New Product Introduction (NPI) Manager

End Client Name Confidential

Company Overview

• Our client is a well-established, high-growth food manufacturing company with approximately $1 billion in annual revenue and multiple production facilities across the Southeast and South-Central U.S. The company produces ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook protein products distributed nationally through major retail, food service, and restaurant channels. This is a stable, family-oriented organization experiencing strong continued growth.

Job Summary

• The New Product Introduction (NPI) Manager leads cross-functional projects from concept through commercial launch while owning and improving the processes that enable successful product commercialization.
• This role drives alignment across R&D, Quality/Food Safety, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing, and Sales to ensure projects are executed efficiently and consistently.
• The position also leads SOP development, process standardization, and continuous improvement initiatives to build a scalable, repeatable product launch model.
• This is a high-visibility, hands-on role suited for a highly organized, process-driven individual who thrives in a fast-paced, high-project-volume environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Leadership- Lead end-to-end product launch projects from concept approval through plant trials, scale-up, validation, and launch

• Manage multiple projects simultaneously across retail, industrial, and foodservice channels

• Develop and maintain integrated project plans, including timelines, risk registers, budgets, and launch readiness criteria

• Identify and resolve risks, bottlenecks, and dependencies

• Drive stage-gate execution and ensure decision readiness at each milestone

• Process Development & Manufacturing Readiness- Ensure new products are launched with documented, repeatable, and capable processes

• Support identification of equipment needs, line modifications, or capital improvements required for new product launches

• Own and maintain SOPs across the product launch lifecycle

• Drive adoption and consistency of processes across teams

• Cross-Functional Collaboration- Serve as the central point of contact across R&D, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing, and Sales for assigned projects

• Coordinate with Product Development on formulations, specifications, and customer expectations

• Coordinate with Operations on production readiness, capacity planning, and scheduling

• Coordinate with Supply Chain on raw materials, packaging, and supplier alignment

• Coordinate with Quality to ensure compliance with food safety, allergen control, labeling, and validation requirements

• Continuous Improvement- Embed continuous improvement principles into launch activities to enhance efficiency, quality, and cost performance

• Identify opportunities to standardize and optimize processes across plants

• Support post-launch reviews to assess performance and drive sustained improvements

Work Environment

• This role is based in a professional office setting with occasional travel (10-15%) to manufacturing facilities for plant trials and startups. During plant visits, occasional exposure to varying temperatures and typical manufacturing environment conditions should be expected.

End Client Name Confidential

Additional Information

• Travel requirements: Occasional travel (10–15%) to manufacturing facilities for plant trials and startups.
• Compensation: $90K – $120K.
• Professional office environment with occasional exposure to manufacturing conditions during plant visits.
• Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, PTO, and career development support.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Project Management, Supply Chain, or a related field required
• 5+ years of experience in product management, project management, or product commercialization
• Experience in food manufacturing or CPG strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional projects
• Experience with SOP development or process improvement initiatives preferred

Must Have

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in product management, project management, or product commercialization.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional projects.
• Experience managing end-to-end new product commercialization or product launch projects.
• Experience in food manufacturing or CPG.

Nice to Have

• Experience with SOP development or process improvement initiatives.

• Competitive base salary plus bonus eligibility, medical/dental/vision, 401(k) with company match, paid time off, and career development support.