NPI Program Lead: Rapid Product Launch

GTI Fabrication

Buffalo (NY)

On-site

USD 130,000 - 165,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid Time Off and holidays

Sick time

Life insurance and disability coverage

Career advancement opportunities

Job summary

GTI Fabrication in Buffalo, NY seeks an experienced NPI Manager to lead programmatic execution of New Product Introduction initiatives across multiple product lines and customer programs. This role drives phase-gate milestones, coordinates cross-functional deliverables, manages timelines, escalating risks, and ensures launch readiness from concept through production release.

The ideal candidate has 6–10+ years in program management or NPI within industrial environments, with strong communication

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related discipline.
6–10+ years of experience in Program Management, NPI, Product Launch, Operations, Engineering Project Management, or related leadership roles.
Proven experience leading cross-functional product launches or manufacturing transfers.
Strong experience with phase gate processes, milestone planning, and program governance.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects in fast-paced industrial environments.
Strong communication, organization, and executive presence.

Responsibilities

Lead multiple New Product Introduction programs from concept through pilot build, validation, launch, and production ramp.
Drive projects through structured phase gate milestones with clear deliverables, owners, and due dates.
Maintain overall program plans, timelines, readiness trackers, and critical path schedules.
Ensure cross-functional teams meet commitments required for gate approvals and launch progression.
Facilitate gate review meetings with leadership and stakeholders.
Coordinate Engineering, AME, Supply Chain, Quality, Operations, Planning, Finance, and Commercial teams throughout product launch lifecycle.
Drive accountability across teams for drawings, BOMs, tooling, sourcing, capacity, quality plans, and documentation readiness.
Align internal resources to changing priorities in a fast-growth environment.
Ensure manufacturing readiness for new products including labor plans, routings, tooling status, training, work instructions, and material availability.
Support pilot builds, first articles, validation runs, and production ramp plans.
Confirm readiness of ERP data, BOM structures, inventory setup, and production controls.
Coordinate successful handoff from development teams into sustained operations.
Identify launch risks related to schedule, design maturity, suppliers, quality, capacity, or cost.
Build mitigation plans and drive closure with accountable owners.
Escalate unresolved issues quickly with clear recommendations and decision needs.
Maintain risk registers and executive visibility dashboards.