Senior NPI Engineer

Evolv Technologies Holdings•Waltham, MA

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

Evolv is seeking a Senior New Product Introduction (NPI) Engineer to lead the manufacturing introduction of complex hardware and integrated-system products from early development through production launch and ramp. This senior individual-contributor role serves as a principal NPI technical leadership position, owning difficult launches and bringing structure to ambiguous or troubled programs. The engineer works closely with Product Development, Supply Chain, Quality, Operations, suppliers, and third-party contract manufacturers to ensure products are manufacturable, testable, scalable, and ready for production. The role is part of Evolv’s Supply Chain organization, within the New Product Introduction and Manufacturing Engineering team, and reports to the Senior Manager of Manufacturing Operations. It has no direct reporting responsibility but includes leading major launches, mentoring engineers, establishing best practices, and serving as an escalation point for difficult NPI and manufacturing problems. The position is based at Evolv’s headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, with some flexibility for remote work and travel up to 25% domestically and internationally to support contract manufacturers and critical suppliers. The successful candidate will lead launch planning and readiness, DFM/DFA, contract manufacturer preparedness, build execution, manufacturing issue resolution, and production ramp. They will develop repeatable approaches to risk management, manufacturing validation, and launch execution, and help strengthen collaboration with contract manufacturers. The base salary range is $129,000–$209,000, with target bonus, equity, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

Demonstrated history of successfully launching complex hardware products into production.
Significant hands-on experience in New Product Introduction, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
Proven experience working directly with third-party contract manufacturers through product introduction and production ramp.
Strong practical experience leading DFM/DFA activities and influencing designs before release.
Experience planning and executing prototype, engineering, validation, pilot, and production builds.
Demonstrated ability to identify manufacturing risks, establish corrective actions, and drive issues to closure across multiple organizations.
Broad knowledge of manufacturing processes and ability to work across mechanical, electrical, assembly, test, tooling, and supplier-manufacturing disciplines.
Strong technical problem-solving skills, including structured root-cause and corrective-action methods.
Ability to lead through influence across Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, suppliers, and contract manufacturers.

Nice To Haves

Experience launching electromechanical or complex integrated hardware systems.
Experience in a small or rapidly scaling hardware company where NPI Engineers have broad technical and operational ownership.
Experience moving products from internal engineering development into outsourced manufacturing.
Experience establishing or improving NPI processes, build-readiness reviews, manufacturing risk systems, or Stage-Gate processes.
Experience with manufacturing process validation, process capability, PFMEA, control plans, PPAP, first-article inspection, and structured root-cause methods.
Experience working internationally with contract manufacturers and suppliers.
Experience with PLM/ERP-controlled BOMs, engineering changes, manufacturing documentation, and configuration management.
Experience mentoring or technically leading other engineers.

Responsibilities

Serve as lead NPI engineer for complex hardware and integrated-system product introductions.
Develop manufacturing launch plans from early product development through production ramp.
Define build objectives, entrance and exit criteria, deliverables, and readiness requirements.
Lead manufacturing readiness reviews before major builds and production release.
Coordinate technical activities across Engineering, Quality, Sourcing, Operations, suppliers, and contract manufacturers.
Drive launch risks and build issues to documented closure, escalating risks and communicating business and schedule impacts.
Lead post-build reviews and incorporate lessons learned into subsequent builds and future programs.
Lead DFM and DFA throughout product development, challenging unnecessary manufacturing complexity, variability, cost, serviceability risk, and difficult assembly.
Work with mechanical, electrical, test, and systems engineering teams, contract manufacturers, and suppliers to develop robust production solutions and translate manufacturing feedback into engineering recommendations.
Drive contract manufacturer readiness across materials, processes, tooling, fixtures, test equipment, work instructions, quality controls, operator training, capacity, and production execution.
Work with contract manufacturer engineering teams on process development, manufacturing problems, root cause, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.
Hold Evolv and contract manufacturer teams accountable for actions required for successful builds and production release.
Create build-readiness plans covering design maturity, BOM readiness, material availability, tooling, fixtures, software, test, documentation, quality controls, and process readiness.
Lead build-floor execution during prototype, validation, pilot, and production builds; distinguish issue types and drive resolution with the appropriate teams.
Ensure known risks have explicit disposition before subsequent builds or production, and use build results to assess readiness for the next NPI stage.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to NPI and Manufacturing Engineers, setting standards for engineering rigor, problem solving, documentation, and risk closure.
Lead cross-functional technical discussions, drive decisions, recommend practical recovery plans, and develop tools, checklists, standards, and lessons learned to improve NPI execution.
Independently lead complex product launches through production ramp and stable volume manufacturing.