Engineering Program Manager, NPD

Turtlebox Audio•Houston, TX

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Turtlebox's mission is to engineer the most durable, loudest, and premium sounding speakers on the market. Bringing that to life takes organization, products don't ship unless someone is watching the clock, tracking every open action, and making sure the right people are talking to each other at the right time. We're looking for a Project Manager who thrives in that role. This position reports to the Product Director. You own the schedule. You run the cross-functional rhythm. You know when something is off track before the team does, and you know how to move people without friction — because you've built enough trust and credibility that when you ask for a status or flag a risk, people respond. You're not here to babysit; you're here to make a high-performing team even more effective by taking the coordination burden off them so they can do the work they're best at. This is a hub-of-communication role. Every active development program runs through you. Engineering, Industrial Design, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product all count on you to keep the program visible, the blockers surfaced, and the schedule honest.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline or Business — Engineering, Physics, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or related field
5+ years of experience in an engineering program management role within a hardware product development environment
Demonstrated track record managing complex, cross-functional NPD programs through EVT, DVT, PVT, and production launch
Exceptional organizational skills — you manage multiple programs simultaneously without dropping anything
Natural communicator who can adapt to engineers, designers, factory partners, and executives in the same day
Comfortable with ambiguity and fast-moving priorities — you create structure where it doesn't exist
Firm but collaborative — you get people to deliver without burning relationships
Detail-oriented at the task level, but always tracking the big picture
Proficient with project management tools — MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent

Nice To Haves

PMP certification or equivalent formal project management training
Experience in consumer electronics, audio, or outdoor/ruggedized product development
Familiarity with hardware development stage-gate processes and build phases (EVT/DVT/PVT)
Experience coordinating with contract manufacturers or offshore suppliers
Background managing programs that involve regulatory certification timelines

Responsibilities

Own the Program — Schedule, Budget, and Risk
Build and maintain master project schedules for all active NPD programs — from kick-off through EVT, DVT, PVT, and launch; keep them current and surface schedule impacts immediately when reality changes
Define milestones, task dependencies, and critical path items in collaboration with functional leads
Track program costs against budget — tooling, NRE, third-party testing, and other program spend — and flag variances early
Maintain a live risk register for every active program — document risks, assess probability and impact, own the mitigation plan, and always be a few steps ahead of the next problem
Run the Cross-Functional Rhythm
Own the weekly cross-functional project cadence — run efficient meetings, capture decisions and actions, and follow up until they're closed
Track all open action items across Engineering, ID, Quality, and Supply Chain — know what's on track, what's slipping, and what needs escalation
Prepare clear, accurate project status updates for leadership — no spin, just the facts on where things stand
Drive Gate Reviews — build the agenda, prepare the status package, run the session, and give leadership a straight read on where the program stands, what's at risk, and what decisions need to be made
Drive Accountability Without Authority
Hold every function accountable to their commitments — with persistence, professionalism, and the credibility that comes from knowing the details
Push the team to produce their best work without adding unnecessary pressure — you know when to apply heat and when to remove a blocker
Escalate quickly and clearly when something is blocked and can't be resolved at the working level
Never let a missed task or an unclear owner slide — every action has a name and a date
Be the Communication Hub
Serve as the connective tissue across Engineering, ID, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Management on every active program
Make sure information flows to the people who need it — proactively, not reactively
Maintain a single source of truth for project status, timelines, decisions, and open items
Keep stakeholders informed without burying them — good communication is clear, concise, and timely
Build and Improve the Process
Develop and refine the stage-gate process for NPD programs as the team and product line scale
Identify recurring bottlenecks and systemic gaps in how programs are run — propose and implement improvements
Build templates, tools, and tracking systems that give the team visibility without adding administrative burden