Product Development Manager

UFP Industries, Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

UFP Industries, Inc. is seeking an experienced Senior Industrial Designer / Product Development Manager to lead product development and innovation initiatives from concept through commercialization.

The role emphasizes design leadership, cross-functional teamwork, and deployment of innovation frameworks to accelerate new product development. The ideal candidate has 5–7 years of experience in industrial design and product development, with a proven track record of turning customer insights into

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of product development experience.
• Experience developing physical products from concept to commercialization.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and workshops.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of new physical product concepts from opportunity identification through launch.
• Translate customer needs, market insights, and business objectives into compelling product solutions.
• Create and evaluate product concepts, prototypes, and design specifications.
• Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure feasibility and commercialization success.
• Lead projects through structured Innovation and Stage-Gate development processes.
• Facilitate ideation sessions, design sprints, and innovation workshops.

Skills

Industrial Design

Product Development

Cross-Functional Leadership

Design Thinking

Lean Innovation

Customer Discovery

Workshop Facilitation

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior Industrial Designer / Product Development Manage with 5-7 years of experience leading product development and innovation initiatives from concept through commercialization. This role combines product development leadership with innovation process deployment, tool implementation, and organizational capability building. UFP Innovation is looking for the right candidate with a strong background in Industrial Design, Consumer-Centric Innovation, and Cross-Functional Leadership. The ideal candidate is passionate about helping teams transform ideas into successful products while serving as a leader and trainer of innovation best practices, methodologies, and continuous improvement. This individual will drive adoption of innovation frameworks, facilitate workshops, coach cross-functional teams, and establish repeatable processes that improve the effectiveness and speed of new product development.

Preferred Locations

Grand Rapids, MI (Preferred) Cincinnati, OH St. Louis, MO

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Lead the design and development of new physical product concepts from opportunity identification through launch. Translate customer needs, market insights, and business objectives into compelling product solutions. Create and evaluate product concepts, prototypes, and design specifications. Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure design feasibility and commercialization success. Lead projects through structured Innovation and Stage-Gate development processes. Facilitate ideation sessions, design sprints, and innovation workshops. Apply Design Thinking, Lean Innovation, and customer discovery methodologies to identify unmet market needs. Conduct concept testing and consumer validation activities. Support portfolio management and prioritization activities. Partner with Business Leaders, R&D, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, and Commercial teams. Build strong relationships and influence decision-making across multiple levels of the organization. Present concepts, recommendations, and project updates to senior leadership. Conduct customer interviews, ethnographic research, usability studies, and competitive assessments. Translate consumer insights into actionable design and development opportunities. Monitor industry trends, emerging technologies, materials, and manufacturing innovations. Provide support for other department projects as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, or closely related field (Required).
• 5-7 years of product development experience.
• Experience developing physical products from concept to commercialization.
• Demonstrated success working within structured product development environments.
• Experience collaborating with engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and commercial teams.

The Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Please watch our welcome video below to learn more about UFP Industries! Wondering what the companies of UFP Industries are all about? We're successful. We've been around for more than 65 years, and we've been profitable every year since our founding. We work hard, and we know how to set and beat records. We're competitive. Our line of work is demanding, but you'll get back what you put in and have fun doing it. We are family. We care for each other and want to see each other succeed. We enjoy watching each other build great careers and take advantage of the many opportunities we have to advance. And that makes UFP Industries a great place to be. We work hard and smart. We learn and grow from each other, from experience, from trial and error, from success. We collaborate to maintain our competitive edge. And we do it all on a global scale.