NPI (New Product Introduction) Manager

Future Form Manufacturing•Sparks, NV

1d•$0 - $100,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The New Product Introduction (NPI) Manager builds and leads Future Form Manufacturing's New Product Introduction (NPI) function, owning the end-to-end launch of new customer programs and new parts — from quote handoff through first-article approval and steady-state production release. This is a build role: the NPI Manager stands up the team, tools, and process needed to run launches reliably as Future Form scales across sites, then leads that team going forward. This role bridges Engineering, Sales/Customer, Planning, Supply Chain, and Operations during the highest-risk phase of a program — the window where design intent, tooling, capacity, and delivery commitments are still being locked down. The NPI Manager is authorized to make schedules, and cost tradeoff calls on active launches without needing a sign-off for every decision. Judgment calls that carry material financial or contractual exposure (tooling ownership, termination terms, customer T&Cs) still route through Supply Chain leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Business, or related field (or equivalent work experience)
5+ years in NPI, program management, or manufacturing engineering in a job-shop or make-to-order environment; precision sheet metal or adjacent metals fabrication strongly preferred
Demonstrated ownership of a program with real schedule/cost accountability — not just a coordination or PMO title
Experience building or scaling a team or function, including hiring, onboarding, and developing direct reports
Comfortable reading and flagging risk in commercial terms (tooling ownership, payment terms, liability) even without a procurement or legal background
Ability to analyze data, identify risks, and make timely decisions in a fast-paced environment
Experience working with ERP / MRP systems (NetSuite experience preferred)
Effective communication and cross-functional leadership skills

Nice To Haves

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 (CPIM or CSCP)
Experience with ERP implementations and system improvements

Responsibilities

Build and lead the NPI function: define team structure, write job descriptions, and hire NPI Coordinators/Specialists as program volume grows.
Own the NPI process gate-to-gate: quote handoff → design review → tooling/procurement → first article → production release → handoff to steady-state planning.
Make real-time tradeoff calls on schedule, cost, and capacity during launch, and own the outcome of those calls.
Run cross-functional launch reviews with Engineering, Sales, Planning, Supply Chain, and Operations; drive decisions in the room rather than deferring them to a follow-up meeting.
Flag and escalate anything with contractual or financial exposure beyond launch scope — tooling ownership, termination-for-convenience terms, payment terms, liability caps — to Supply Chain leadership before it becomes a locked commitment.
Own the risk log for every active launch: lead-time exposure, single-source dependencies, capacity conflicts, and customer acceptance windows — and drive mitigation, not just visibility.
Partner with Engineering on manufacturability feedback before designs are locked, not after tooling is cut.
Build and maintain the NPI playbook (gates, exit criteria, escalation paths, training materials) so launch execution scales with the team instead of depending on tribal knowledge.
Recruit, onboard, develop, and manage performance of NPI team members as the function grows.
Be the single point of accountability leadership or a customer can go to for where any active program stands.
All other duties as assigned.