NPI Engineering Manager

Job Number: 11699

External Description:

About this role:

The NPI Engineering Manager leads the New Product Introduction engineering team responsible for bringing new and transferred products into serial production. This role owns industrialization, process and product validation, and launch readiness from early design input through pilot builds, first-of-kind production, start of production and rate ramp. The manager is accountable for delivering assigned programs on time, at target cost, at required quality and at committed capacity, and for the readiness evidence leadership relies on to authorize production.

The role leads a team of NPI engineers, project engineers and technicians, and works daily with Design Engineering, Program Management, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance and EH&S. Scope includes new production lines and line conversions, tooling and equipment, capital execution, workstation and material-presentation design, standard work and operator training, and the handoff into sustaining operations. Performance is measured by launch and gate adherence, first-pass yield and defects per unit at launch, supplier and material readiness to clear-to-build, unit cost and labor hours against plan, capital spend against approved budget, and line rate achieved against designed rate.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leads, staffs and develops the NPI engineering team, setting priorities, workload balance, decision rights and escalation triggers across concurrent programs.
• Owns manufacturing and launch readiness for assigned programs from design input through pilot, first-of-kind build, start of production and rate ramp.
• Represents Operations in phase-gate and design reviews, presenting readiness status, risk, and the evidence required to authorize production.
• Owns APQP, PFMEA, control plan, PPAP and process-validation execution, and drives design-for-manufacturability input before design freeze.
• Directs industrialization of new lines and line conversions: process flow, layout, takt and line balance, labor models, tooling, fixtures, equipment and run-test capability.
• Plans and executes capital and tooling projects, including justification, specification, supplier selection, installation, commissioning and run-off to qualified rate.
• Manages program budgets, engineering resources, schedules and risk-mitigation plans, and escalates constraints with options and a recommendation.
• Drives material and supplier readiness with Supply Chain and Quality, including BOM accuracy, PPAP completion, first-article approval and clear-to-build status.
• Coordinates pilot runs, validation builds and production transfer with cross-functional teams, closing known-not-perfect issues and build-quality findings before ramp.
• Establishes routings, standard work, work instructions, operator training and certification requirements, and ergonomic and job-hazard reviews for new processes.
• Governs engineering change during launch, ensuring configuration control and disciplined implementation into production.
• Executes formal handoff to sustaining Manufacturing Engineering, Quality and Operations, with defined acceptance criteria and post-launch performance follow-up.
• Coaches and develops NPI engineers and technicians through skills matrices, structured problem solving and succession planning.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of New Product Introduction, manufacturing engineering, industrialization or product-launch experience in a manufacturing environment or Master’s degree and 6+ years of New Product Introduction, manufacturing engineering, industrialization or product-launch experience in a manufacturing environment
• 3+ years leading engineering teams, either as direct reports or as the accountable leader of matrixed project teams.
• 5+ years applying APQP, PFMEA, control plans, PPAP and process validation on production launches.
• 3+ years managing launches to defined time, cost, quality and capacity gates, including pilot builds, start of production and rate ramp.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechatronics or Electrical Engineering.
• 3+ years in HVAC, refrigeration, or comparable large-format discrete assembly involving sheet metal fabrication, welding or brazing, piping, and electrical build-up.
• Experience standing up new production lines or a new site, including layout, takt and labor modeling, equipment installation and ramp to qualified rate.
• 2+ years leading NPI or industrialization across multiple sites or in a cross-border US and Mexico manufacturing network; conversational Spanish a plus.
• 3+ years managing project budgets and engineering resources, including capital or tooling projects of $1M or greater from business case through installation, qualification and spend tracking against approved budget.
• PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt, or Green Belt combined with a recognized Lean certification.
• Working proficiency with SAP or equivalent ERP, PLM such as Windchill, CAD such as Creo or SolidWorks, MES, and project tools such as Asana, Smartsheet or MS Project.
• Experience with product certification and code requirements such as UL or ETL listing, ASME pressure-vessel scope, and run-test or performance-validation methods.
• Demonstrated development of engineers and technicians, including skills matrices, certification plans and promotion of team members into expanded roles.

Job Number: 30218461

Community / Marketing Title: NPI Engineering Manager

Location_formattedLocationLong: Texas, US