Product Innovation Associate
About The Position
Fanatics Collectibles (and Topps) has long been an innovator in the card manufacturing industry. We offer our customers a comprehensive mix of special effects finishing, collation, and packaging techniques to make even the most challenging of projects come to life. Reporting to the Innovation Project Manager, the Product Innovation Associate will support the development and execution of the product innovation agenda. The Associate will research technologies that could improve performance, reduce cost, or enhance the consumer experience, and will work alongside operations and support teams to coordinate potential projects and help deliver expected results.
Requirements
- Bachelors’ degree in design or engineering and/or equivalent work experience.
- 1-3 years of experience in pre-press, design, print, print finishing, manufacturing, or related production environments preferred.
- Exposure to project management, Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, or business analysis principles preferred.
- 1-3 years of operations, manufacturing, product development, or related experience preferred.
- English language domain (bilingual with Spanish a plus).
- Experience collaborating with or coordinating across multifunctional teams.
- Curiosity and a problem-solving mindset, with the ability to support project plans, timelines, and roadmaps.
- Demonstrates analytical skills.
- Experience with project management tools.
- Highly organized with excellent time management abilities.
- Ability to organize and prioritize multiple assignments or project workstreams as needed.
- Ability to build positive working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and external partners.
- Ability to collaborate effectively and influence outcomes through clear communication and follow-through.
- Ability to work independently as well as a member of a project or operational team.
- Results-oriented, with developing project coordination and project management skills.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and plan work according to business requirements and deadlines.
- Self-driven, curious, and willing to seek out learning opportunities and take initiative within assigned responsibilities.
- Detail-oriented with strong follow-up practices.
Responsibilities
- Assist in identifying and developing innovative new products, platforms, and processes aligned to market and business needs.
- Support test projects from planning through completion, working with teams across the organization to help ensure objectives meet standards for quality, repeatability, and scalability for required production quantities.
- Provide regular project updates to the Innovation Project Manager, and other cross-functional stakeholders, escalating risks and challenges as appropriate.
- Analyze data and market trends to generate insights that support the innovation process.
- Schedule, prepare for, and participate in Product Innovation meetings; facilitate portions of meetings as assigned.
- Research options for materials and equipment needs for individual innovations.
- Support engagement with outside vendors on technology and execution needs.
- Coordinate with internal departments on technology needs and project requirements.
- Support trials of new technologies across applicable processes to help identify potential failure points within the manufacturing process.
- Document processes, order of operations, test results, and materials for each innovation.
- Maintain an organized library of new technologies, innovations, and related documentation.
- Assist with problem solving technical challenges experienced during manufacturing processes.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
