Hardware NPI Project Manager

Object First•Chicago, IL

2d•Remote

About The Position

Object First is seeking a remote Hardware NPI Project Manager to drive operational readiness and on-time deployment of new hardware products. This individual contributor is the primary liaison among internal and external teams, coordinating launch plans, dependencies, approvals, risks, and deliverables from development through production deployment. The role also owns approved hardware configuration and BOM updates and provides targeted post-launch lifecycle support. The ideal candidate is a hands-on, highly organized project manager who takes ownership, drives execution across teams, and can communicate about hardware configurations and technical topics without serving as the engineering subject-matter expert. The role coordinates hardware launches, validation and test cycles, production transitions, BOM change control, lifecycle transitions, significant hardware support issues, quality trends, and launch and post-launch reporting. Engineering retains responsibility for technical test criteria and approval. The position also supports cross-functional process improvements to strengthen planning, handoffs, documentation, and operational consistency. Object First builds secure, simple, and powerful backup storage for Veeam customers, using Absolute Immutability and Zero Access architecture to protect backup data. The company describes itself as a fast-growing global IT company driven by innovation, clarity, ownership, and collaboration.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Business, or equivalent relevant work experience.
At least 4 years of experience managing cross-functional hardware launches, NPI programs, hardware operations projects, or similar initiatives, including ownership of schedules, dependencies, risks, and stakeholder communication.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Project management capabilities, including integrated planning, cross-functional facilitation, decision and dependency tracking, risk management, escalation, and ownership from initiation through deployment.
Ability to discuss technical details with Engineering and translate them into clear project actions.
Ability to establish priorities, maintain momentum across distributed teams, and follow commitments through completion with limited supervision.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical and operational information for cross-functional stakeholders and clearly document decisions, risks, owners, and next steps.
Ability to work independently in a fast-changing, remote environment.
Professional fluency in written and spoken English.
Legally authorized to work in the United States; employment visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

Experience maintaining BOMs or hardware configuration records through formal engineering change and approval processes.
Experience with data center hardware, storage systems, server platforms, enterprise appliances, or other complex hardware products.
Experience using hardware quality, warranty, or RMA data to identify trends and coordinate corrective actions with Support, Engineering, Operations, or vendors.

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional coordination for new hardware launches, aligning requirements, dependencies, decisions, and deployment schedules among Product, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, vendors, and suppliers.
Build and maintain integrated launch plans, readiness checklists, milestones, owners, and deliverables.
Identify and assess launch risks, track mitigation actions, escalate blockers, and follow issues through resolution.
Coordinate the transition from development to production and deployment, confirming required approvals, documentation, configurations, and operational handoffs are complete.
Coordinate hardware validation and test cycles by aligning schedules, owners, dependencies, and issue resolution; Engineering retains responsibility for technical test criteria and approval.
Own and maintain the hardware Bill of Materials (BOM) as the operational source of record, incorporating approved component and configuration changes and ensuring accuracy, completeness, and cross-functional alignment.
Coordinate BOM change control by documenting Engineering-approved changes, obtaining required operational approvals, updating affected records, and communicating implementation timing.
Track cost impacts associated with approved BOM changes and provide visibility into material drivers for leadership decision-making.
Coordinate lifecycle transitions, including approved product updates, component substitutions, and end-of-life planning, as needed to maintain hardware continuity.
Coordinate significant hardware-related support issues among Support, Engineering, Operations, and vendors, establishing owners, next steps, and escalation paths.
Monitor hardware issues, returns, and warranty trends; identify recurring patterns; and coordinate corrective actions or risk escalations.
Track and report launch readiness, milestone completion, schedule adherence, open dependencies, and selected post-launch quality trends.
Monitor RMA volume, warranty usage, and hardware cost drivers to identify emerging risks and inform launch or lifecycle decisions.
Prepare concise status summaries and actionable insights that clarify readiness, surface risks, and support timely cross-functional decisions.
Identify and support cross-functional process improvements in launch planning, handoffs, documentation, and operational consistency.