Principal NPI Program Manager

Axon•San Francisco, CA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Principal NPI Program Manager, you will own the operational engine that moves Axon's products from concept to commercialization. From the moment a product team submits a new SKU request to the moment it is live in the price book and available to quote, you are the cross-functional orchestrator - working in lockstep with Product, Finance/FP&A, Commercial Operations (Quoting), Supply Chain, Operations, Legal, and IT. You will design, operate, and continuously improve the NPI process - bringing discipline, transparency, and velocity to a function that sits at the intersection of product strategy and commercial execution. You will work on issues that shape the design and selling success of Axon's products, and influence senior and executive leadership across functional areas.

Requirements

8+ years experience in Product Operations, NPI, Commercial Operations, or a closely adjacent function at a technology, hardware+software, or multi-product company.
Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of a product introduction or SKU lifecycle process — spanning intake, cross-functional coordination, system configuration, and commercial readiness.
Proven cross-functional leadership: track record of aligning and influencing Product, Finance, and Commercial Operations (Quoting/Sales) at the VP level and above, without direct authority.
Enterprise systems fluency: hands-on experience with workflow/NPI tools (ServiceNow strongly preferred), ERP (D365 or equivalent), CRM (Salesforce), and PLM/configuration management platforms.
Experience at a smaller or high-growth company (< 5,000 employees) where you built process and team capability in a resource-constrained, fast-moving environment.
Strong understanding of bundle and pricing constructs - how products are packaged, priced, and made available to market.
Data-driven operator: comfortable defining KPIs, building dashboards, and using data to influence decisions and communicate to executive audiences.
Practical experience with AI/automation tooling (e.g., Cursor, Python, Power Platform, ChatGPT/Claude) applied to operational or commercial processes.
Excellent executive communication: regularly presents to and influences senior and C-suite leadership; able to change the thinking of contrary perspectives while maintaining strong relationships.

Responsibilities

NPI process ownership
Own and operate the end-to-end NPI workflow for all SKU types (hardware, software, services) - from initial SKU submission by product team through cross-functional review cycles and Ready-to-Quote and Ready-to-Ship stages.
Manage and continuously improve the NPI intake process (ServiceNow) and all associated downstream workflows across D365 and Salesforce.
Drive the bundle creation process during annual pricing week - meet with product teams to understand product vision and manage the creation of new bundles and updating of existing bundles.
Design and enforce governance frameworks for SKU creation, bundle creation and modification, list price changes, product end-of-life, and SKU swaps.
Set clear priorities and role clarity during dynamic periods (pricing weeks, product launches, M&A integrations); ensure the team has the tools, training, and support to execute.
Cross-functional leadership
Serve as the primary point of contact and decision-maker for NPI across Product, Finance, Commercial Operations (Quoting), Sales Strategy, Supply Chain, Operations, Legal, and IT.
Drive structured cross-functional alignment before bundles and SKUs are released - coordinating Product, Finance, and ComOps to ensure commercial, technical, and operational readiness.
Lead NPI execution during high-velocity events (e.g., annual Pricing Week), managing 20+ product team reviews, bundle creation sprints, and real-time change requests.
Regularly influence and present to VP- and C-level stakeholders
Process improvement and automation
Identify and execute high-impact improvements to NPI workflows - including AI and automation opportunities that reduce manual effort, improve data quality, and accelerate cycle time.
Partner with IT to evolve the ServiceNow NPI workflows, intake form, and integration architecture; ensure system changes are documented and cross-functionally reviewed before deployment.
Build and maintain NPI KPI dashboards (SKU cycle time, task completion rates, bundle change request volume, backlog aging) to drive operational visibility and executive reporting.
M&A & Strategic Projects
Lead integration of acquired-company SKU portfolios into Axon's NPI and commercial systems — translating acquired pricing models, product structures, and go-to-market approaches into Axon's frameworks.
Work on issues that address future product concepts and commercial technologies; contribute to strategic initiatives at the intersection of product, pricing, and operations.