NPD Project Manager

NPD Project Manager

Location: Cardiff
Salary: £48,000 per annum

Full-time | Permanent

We are working on behalf of an established manufacturing business in Cardiff who are looking to appoint an experienced NPD Project Manager to take ownership of multiple product development projects through to production readiness and final release.

This is not a product design role. The products and technical concepts are already developed; the successful candidate will be responsible for project managing the process, bringing structure, accountability and momentum to each project and ensuring every stage is completed, documented, tested and approved before progressing.

We are looking for an experienced professional with 10+ years' experience within manufacturing, product development, NPD/NPI or a closely related technical environment, together with proven people management experience.

The Role

As NPD Project Manager, you will manage several projects simultaneously, coordinating activity across Design, Technical, Production, Quality and external testing partners.

You will be responsible for ensuring projects progress through a structured stage-gate process, with clear milestones, responsibilities, approvals and supporting documentation in place.

Key responsibilities will include:

Managing multiple NPD and product introduction projects from development through to production readiness and release

Creating and maintaining project plans, milestones, priorities and responsibilities

Coordinating internal resources and monitoring progress against agreed timescales and budgets

Managing project risks, issues, dependencies and outstanding actions

Leading regular cross-functional project meetings and ensuring actions are followed through

Coordinating prototype builds, product trials, internal testing and external testing

Working closely with technical teams to ensure testing and validation requirements are completed

Liaising with external testing and certification partners

Ensuring test results, failures and corrective actions are properly documented and resolved

Managing the stage-gate process and ensuring projects only progress once the appropriate approvals are in place

Maintaining clear project documentation and traceability throughout the development process

Coordinating the handover of approved products into Production

Managing and prioritising the workload of a small team of technicians

Providing direction, support and performance management to the team

Reporting project progress, risks and key decisions to senior management

What We're Looking For

To be considered, you will need:

10+ years' relevant experience within manufacturing, engineering, product development, NPD, NPI or a similar environment

Strong project management experience within a manufacturing or technical setting

Previous people management experience is essential

Demonstrable experience managing several projects simultaneously

Experience working with structured development processes such as stage-gate, NPD, NPI or APQP

Strong planning, organisation and documentation skills

Experience coordinating cross-functional teams

An understanding of prototype development, testing, validation and production readiness

The confidence to challenge delays, follow up actions and hold stakeholders accountable

A practical, delivery-focused approach

Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively across technical and operational teams

A relevant qualification in project management, engineering or manufacturing would also be beneficial.

The Opportunity

This would suit an experienced Project Manager, NPD Manager, NPI Manager, Technical Project Manager or Product Introduction professional who enjoys taking ownership of complex projects and driving them through to completion.

You do not need to be a product designer. The key requirement is the ability to take an existing product concept and successfully manage the process required to validate, test, approve and transition it into production.

To be considered for this role, please upload your CV or contact Naomi on (phone number removed).

Vibe Recruit is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed