Engineering Product Launch Manager

Future Form Manufacturing•Sparks, NV

2d•$100,000 - $130,000

About The Position

The Engineering Product Launch Manager builds and leads Future Form Manufacturing’s New Product Introduction (NPI) function and owns the end-to-end launch of new customer programs and parts, from quote handoff through first-article approval and release to steady-state production. This is a build role: the manager establishes the team, tools, and processes required to run launches reliably as the company scales across sites, then leads the team going forward. The position bridges Engineering, Sales/Customer, Planning, Supply Chain, and Operations during the high-risk phase when design intent, tooling, capacity, and delivery commitments are being established. The manager can make schedule and cost tradeoff decisions on active launches; decisions with material financial or contractual exposure are routed through Supply Chain leadership. The role reports to the Chief Supply Chain Officer and works with suppliers, customers, and Future Form team members. The position works in a shop and office environment with moderate noise and potential exposure to dust, heat, and cold on the production floor. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drug testing is required per company policy. The employee must follow OSHA and Future Form Manufacturing safety regulations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
At least 5 years of experience in NPI, program management, or manufacturing engineering in a job-shop or make-to-order environment.
Demonstrated ownership of a program with actual schedule and cost accountability, rather than only coordination or PMO responsibility.
Experience building or scaling a team or function, including hiring, onboarding, and developing direct reports.
Ability to read and flag risks in commercial terms such as tooling ownership, payment terms, and liability.
Ability to analyze data, identify risks, and make timely decisions in a fast-paced environment.
Experience working with ERP or MRP systems.
Effective communication and cross-functional leadership skills.
Ability to meet the stated physical requirements: sit, stand, walk, and bend; normal vision with or without corrective lenses and normal hearing with or without hearing aid enhancement.

Nice To Haves

Precision sheet metal or adjacent metals fabrication experience is strongly preferred.
NetSuite experience.
Prior people-management experience in a manufacturing environment.
Experience with demand planning, production scheduling, or capacity planning.
Knowledge of Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement methodologies.
PMP or APICS/ASCM certification, such as CPIM or CSCP.
Experience with ERP implementations and system improvements.

Responsibilities

Build and lead the NPI function, define its team structure, write job descriptions, and hire NPI Coordinators or Specialists as program volume grows.
Own the NPI process from quote handoff through design review, tooling and procurement, first article, production release, and handoff to steady-state planning.
Make and own real-time schedule, cost, and capacity tradeoff decisions during launches.
Lead cross-functional launch reviews with Engineering, Sales, Planning, Supply Chain, and Operations, and drive decisions during the reviews.
Escalate contractual or financial exposure beyond launch scope, including tooling ownership, termination-for-convenience terms, payment terms, and liability caps, to Supply Chain leadership before commitments are locked.
Own the risk log for each active launch, track lead-time exposure, single-source dependencies, capacity conflicts, and customer acceptance windows, and drive mitigation.
Partner with Engineering to provide manufacturability feedback before designs are locked and tooling is cut.
Build and maintain the NPI playbook, including gates, exit criteria, escalation paths, and training materials.
Recruit, onboard, develop, and manage the performance of NPI team members as the function grows.
Serve as the single point of accountability for leadership or customers seeking status on any active program.
Follow OSHA safety regulations and those established by Future Form Manufacturing.
Perform other duties as assigned.