Operations NPI Project Manager

viavisolutions; Bothell (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

VIAVI is seeking a New Product Introduction (Ops NPI) Project Manager to lead cross-functional Operations teams in planning and executing new product introductions, focusing on Tips and Adaptors for VIAVI test instruments. This role coordinates R&D groups in the US, Canada, and France, and oversees CM partners in China and Thailand, to ensure smooth production transitions.

The role requires strong PDP, Phase-Gate, Lean/Agile experience, with a focus on schedule, quality, delivery, and cost.

Qualifications

• 5 years of project management leading teams to aggressive cost, quality, and schedule targets.
• 5 years of NPI project management experience in a cross functional environment (R&D, Operations, PLM, Service, etc.).
• Experience coordinating across North America and Europe/Asia teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Operations elements of the NPI process from project initiation through production launch and into volume production.
• Represent Operations on the cross functional NPI project team and drive integrated planning.
• Coordinate requirements and deliverables across dispersed R&D sites and contract manufacturers.
• Drive manufacturing readiness, risk management, and post-launch improvements.

Job description

Summary:

VIAVI (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a global provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for telecommunications, cloud, enterprises, first responders, military, aerospace, and railway. VIAVI is also a leader in light management technologies for 3D sensing, anti-counterfeiting, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, government and aerospace applications.

We are the people behind the products that help keep the world connected at home, school, work, at play, and everywhere in between. VIAVI employees are passionate about supporting customer success and we welcome people who bring their best every day to the company - to question, to collaborate and to push for solutions that will delight our customers.

Duties & Responsibilities:

New Product Introduction (Ops NPI) Project Manager

Summary

The Ops NPI Project Manager will lead cross-functional Operations teams in the planning and execution of new product introductions - with an initial focus on Tips and Adaptors (T&A), the fiber optic interface accessories that connect diverse cable and connector types to VIAVI test instruments - ensuring a smooth and successful transition from design engineering to full-scale production at either a VIAVI owned factory or the factory of a contract manufacturing (CM) partner.

This role serves as the central Operations point of contact for all product launch activities, managing timelines, budgets, and risks to meet strategic business objectives focusing on schedule, quality, delivery, and cost. This role requires close collaboration across four R&D teams in the United States (Bothell, WA and Indianapolis, IN), Canada (Ottawa), and France (St. Etienne), as well as T&A contract manufacturers in China and Thailand.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Project management: Lead the Operations elements of the NPI process from project initiation through production launch, first customer shipment, and into volume production.
• Represent Operations on the cross functional NPI project team
• Drive integrated project planning to establish work commitments and dependencies between Operations and other functions
• Lead the Operations team to execute to the requirements of the Product Development Process (PDP), including functional deliverables to support project goals
• Drive Operations execution to plan including: Alignment and documentation of project goals and metrics
• Project resourcing
• Management of work commitments across the Operations team, ensuring required deliverables are completed on time
• Project expense (capital and operational) forecasting and performance to plan
• Capacity planning and production ramp planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Coordinate and manage a diverse operations team, including test engineering, manufacturing engineering, and supply chain; coordinate requirements and deliverables across four geographically dispersed R&D teams (Bothell, Indianapolis, Ottawa, St. Etienne), the extended internal team (product line management, service, finance, etc.), and external T&A manufacturing partners in China and Thailand.

Process and tool alignment

Evaluate and drive convergence of NPI tracking and requirements management across all four R&D sites - currently split between Jira (Bothell) and VIAVI's standard Product Development Process (Indianapolis, Ottawa, St. Etienne) - to a single unified tool, a standardized PDP instance, or an agreed hybrid solution.

Manufacturing launch and production ramp

Ensure manufacturing requirements for production launch and ramp, at either a VIAVI or a CM factory, are met during the NPI process.

DFx and Supply Chain reviews are executed at appropriate phase of the NPI process

Drive Supply Chain and manufacturing process development concurrently with product development

Manufacturing process development is complete and validated prior to pilot build

Risk management

Proactively identify project risks, develop mitigation strategies, and resolve issues that arise during the NPI process to keep projects on track.

Stakeholder communication

Provide clear and regular communication to stakeholders and senior leadership on project status, progress against milestones, and resource utilization.

Continuous improvement

Conduct post-mortem analysis of completed projects to identify lessons learned and drive continuous improvement in NPI processes and tools.

Technical knowledge

Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, engineering design, and product lifecycle management.

Methodology proficiency

Experience with project management tools and methodologies (e.g., Phase-Gate, Lean, Agile).

Pre-Requisites / Skills / Experience Requirements:

• Experience:
• 5 years of project management leading teams to achieve aggressive cost, quality, and schedule targets
• 5 years of NPI project management experience in a cross functional environment (R&D, Operations, PLM, Service, etc.)

Experience managing teams across multiple countries and continents, including coordination across North