Position Overview
The Engineering Leader for New Product Introduction (NPI) provides technical direction and managerial oversight for the NPI Engineering team. This role is responsible for supervising salaried engineers, ensuring engineering services meet quality and performance expectations, and guiding the transition of new technologies and products into production. The leader will drive process standardization, continuous improvement, and strong customer relationships while developing engineering talent across the organization.
Primary Responsibilities
Leadership & Program Management
- Oversee and direct all NPI initiatives to ensure product development aligns with project timelines, budgets, and quoted standards.
- Supervise and mentor NPI Engineering staff, fostering engagement, capability growth, and technical excellence.
- Report NPI program status to Plant Manager and Business Unit leadership.
- Manage monthly revenue targets for NPI programs.
Technical & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Provide technical guidance to engineers to meet or exceed quality, cycle time, profitability, and customer expectations.
- Coordinate the transition of new technologies into production environments.
- Partner with customers to enhance technical capabilities and deliver added value to product designs.
- Collaborate with internal groups (Program Management, Sales, Production Engineering, Corporate Engineering) to support cost reduction, process improvements, and accurate quoting.
- Serve as liaison between tooling suppliers, core suppliers, and casting operations for NPI projects.
Process Improvement & Operational Excellence
- Lead run-at-rate analyses, evaluate future product requirements, and support capital planning and implementation.
- Direct and participate in yield improvement, cost reduction, product enhancement, and production problem-solving initiatives.
- Coordinate scrap reduction and manufacturing improvement efforts with technical teams across facilities.
- Promote communication and alignment among engineering teams at all casting locations.
Talent Development
- Create an environment that supports engagement, learning, and professional growth.
- Manage training strategies for engineering staff.
- Align technical leaders with engineers to strengthen technical talent pipelines.
Core Job Competencies
- Accountability & Follow-Through: Owns outcomes and understands cross-functional interdependencies.
- Rigor: Focuses on scalable, repeatable processes and incorporates diverse stakeholder input.
- Tactical Agility: Balances proactive improvements with responsiveness to real-time issues.
- Adaptive Thinking: Introduces solutions within organizational capabilities while adjusting to evolving technologies and market needs.
- Versatile Leadership: Combines technical depth with strategic perspective; deploys resources effectively.
- Possibility Thinking: Challenges the status quo and embraces innovation, automation, and smart manufacturing.
- Relationship Orientation: Builds strong connections across teams and promotes best-practice sharing.
- Prioritization: Aligns work with technical, financial, and strategic goals; advocates for customers within organizational constraints.
- Communication: Tailors communication to operators, managers, and customers; articulates priorities clearly.
- Coaching & Mentorship: Develops talent through guidance, challenge, recognition, and performance assessment.
- Resource Deployment: Identifies where expertise is needed and enables others’ success.
- Customer Coordination: Interfaces directly with customers and responds to inquiries.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgy, or Manufacturing Engineering
- 7+ years of engineering experience, including involvement in launching new products
- 5+ years in a supervisory or leadership role
- Strong initiative with the ability to coordinate teams and drive projects to completion
- Effective written and verbal communication skills and strong interpersonal awareness
- Excellent organizational abilities with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail
- Proven analytical and problem‑solving capabilities
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and project‑related software
- Must be legally authorized to work in the United States; employment eligibility will be verified upon hire. Visa sponsorship is not available.
- Preferred Qualifications
- Solid understanding of financial metrics and data interpretation
- Practical experience with investment casting, customer requirements, and quality management systems
- A track record of successfully leading cross‑functional teams