What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of NPI (New Product Introduction) position at GTI Fabrication?
Job Title
Director of New Product Introduction | Director of NPI | Director of Program Launch
Location Goodyear, AZ or Buffalo, NY
Department Engineering / Operations / Program Management
Employment Type Full-Time
Company Overview
GTI Energy designs, engineers, and manufactures complex modular systems supporting modular data center infrastructure, energy storage, power generation platforms, defense, and industrial markets. Operating in a high-mix, engineered-to-order environment, GTI delivers steel enclosures, integrated platforms, and mission-critical modular systems. Successful product launches require strong technical leadership, disciplined execution, and cross-functional coordination from concept through production ramp.
Position Overview
GTI Energy is seeking a Director of New Product Introduction (NPI) to lead the end-to-end launch of new products, programs, and customer platforms across the organization. This role is responsible for managing cross-functional execution from customer handoff through design maturity, sourcing readiness, manufacturing readiness, pilot builds, and production launch.
The Director of New Product Introduction will serve as a key customer-facing leader at the program level, ensuring GTI delivers technical credibility, execution confidence, and launch discipline throughout the product lifecycle. This role requires a strong technical background in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Manufacturing Engineering, combined with leadership experience in complex manufacturing environments.
Key Responsibilities
NPI Strategy & Program Launch Leadership
Director of New Product Introduction | Director of NPI | Director of Program Launch
Location Goodyear, AZ or Buffalo, NY
Department Engineering / Operations / Program Management
Employment Type Full-Time
Company Overview
GTI Energy designs, engineers, and manufactures complex modular systems supporting modular data center infrastructure, energy storage, power generation platforms, defense, and industrial markets. Operating in a high-mix, engineered-to-order environment, GTI delivers steel enclosures, integrated platforms, and mission-critical modular systems. Successful product launches require strong technical leadership, disciplined execution, and cross-functional coordination from concept through production ramp.
Position Overview
GTI Energy is seeking a Director of New Product Introduction (NPI) to lead the end-to-end launch of new products, programs, and customer platforms across the organization. This role is responsible for managing cross-functional execution from customer handoff through design maturity, sourcing readiness, manufacturing readiness, pilot builds, and production launch.
The Director of New Product Introduction will serve as a key customer-facing leader at the program level, ensuring GTI delivers technical credibility, execution confidence, and launch discipline throughout the product lifecycle. This role requires a strong technical background in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Manufacturing Engineering, combined with leadership experience in complex manufacturing environments.
Key Responsibilities
NPI Strategy & Program Launch Leadership
- Lead enterprise New Product Introduction (NPI) strategy across multiple concurrent customer programs and product launches
- Own execution from project award through production ramp, ensuring scope, timing, cost, and quality targets are achieved
- Establish structured launch plans, phase gates, milestones, and readiness criteria across engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and quality
- Drive successful handoff from quoting, commercial, or business development teams into execution
- Serve as the executive-level point of contact for customers during new product launches and major program transitions
- Lead customer meetings covering schedules, technical risks, readiness status, engineering progress, and launch plans
- Build trust and confidence with customers through strong communication, accountability, and technical credibility
- Support escalation management and rapid resolution of customer concerns during launch phases
- Lead cross-functional teams including Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Manufacturing, Operations, and Program Management
- Ensure engineering deliverables support sourcing, fabrication, assembly, and system integration schedules
- Coordinate supplier readiness, material availability, tooling, and manufacturing capacity for launches
- Remove roadblocks and drive alignment across departments to maintain launch timelines
- Apply engineering judgment to assess technical feasibility, manufacturability, and launch risk
- Ensure product designs support production scalability, quality, serviceability, and cost targets
- Review design maturity, BOM readiness, documentation completeness, and change management controls
- Support resolution of technical issues across electrical, mechanical, structural, and manufacturing disciplines
- Ensure manufacturing readiness through pilot builds, pre-production runs, validation plans, and operator training
- Partner with plant leadership to prepare facilities, staffing, tooling, and work instructions for launch
- Drive First Pass Yield (FPY), throughput, cycle time, takt time, and on-time delivery during ramp phases
- Lead launch war-room activities during critical production ramp periods
- Identify program risks early and implement mitigation plans across technical, supply chain, and operational areas
- Lead structured problem solving using Root Cause Analysis, 5 Whys, Fishbone, and corrective action processes
- Capture lessons learned from launches and improve future NPI processes
- Standardize launch governance, metrics, and best practices across the organization
- Build and lead a high-performing NPI organization including Program Managers, Engineers, and launch resources
- Develop talent, establish accountability, and create strong execution discipline
- Coach teams on customer communication, technical ownership, and cross-functional leadership
- Support hiring and organizational design as GTI scales
- Own launch KPIs including on-time launch, milestone adherence, FPY, cycle time, takt time, cost performance, and customer satisfaction
- Provide executive-level updates on launch health, risks, timelines, and resource needs
- Drive visibility and accountability across active NPI programs
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related technical discipline
- 10–15 years of experience in New Product Introduction, Program Management, Engineering, or Operations leadership roles
- Experience leading complex product launches in industrial manufacturing, contract manufacturing, modular systems, or engineered-to-order environments
- Strong customer-facing experience at the program or executive level
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams through high-pressure launch environments
- Strong understanding of manufacturing readiness, engineering release processes, BOM control, and supply chain readiness
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent launches and competing priorities
- Experience with modular data centers, BESS, power generation platforms, or industrial infrastructure products
- Background in fabrication, welding, assembly, electrical integration, or system-level manufacturing
- Experience with ERP / PLM systems such as NetSuite or similar platforms
- PMP, Lean Six Sigma, or related certification
- Experience scaling NPI organizations in high-growth manufacturing environments