New Product Development Manager

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Development & Engineering

• Lead new product development (NPD) for filters, faucets, softeners, cartridges, and related plumbing/water-care accessories, from concept, feasibility, and design through prototyping, validation, and production launch.
• Own product design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA), ensuring products can be produced reliably at scale and at target cost.
• Work closely with industrial design, R&D, and quality teams to convert product requirements/PRDs into detailed engineering drawings, BOMs, and process specifications.
• Manage the product development lifecycle using structured stage-gate processes, tracking timelines, milestones, and deliverables.

2. Plastic Molds & Injection Molding

• Design, develop, and validate plastic components and injection molding tools (single-cavity, multi-cavity, family molds) for housings, cartridges, fittings, and other plastic parts.
• Coordinate mold trials, T0/T1/T2 sign-offs, and resolve issues related to shrinkage, warpage, flash, sink marks, and dimensional stability.
• Evaluate and select appropriate engineering plastics/polymers (ABS, PP, POM, PC, etc.) based on mechanical, chemical, and food/water-contact-safety requirements.

3. Metal Machined Parts & Fabrication

• Develop and source precision metal machined components (brass, stainless steel, aluminum) used in faucets, valves, cartridges, and fittings.
• Define machining processes (CNC turning, milling, casting, forging as applicable), tolerances, and inspection criteria.
• Troubleshoot machining-related quality issues and drive process improvements with fabrication vendors.

4. Painting, Plating & Surface Finishing

• Manage and improve surface finishing processes including painting, electroplating (chrome, nickel, etc.), PVD coating, and powder coating, ensuring finish quality, corrosion resistance, and adherence to relevant standards (e.g., salt-spray/CASS testing).
• Work with plating and finishing vendors to control process parameters, finish consistency, and defect rates (peeling, discoloration, adhesion failures).

5. Special Purpose Machines (SPMs) & Automation

• Identify opportunities for and drive the design/development of Special Purpose Machines and semi-automated fixtures/jigs for assembly, testing, leak-checking, and quality inspection.
• Partner with automation vendors/machine builders to specify, commission, and validate SPMs that improve throughput, consistency, and reduce manual dependency.

6. Cost Control & Value Engineering

• Own product costing from concept stage through production, driving Design-to-Cost and Value Engineering/Value Analysis (VE/VA) initiatives.
• Continuously identify cost-reduction opportunities in materials, tooling, processes, and vendor pricing without compromising quality or performance.
• Track and report cost variances against targets; work with finance/sourcing on margin improvement plans.

7. Vendor Development & Management

• Identify, evaluate, and onboard vendors/suppliers for molding, machining, plating, packaging, and component sourcing.
• Build a reliable, quality-focused vendor ecosystem; conduct vendor audits, capability assessments, and performance reviews.
• Negotiate commercial terms, manage vendor tooling investments, and drive supplier quality improvement (PPAP/APQP or equivalent processes).

8. Bill of Materials (BOM) Management

• Create, maintain, and control multi-level BOMs across product variants, ensuring accuracy of part numbers, specifications, revisions, and costs.
• Manage engineering change notes/orders (ECN/ECO) and ensure BOM changes are correctly reflected across ERP/PLM systems.
• Collaborate with production planning, procurement, and inventory teams to ensure BOM accuracy supports smooth manufacturing and supply chain operations.

9. Quality, Compliance & Testing

• Define product test protocols (flow rate, pressure, filtration efficiency, durability, water-contact safety) in coordination with quality/testing teams.
• Ensure products meet relevant regulatory, safety, and quality standards applicable to plumbing and water-contact consumer products.
• Drive root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) for field or production quality issues.

10. Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of design engineers, project engineers, and technicians.
• Set clear goals, review performance, and build technical capability within the team.
• Collaborate closely with marketing, sales, supply chain, quality, and customer service teams to ensure products meet market needs and are launched successfully.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects, prioritizing effectively and communicating progress/risks to leadership.

11. Market Intelligence, Consumer Insights & Commercial Performance

• Analyze sales data, product performance, and category reports to guide product decisions and identify growth opportunities.
• Maintain a strong understanding of e-commerce and retail channels to ensure products are developed and positioned for these routes to market.
• Collect and translate consumer insights, reviews, and Voice of Customer (VOC) data into actionable product improvements.
• Contribute to pricing, packaging, and go-to-market planning for new and existing products.
• Prepare reports and dashboards on product, sales, and market performance for leadership review.
• Conduct competitor benchmarking and market research to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities.
• Bring strong commercial acumen to product decisions, factoring in profitability, margins, and overall business outcomes.