Project Manager - NPD

TalentBridge; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

TalentBridge is partnering with a leading Grand Rapids manufacturer to recruit a New Product Development Project Manager. You will oversee multiple NPD projects from concept to commercialization, coordinating across Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and other teams.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years of PM experience in NPD, strong cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to drive execution without direct authority.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of project management experience, including New Product Development projects.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent cross-functional projects across Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Sales, Finance.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Project Management, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple NPD projects from concept through commercialization.
• Build and manage project plans, schedules, milestones, dependencies, critical paths, and deliverables.
• Partner with Product Managers and cross-functional teams to establish scope, requirements, timing, and ownership.
• Coordinate activities across Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Finance, and Sales.
• Monitor progress, identify risks and resource constraints, and develop mitigation plans.
• Drive accountability for project commitments and deadlines across teams.
• Lead NPD meetings, communicate status, and define next steps.
• Escalate issues and timing risks when necessary to keep projects moving.
• Develop dashboards, status reports, and tools for visibility to teams and leadership.
• Help improve NPD processes and cross-functional execution.
• Utilize Microsoft Planner to structure plans and maintain visibility.
• Apply Stage-Gate, Agile, or hybrid PM practices as appropriate.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Communication

Organization

Problem-solving

Influence without authority

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/engineering/PM or related field

Tools

Microsoft Planner

Microsoft 365 (Excel/PowerPoint/Teams/SharePoint)

Job description

New Product Development Project Manager

Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Onsite

TalentBridge is partnering with a leading manufacturer in the Grand Rapids area to identify a New Product Development Project Manager to join their team. This role will manage multiple New Product Development (NPD) projects from concept through commercialization, serving as the central project-management resource across Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and other cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate is an experienced project manager who can drive execution, manage timelines and critical paths, identify risks, and hold cross-functional teams accountable without having direct authority.

What You'll Do

• Lead multiple NPD projects from concept through commercialization.
• Build and manage project plans, schedules, milestones, dependencies, critical paths, and deliverables.
• Partner with Product Managers and cross-functional teams to establish scope, requirements, timing, and ownership.
• Coordinate activities across Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Finance, and Sales.
• Monitor project progress, identify risks and resource constraints, and develop mitigation or recovery plans.
• Drive accountability for project commitments and deadlines across teams.
• Lead NPD meetings, communicate project status, and ensure clear ownership of next steps.
• Escalate issues and timing risks when necessary to keep projects moving.
• Develop project dashboards, status reports, and other tools that provide visibility to teams and leadership.
• Help improve NPD processes, project-management practices, and overall cross-functional execution.
• Utilize Microsoft Planner to structure project plans, track progress, assign ownership, and maintain project visibility.
• Apply Stage-Gate, Agile, or hybrid project-management practices as appropriate.

New Product Development Project Manager

Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Onsite

TalentBridge is partnering with a leading manufacturer in the Grand Rapids area to identify a New Product Development Project Manager to join their team. This role will manage multiple New Product Development (NPD) projects from concept through commercialization, serving as the central project-management resource across Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and other cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate is an experienced project manager who can drive execution, manage timelines and critical paths, identify risks, and hold cross-functional teams accountable without having direct authority.

What You'll Do

• Lead multiple NPD projects from concept through commercialization.
• Build and manage project plans, schedules, milestones, dependencies, critical paths, and deliverables.
• Partner with Product Managers and cross-functional teams to establish scope, requirements, timing, and ownership.
• Coordinate activities across Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Finance, and Sales.
• Monitor project progress, identify risks and resource constraints, and develop mitigation or recovery plans.
• Drive accountability for project commitments and deadlines across teams.
• Lead NPD meetings, communicate project status, and ensure clear ownership of next steps.
• Escalate issues and timing risks when necessary to keep projects moving.
• Develop project dashboards, status reports, and other tools that provide visibility to teams and leadership.
• Help improve NPD processes, project-management practices, and overall cross-functional execution.
• Utilize Microsoft Planner to structure project plans, track progress, assign ownership, and maintain project visibility.
• Apply Stage-Gate, Agile, or hybrid project-management practices as appropriate.

What You'll Bring

• 5+ years of project management experience, including meaningful experience managing or supporting New Product Development projects.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent projects in a cross-functional environment.
• Experience working with functions such as Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Finance, or Sales.
• Strong understanding of project schedules, milestones, critical paths, dependencies, risks, and deliverables.
• Ability to influence and hold stakeholders accountable without direct authority.
• Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Project Management, or a related field.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Planner and Microsoft 365, including Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Ability to develop project plans, dashboards, timelines, risk/action logs, and status reporting.

Preferred Experience

• NPD experience within manufacturing, engineered products, hardware, or another product-based environment.
• Experience with Stage-Gate, Agile, or hybrid project management.
• Familiarity with ERP, PIM, PLM, or CRM systems.
• Experience improving or standardizing product-development processes.