Senior NPI Engineer

Evolv Technologies Inc.•Waltham, MA

1d•$129,000 - $209,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Evolv is seeking a Senior New Product Introduction (NPI) Engineer to lead the manufacturing introduction of complex new products from early development through production launch and ramp. This senior individual-contributor position carries principal-level technical expectations. The engineer will own challenging launches and bring structure to ambiguous situations, working closely with Product Development, Supply Chain, Quality, Operations, suppliers, and contract manufacturing partners to ensure products are manufacturable, testable, scalable, and ready for production. The role is based at Evolv’s headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, with some flexibility for remote work and travel of up to 25% domestically and internationally. The position is part of the Supply Chain organization’s New Product Introduction and Manufacturing Engineering team and reports to the Senior Manager of Manufacturing Operations. The engineer will lead major launches, mentor other engineers, establish best practices, and serve as an escalation point for difficult NPI and manufacturing problems, without direct reporting responsibility. The successful candidate will lead NPI and launch planning, design-for-manufacturing and assembly efforts, contract manufacturer readiness, build readiness and execution, and cross-functional technical problem solving. They will define launch and build requirements, lead readiness reviews and build-floor execution, manage and close risks, support manufacturing process development and validation, and improve the organization’s NPI practices. The role requires extensive experience personally launching complex hardware products and working with third-party contract manufacturers. The base salary range is $129,000–$209,000. The role also offers a competitive target bonus, equity, and a comprehensive benefits package. Actual compensation depends on factors including skills, experience, education, and geographic location.

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 the 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.
Lead post-build reviews and incorporate lessons learned into subsequent builds and future programs.
Lead DFM and DFA throughout product development and challenge designs that create unnecessary manufacturing complexity, variability, cost, serviceability risk, or assembly difficulty.
Work with mechanical, electrical, test, and systems engineering teams to develop robust production solutions.
Engage contract manufacturers and critical suppliers early and translate manufacturing feedback into engineering recommendations and decisions.
Drive contract manufacturer readiness for materials, processes, tooling, fixtures, test equipment, work instructions, quality controls, operator training, capacity, and production execution.
Assess production readiness of contract manufacturer processes and work with their engineering teams on process development, root cause, corrective actions, manufacturing problems, and continuous improvement.
Hold Evolv and contract manufacturer teams accountable for closing 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 critical prototype, validation, pilot, and production builds.
Distinguish design, material, process, supplier, test, and workmanship issues and drive the appropriate teams toward resolution.
Ensure known risks have explicit disposition before subsequent builds or production, and use build results to determine readiness for the next NPI stage.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to NPI and Manufacturing Engineers without direct reporting responsibility.
Lead cross-functional technical discussions, drive decisions, escalate risks, communicate business and schedule impacts, and recommend recovery plans.
Develop tools, checklists, standards, and lessons learned to improve NPI execution across the organization.
Lead complex product launches through production ramp and stable volume manufacturing, and establish repeatable practices for DFM/DFA, readiness, risk management, validation, and launch execution.
Capture launch lessons and improve future product development and NPI execution.