Project Manager - New Product Introduction (NPI)
Salary: Very Competitive + Bonus
Location: Dartford, Kent (Hybrid: 3 days onsite)
Sector: Electronics | NPI | Engineering | Vehicle Safety Tech
Do you have proven experience delivering New Product Introduction (NPI) projects for physical products in an engineering and manufacturing environment?
This is a high-impact role where you'll manage the successful delivery of new product launches, engineering change programmes and continuous improvement initiatives. You'll work at the interface of design, manufacturing, and operations to bring innovative, safety-critical technology to market.
What you'll be doing
* Leading NPI projects for electronics-based safety products from concept through to industrialisation and launch, ensuring design, manufacturing, and supply chain readiness.
* Driving project timelines, risk management, cost control, and structured reporting into senior stakeholders.
* Collaborating with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, and Operations to ensure robust DfM, validation, and production ramp-up.
* Managing engineering change control, ensuring design iterations are tracked, approved, and implemented effectively.
* Supporting the development and optimisation of NPI frameworks, PMO tools, stage-gates, and KPI dashboards.
* Representing the business at customer reviews, supplier meetings, and industry trade events as required.
About you
You'll bring a strong foundation in engineering or manufacturing, with direct, hands-on experience in structured product delivery:
* Proven background in NPI project delivery within electronics, automotive, or related engineering sectors.
* Track record of working with prototype builds, validation, and production transfer into manufacturing.
* Familiarity with project management methodologies (Prince2, Agile, or similar) and engineering change processes.
* Strong cross-functional co-ordination skills, working across multi-disciplinary teams.
* Service-sector or purely IT/software project management backgrounds will not be suitable.
What you'll bring
* A structured, detail-driven approach with the ability to manage technical complexity.
* Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
* Experience balancing design requirements, manufacturing capability, and cost constraints.
* Excellent documentation, organisational and reporting skills.
Why this role?
This is a true NPI project management role, focused on physical product delivery in an engineering and manufacturing environment. You'll play a critical part in ensuring innovative vehicle safety technology moves from design into reliable, scalable production - making a direct impact on global road safety.
Based in Dartford, Kent - hybrid working with 3 days onsite