Manager, Global NPD Program Quality Lead1

* APQP Program Management: Own the master program schedule and execution for all APQP activities (including Requirements Cascade, Risk Assessments and Avoidance, Product Verification and Validation Status, Issues investigation, MSA, and PPAP/Launch Readiness) across a portfolio of new products.
* Quality Gate Ownership: Define, manage, and enforce all Quality Gate/Phase Exit criteria within the NPD process. Ensure rigorous compliance and coordinate sign-offs from Design, Operations, and Supplier Quality teams to mitigate downstream risks.
* Launch Readiness: Lead and manage the comprehensive program to ensure manufacturing sites and supply chain partners are fully qualified and ready to produce the new product at volume and quality targets (Process Validation/Process Capability).
* Risk Management: Proactively identify, prioritize, and manage program risks and dependencies related to product reliability, process capability, and supplier maturity. Develop and execute mitigation plans to secure a smooth NPI.
* Collaboration: Collaborate closely with NPI project managers to ensure risks and issues are properly highlighted and resourced for mitigation

Cross-Functional Alignment and Communication

* Program Reporting: Serve as the primary communication leader for NPD Quality, providing transparent and objective program status updates, issues, and risks to executive leadership and core program teams.
* Stakeholder Alignment: Drive cross-functional commitment from Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Product Management to meet agreed-upon quality and reliability specifications within the NPD schedule.
* Deep Dive Reviews: Organize and lead technical review meetings focused on critical quality deliverables (e.g., FMEA deep dives, test coverage reviews, reliability test results) to ensure robustness before phase advancement.

Continuous Improvement

* Process Enhancement: Identify systemic gaps and lead programs to continuously improve the NPD Quality process and APQP framework, reducing time-to-market while increasing first-pass yield and reliability.
* Data Translation: Manage programs to translate early customer reliability requirements and warranty targets into measurable engineering and manufacturing specifications.
* Post-Launch Handoff: Structure and manage the formal handoff of the new product's quality data and known risks to the sustaining quality and field reliability teams post-launch.

* NPD/NPI Expertise: Expert, practical working knowledge of the New Product Development lifecycle and standard quality frameworks, including APQP, FMEA (Design and Process), PPAP/Process Validation, and CAPA.
* Leadership and Influence: Exceptional ability to lead, influence, and manage large, diverse, cross-functional teams to a common quality objective without direct reporting authority.
* Analytical Reporting: High proficiency in using program management tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Confluence) and data analytics to track quality metrics and visually communicate program status and risk to senior leadership.
* Decision Making: Proven track record of making data-driven decisions under pressure to resolve quality roadblocks and keep the NPD schedule on track.