NPI Engineering & Operations Manager (New Albany)

About the Role

We are supporting a confidential global manufacturing organization in the search for an NPI Engineering & Operations Manager to lead and drive the New Product Introduction (NPI) process across a global manufacturing network .

This is a highly technical, engineering-focused leadership role responsible for moving new products from development through manufacturing readiness and successful production launch.

The position will work closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations teams across the United States, Vietnam, and China , ensuring new products are manufacturable, scalable, validated, and successfully introduced into production.

This is not a traditional plant operations role . We are looking for an engineer-first leader with strong hands-on experience in NPI, manufacturing engineering, process development, and product industrialization.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the global New Product Introduction (NPI) process from product development through manufacturing launch.
• Drive products through established stage-gate / phase-gate milestones and production-readiness reviews.
• Partner with Product Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain teams.
• Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM/DFA) principles to identify and resolve manufacturing risks early in the development process.
• Lead and support PFMEA/FMEA, Control Plans, First Article Inspection (FAI), process validation, and manufacturing-readiness activities .
• Coordinate prototype builds, pilot builds, validation activities, ramp-up, and transition to production.
• Identify technical, quality, process, and manufacturing risks and drive corrective actions.
• Support manufacturing/process transfers and product industrialization across multiple manufacturing locations.
• Partner with international engineering and manufacturing teams, particularly in Asia .
• Provide technical leadership to cross-functional engineering and manufacturing teams.
• Ensure new products meet applicable quality, manufacturing, and regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline .
• Approximately 5–10 years of relevant engineering/manufacturing experience , with 7+ years particularly attractive.
• Demonstrated experience with New Product Introduction (NPI) in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong background in Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, Product Engineering, or related technical functions .
• Experience taking products from development/prototype through manufacturing launch and production ramp-up .
• Hands-on knowledge of DFM / Design for Manufacturability .
• Experience with PFMEA/FMEA, Control Plans, First Article Inspection (FAI), process validation, or manufacturing readiness .
• Demonstrated experience working with cross-functional engineering, quality, manufacturing, and operations teams .
• Strong technical problem-solving and manufacturing-process knowledge.
• Experience leading technical projects, engineering teams, or cross-functional NPI initiatives.
• Candidates must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in connectors, interconnects, electronics, electronic components, electromechanical products, or similar highly engineered manufacturing environments .
• Experience with global or multi-site manufacturing operations .
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations in Asia, including China and/or Vietnam .
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 .
• Experience with product industrialization, manufacturing transfer, process development, prototype/pilot builds, and production readiness .
• Experience working with PLM/change-management processes such as ECO/ECN is beneficial.

Location & Travel

This position is based in the New Albany, Indiana / Louisville, Kentucky area .

Relocation is strongly preferred , and a comprehensive relocation package is available. Exceptional candidates who are not immediately able to relocate may still be considered based on experience and overall alignment.