Project Leader, New Product Development

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end execution of new product development projects from concept through launch and post-launch stabilization
• Own project scope, schedule, budget, and execution, ensuring delivery on time, within cost targets, and to defined quality standards
• Develop and manage project budgets, monitor financial performance, and drive corrective actions as needed
• Ensure market inputs are robust and actionable, partnering with Product Management to validate product direction and customer needs
• Translate Voice of the Customer into clear, prioritized, and testable engineering requirements
• Maintain alignment and clarity of requirements across all stakeholders
• Collaborate with internal engineering teams and external suppliers to develop and refine product concepts
• Drive design decisions and trade-offs balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and timeline
• Ensure solutions meet both technical requirements and business objectives
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks throughout all project phases
• Ensure appropriate engineering rigor at key development gates, including concept, design freeze, and pre-production
• Drive validation strategies to confirm product performance, reliability, and compliance
• Influence stakeholders and drive accountability without direct authority
• Manage projects involving both internal teams and external supplier-led development
• Ensure quality and reliability considerations are built into the development process early
• Drive readiness for production, including validation, tooling release, and launch execution

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, required
• 5-10+ years of experience in product development and project leadership
• Proven ability to independently lead complex, cross-functional projects
• Strong technical acumen with the ability to guide and challenge engineering decisions
• Experience working in hybrid development environments with both internal teams and external suppliers
• PMP or equivalent project management certification preferred
• Familiarity with CAD tools, including SolidWorks, preferred
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to operate with a high level of ownership and accountability