NPD Program Manager, Commercial

Kohler • Kohler, WI

101d • $113,000 - $143,950 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Manager - Commercial North America will lead and manage new product development (NPD) and product migration programs within the Commercial Category, with a strong focus on timely execution and cross-functional alignment. This role ensures product launches are delivered on schedule, within budget, and in line with strategic goals across global manufacturing locations. The ideal candidate is a proactive, detail-oriented leader with a 'founder's mindset' - ownership, customer obsession, and mission-driven execution.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a product development related discipline (e.g. Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing, Supply Chain) with a minimum of 12+ years of experience in project management.
• Experience in the development of consumer goods preferred.
• Must demonstrate the capability to build cohesive, high-performance teams that relish the challenge of developing game-changing/disruptive products with unique go-to-market strategies.
• Experience in managing projects, working in cross-functional team environment, and/or functioning as project team leader required.
• Strong organizational and communication skills required.
• Be flexible to address project management needs for any projects within Global Commercial Products as they arise and can work under high pressure situations.
• Strong leadership and analytical skill.
• Experience on MS Project / Teams / Project Online or other Project Management software.
• MBA / PMP / Prince 2 certification would be added advantage.
• Ability to travel 10-20% including international.

Responsibilities

• Coordination and Project Management of New Product Development projects/ Migration Projects.
• Act as Program Leader and execute project management duties on New Product Development / Migration projects through the defined D gate process ( KBDP )
• Support Marketing on prioritization of NPS road maps and resource planning for executing NPD
• Lead cross functional teams through the development of a project timeline and maintain it throughout the life of the project. Periodically present the status of the project to management.
• Drive the supporting teams like Engineering, Manufacturing, Sourcing & Supply chain towards on time completion of the pre-production build and pilot build on NPD projects.
• Facilitate and coordinate project activities to minimize project timelines.
• Develop and manage the project budget with the team, including development expense, capital tooling and expense tooling for projects and managing North America commercial capital and development spends.
• Guide the team to develop new products that meet cost targets. Primarily responsible for creating preliminary product cost estimates in conjunction with engineering.
• Support Marketing and ID team during CR(Concept Review) & DR (Design Review process) by liaising with Engineering and Manufacturing team to drive cost and budget estimates and project feasibility study.
• Provide support to DGM Program Management for managing platform Reviews.
• Work with Dept Heads and resource managers to get resource allocated for the projects.
• Manage the collection of project data for NPD process gate exits and release for shipment documents. Provide structure and leadership for solving technically complex design and business problems.
• Support DGM Program Management for managing North America Commercial Portfolio and work closely with marketing on project prioritization activities.

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees