Project Manager (Ref: 197703)

My client are a leading manufacturer of engineered products, supporting customers across a range of industrial and manufacturing markets. With a strong focus on innovation, quality and continuous improvement, we develop and bring new products and customer-specific solutions from initial concept through to full-scale production.

We are looking for an experienced New Product Introduction (NPI) Project Manager to join our team and lead complex, cross-functional product development and launch projects.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a background in engineering, manufacturing, NPI, automation, robotics or engineered products who enjoys working across technical and operational teams to turn new product concepts into successful production launches.

As an NPI Project Manager, you will lead multiple new product introduction and product enhancement projects from concept and business case through development, validation, production launch and stabilisation.

You will work closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, purchasing, sales and product teams to ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, within budget and to the required quality and performance standards.

The role operates within a formal Stage-Gate product development process and uses Planview Project Advantage to manage project plans, milestones, resources, risks, deliverables and reporting.

Project Leadership

• Lead multiple NPI projects from concept through to stable production.

• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, milestones, dependencies, resources and deliverables.

• Facilitate project kick-offs, design reviews, Stage-Gate reviews, launch-readiness reviews and post-launch reviews.

• Drive accountability across cross-functional teams and ensure timely decision-making.

• Provide clear project updates to senior leadership and key stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate teams across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, purchasing, finance, sales and product management.

• Translate customer and business requirements into clear project objectives.

• Coordinate prototype builds, pilot production, testing, validation and production ramp-up.

• Ensure manufacturing, quality, sourcing and operational requirements are considered early in the development process.

New Product Introduction

• Coordinate production processes, tooling, fixtures, inspection methods, work instructions, routings, BOMs, packaging and training requirements.

• Support design for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, reliability, serviceability and cost.

• Lead production-readiness assessments ahead of launch.

• Coordinate first-article, prototype, pilot and pre-production activities.

• Monitor early production performance and ensure a successful handover into normal production.

Schedule, Cost & Risk Management

• Establish and manage project schedules and milestones.

• Coordinate resource requirements with functional leaders.

• Track project costs, capital requirements, tooling costs and product cost targets.

• Identify and manage technical, commercial, manufacturing, quality, supply chain and schedule risks.

• Maintain RAID logs, action trackers, decision records and change documentation.

• Develop recovery plans where projects experience schedule, cost or resource challenges.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Support product and process risk assessments, including FMEA where applicable.

• Coordinate validation plans, inspection requirements and quality documentation.

• Ensure customer, regulatory, safety and internal quality requirements are incorporated into project deliverables.

• Monitor launch performance across quality, delivery, scrap, rework, productivity and cost.

• Lead post-launch reviews and capture lessons learned.

Essential

• 5+ years' experience in Project Management, NPI, Product Development, Manufacturing Engineering or Operations.

• Proven experience leading cross-functional projects from concept through to production launch.

• Experience managing project schedules, budgets, risks, resources and deliverables.

• Demonstrable experience working within a formal Stage-Gate / gated product development process.

• Experience in an engineering, manufacturing or engineered-product environment.

• Strong understanding of manufacturing and production launch activities.

• Experience coordinating multiple technical and functional stakeholders.

• Strong communication, organisation, problem-solving and stakeholder-management skills.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Project Management, Business or a related discipline.

Desirable

• Experience using Planview Project Advantage or a comparable PPM/project portfolio management platform.

• Experience in robotics, automation, tooling, machining, fabrication or discrete manufacturing.

• Experience with ERP, MES, PLM, PDM or other engineering/manufacturing systems.

• Knowledge of BOMs, routings, engineering drawings, specifications, change control and quality documentation.

• PMP certification or equivalent project management training.

• Experience working across multiple facilities or international teams.

• Employment: Full-time

• Some travel may be required to company facilities, suppliers, customers and project partners.

• The role will involve time across office, engineering, laboratory and manufacturing environments.

• PPE may be required when working in designated manufacturing areas.

• The position has no direct supervisory responsibility but will lead and coordinate cross-functional project teams.