Job Description
NPD Project Manager
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Designer Parfums is a fast growing, dynamic global fragrance company in the perfume & cosmetics industry, with a UK base in London and international ambition, with active business in around 70 markets.
We are a friendly, family-owned business, and we are proud to create, develop, and distribute brands from a fantastic portfolio of heritage classics to celebrity trend-led fragrances. We are brand owners and licensees for GHOST, JENNIFER LOPEZ, HAWAIIAN TROPIC, CERRUTI, PLAYBOY & JEAN LOUIS SCHERRER and delighted to be distributors for ARIANA GRANDE, GUY LAROCHE, PALOMA PICASSO, AIGNER & GANT.
Our employees make our business special. With strong family values, we believe that Designer Parfums is a more prosperous and fun place to work when people feel free to be themselves. We believe in the power of being Authentic, Agile and Approachable while meeting our business goals.
JOB PURPOSE
The NPD team are looking for an experienced New Product Development Project Manager, ideally with experience in a relevant sector & someone with passion for product development, project management and end-user experience.
This is a hybrid role that requires working 4 days from our head office based in Watford and 1 day from home.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
* Reports to Senior NPD Manager
* Responsible for managing new product development projects from beginning to end
* Ensuring on-time delivery for new product launches
* Leading Project Kick-Off meetings
* Creating CPAs and ensuring successful project completion OTIF
* Work closely with the Brand to hit the agreed CPA
* Responsible for the planning, management, and tracking of project budget, meeting target COGs and preparing Cost Assessments
* Responsible for all supplier communication (Global) from briefing, pricing negotiating, price matrix requests, supply issues, design issues, etc.
* Proactively solving problems relating to design, development, production & logistics
* Daily liaison with global suppliers to develop new products and ensure projects are on track
* Liaising with internal legal, regulatory, production and QA teams
* Handling regulatory change management
* Issue agendas and actions for all NPD meetings, status updates, risk assessments, briefings, and pre/post-launch
* Manage risks and issues in the project and develop contingency plans where required in collaboration with the account manager
* Developing Fragrances, Gift Sets, Ancillaries and GWPs
Key Deliverables
* Deliver projects on time
* Managing stakeholders to ensure CPA is maintained (deadline management)
* Develop a deep understanding of key areas of the business to elevate customer confidence in our timelines and assessment of feasibility
* Support peers when needed
* Ability to assess the strategic importance of projects and demonstrate an understanding of the wider implications of accepting each brief
* Strong problem-solving abilities
* Develop and maintain positive working relationships with all stakeholders
* Constantly keeping up with market trends, fragrance trends and innovation
* Ensuring new products are developed to hit brand sustainability targets
REQUIREMENTS
* 3-4 years of experience within a similar new product development role
* Project management experience
* Previous experience within the beauty category, FMCG, toiletries experience advantageous but not essential
* Far East sourcing and product development experience advantageous
* Commercial understanding, competency with margins, and cost of goods
* Excellent Excel, Word, PowerPoint skills essential
* Strong attention to detail
* Organised
* Team player
* Able to work in a fast-paced environment
* Able to manage the development of numerous SKUs
* Problem solver, especially being able to think outside of the box
* Ability to take responsibility for a wide range of tasks as per the job description
* Passion to drive the department forward with constant improvement