Manager, New Product Introduction

Manager, NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTION

Lead a group of NPI specialists, project managers, and technical professionals to develop and introduce new respiratory medical products. Own the NPI process end-to-end and ensure products reach the market on time, on cost, and to the quality standards expected in a medical device environment. Manage the NPI Department effectively to drive speed, innovation, and create consistency in new product launches and ensure robust, optimized manufacturing solutions and seamless transition to production.

Responsibilities Include:

People Management

• Empower, lead, and mentor a team of NPI specialists, project managers and technical professionals
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Establish impactful department and people objectives aligned to company strategy and business objectives that drive company results and department performance
• Ensure staff have clarity of expectations through the delivery of objectives and understanding key deliverables
• Ensure employees are treated fairly and equitably, have a sense of self-esteem, and are encouraged to develop to their full potential, i.e. by administering workplace policies and programs
• Support employee development, i.e. by evaluating performance, providing feedback, and investing in their growth
• Manage employee issues to enable employees to have a high degree of focus on their jobs, i.e. by resolving employee relations issues, performance problems, and disciplinary issues
• Hands-on leadership by establishing a robust system of daily behaviours and expectations necessary for driving team success
• Implements business practices, metrics, and procedures to assure total quality of the products and services provided by the team
• Provide input to departmental budgetary and yearly strategic plan requirements
• Actively develop team members utilizing Professional Development Plans and effective management and coaching
• Visible thought and initiative leader, driving a culture of technical excellence and Continuous Improvement within the department
• Drive a culture of resourcefulness, creativity and open-minded approaches to obtaining external information and synthesizing into product and process solutions

Product & PROCESS Development

• Drive the development and introduction of new products from concept to launch, aligned to the EPDP process
• Ensure effective collaboration between the NPI team and other cross-functional teams, including Product Development, Lab and Aerosol Science, QA, RA, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, Sourcing, Warehouse, Marketing, and Finance
• Work closely with Engineering Managers, Project Managers, and Product Managers to ensure product and technical solution development is aligned to the product roadmap in the short and long term
• Ensure the execution of projects results in designs that meet performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost targets
• Collaborate with the Product Development and Manufacturing Engineering departments to drive DFM/DFA excellence
• Drive a culture of innovation and identification of opportunities within projects, as well as feeding new product ideas and concepts to the SEED and Product Management organizations

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & MANUFACTURING LAUNCH EXECUTION

• Drive collaboration and alignment between NPI and Global Product Management & Strategy to ensure clear definition of product vision, strategy and evolution using roadmaps and other tools
• Improve the overall productivity of the PD & NPI organization, driving improvements to our processes or technology changes and actively seek to remove roadblocks
• Ensure project objectives align to overall business strategies
• Drive effective utilization of all company resources, including external partners
• Ensure Project Managers are enabled appropriately with resources
• Own and maintain an effective project reporting system
• Referencing product roadmaps, ensure alignment between the Design and Execution team and the Product Management and Strategy Team to translate into robust design and project inputs, and commercial success
• Represent the NPI team where applicable at internal, customer, and regulatory audits
• Resolve conflicting project priorities through appropriate resourcing and decision making in collaboration with Product Development leadership.
• Continuously driving the improvement of departmental processes and procedures
• Own the interface with internal suppliers and customers and step in where necessary to ensure the NPI and project teams are fully supported to execute
• Ensure project expenses and cashflow are budgeted and forecasted appropriately, including Supplier tooling, Manufacturing Capex, and NRE
• Accountable for NPI deliverables at Phase gate milestones
• Review early-stage COGS estimations for project feasibility

Technical Expertise

• Review and challenge the NPI team deliverables; including project schedules, roadmaps, etc.
• Manage prototyping capabilities and spending to support rapid development cycles
• Develop systems, processes, and accountability to ensure product specifications are in line with method and process capabilities
• Leverage partner networks to accelerate understanding and transfer of knowledge, interfacing with vendors, consultants, industry leaders, and other experts
• Guide, train, and mentor personnel within the department to ensure the correct level of knowledge and understanding of existing and new methodologies
• Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory standards
• Communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders

Regulatory

• Achieve alignment of design and development activities with TMI’s Quality Policy and procedures
• Ensure that products are developed to meet all regulatory requirements, including design controls

health & Safety

• Ensure compliance with relevant health and safety legislation, including the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Mechatronic, Biomedical) or a related field of study
2. Professional Engineer (P. Eng.) designation is an asset
3. 7-10 years of product development experience within medical devices, consumer products, or a related industry
4. 5+ years of people management experience
5. Experience managing complex product development projects with a proven track record of successfully launching new products
6. Experience working within an ISO 13485 regulated environment
7. Experience in medical device, pharmaceutical or aerospace is an asset
8. Experience with design of plastics components for high-volume injection molding
9. Experience with electro-mechanical systems
10. Strong leadership skills with demonstrated ability to lead teams of engineers to achieve results
11. Sound understanding of the complete product development lifecycle
12. Strong verbal and written communication skills
13. Stage Gate Product Development process experience
14. Ability to articulate problems and identify viable solutions

At an applicant’s request, TMI will make accommodation to its recruitment process to meet the needs of applicants with disabilities.