure to training, documentation, or knowledge systems

• Lean / continuous improvement experience

Travel Expectations

• 25-30% for customer installations and visits.

Benefits

We support your well-being with comprehensive and easy-to-use benefits that you’ll be eligible to enroll in on your first day of employment. Here are some of the highlights:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Prescription Drug insurance plans

• Access to a Health Advocate who is an expert in Marmon’s health plan and can help you select the best health benefits for you and your family

• Tax advantaged spending accounts for health and dependent care expenses

• Wellness programs and resources including Telehealth, Mental Health, Fitness, and Family Planning

• Generous paid time off for personal use, holidays, and parental leave

• Company-sponsored life insurance

• 401(k) with fully vested company match; Marmon may also make an additional annual discretionary contribution to your account, whether or not you contribute on your own

• Financial and retirement advising

About Marmon Holdings

Marmon Holdings, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, comprises 11 groups and more than 100 autonomous businesses with total annual revenue of $10 billion. Marmon’s 28,000-plus team members are celebrating the company’s 70th anniversary in 2023 and helping write the next chapter of Marmon’s story.

Pay Range:

70,400.00 - 105,600.00

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that may include medical, dental, vision, 401k matching, and more!

Following receipt of a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to complete additional job‑related screening processes as permitted or required by applicable law.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [e-mail], and please be sure to include the title and the location of the position for which you are applying.