What are the responsibilities and job description for the New Product Development Project Manager position at Rite-Hite?
Rite-Hite is the global leader in the manufacture and distribution of industrial loading dock and door equipment. Our innovative products and world class sales organization ensure solid, consistent growth, both for our company and our staff. We are always looking ahead to develop innovative new products and services to improve our customers' safety, security, and productivity.
What We Offer:
Rite-Hite provides competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package with medical, dental, and vision coverage along with life and paid medical leave. We also provide a retirement savings plan that combines 401(K) with company match and profit sharing. Paid holidays, vacation, and up to five paid personal/sick days per year round out the package.
Rite-Hite is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer offering a drug free workplace for our customers and employees.
Job Description:
The Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) Program Manager for New Product Development (NPD) provides strategic leadership and hands-on orchestration of complex, cross-functional, system-level engineering programs that span hardware, controls, software and manufacturing domains from concept through commercialization. This leader builds and manages integrated program plans across all functions to deliver innovative solutions that meet the highest safety, quality, cost, customer value and overall business impact. The Program Manager fosters collaboration, innovation and learning across functions and drives execution through schedule integrity (capacity planning, critical path), proactively identifies and mitigates risks, ensures manufacturing and supplier readiness, and facilitates governance using Rite-Hite’s New Product Development process and the appropriate Waterfall/Agile/Hybrid methods. Additionally, the Program Manager will help evolve and shape Rite-Hite’s NPD process to scale appropriately for the various types of NPD projects and business needs while driving consistent adoption through the NPD stakeholder community. The Program Manager integrates systems thinking, data-driven decision-making, and an iterative approach to accelerate value delivery and build a culture of transparency and continuous improvement.
KEY OUTCOMES
On-time to launch: 90% of NPD stage gate milestones met;- 85% of programs launch on or before target dates.
- Quality at launch and customer value: First-pass build yield and early field performance meet or exceed targets; post-launch defect rate/warranty within target thresholds while delivering tangible customer and market value.
- Business case realization: Internal program cost orders, sales and margin aligned with business case; variance drivers identified with corrective actions.
- Readiness: Manufacturing, supplier, service and go-to-market readiness complete per integrated system-level program plan; no critical “late surprises.”
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned:
Strategic Leadership:
Partner with the business unit leadership team to execute prioritized complex, multi-disciplinary New Product Development programs to deliver target safety, quality, cost, customer value and overall business impact.
- Ensure alignment on requirements (VOC), product/feature scope and acceptance criteria.
- Apply systems engineering management principles to ensure integration across mechanical, controls, electrical, and software disciplines.
- Facilitate business and technical trade-offs to protect customer value; escalate issues with data, options and recommendations.
- Act as a connector between strategy and execution, aligning engineering, product, and business roadmaps.
- Provide thought leadership on program management best practices and emerging trends and supporting technologies in the field.
- Support business unit annual capacity planning to help determine next fiscal year roadmaps and strategic plans.
Program and Project Management:
Aligned with the business unit strategy and roadmap, build and maintain integrated program plans across Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, Quality, Distribution, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Applications, Service, IT, HR, Legal/IP and Finance.
- Own the integrated program plan with explicit dependencies, resource loading and a continuously maintained critical path.
- Establish and manage scope/schedule/cost baselines with formal change control.
- Maintain a living schedule risk analysis with scenario planning; create what-if plans and recovery paths.
Governance and Standardization:
Adhere to enterprise-wide project management methodologies, frameworks and processes. Ensure consistent application of governance policies, risk management, and quality assurance across all projects and programs.
- Operate within Rite-Hite’s New Product Development process; scale the process as appropriate for the scope of each program; prepare and run program reviews (core team, stakeholder updates, stage gates with clear entry/exit criteria), documented decisions and follow-ups.
- Champion and continuously improve Rite-Hite’s New Product Development stage gate process across all functions with ongoing training, standard tools/templates, and best practice sharing.
- Blend Waterfall/Agile/Hybrid appropriately across hardware and embedded/software components; ensure traceability from requirements to test/validation.
- Identify and eliminate systemic bottlenecks that limit innovation or cross-functional efficiency.
Resource Management:
Lead resource planning and allocation across projects and programs to ensure optimal utilization. Identify and resolve labor, asset, plant, vendor, etc. conflicts and ensure adequate staffing for high-priority projects. Proactively surface cross-program dependencies and resolve conflicts.
Performance Monitoring and Reporting:
Link to established business unit KPIs (e.g., on-time stage gates) and establish program-specific leading indicator KPIs (e.g., critical path health) to monitor program health. Track program budgets, capital/tooling and unit economics; partner with product management and finance on business case gating and post-launch performance. Use data-driven insights to inform decisions and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Leads without direct authority; fosters a culture of accountability, transparency and continuous improvement.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field from an accredited 4-year university.
- 5–10 years’ experience leading complex new product development and system-level programs for industrial/electro-mechanical products or integrated controls-software offerings from concept through launch, with expertise in critical path, dependency mapping and integrated cross-functional planning.
- 3–5 years’ experience in a senior role within an EPMO or similar role with oversight of strategic direction or project management across an organization.
- Demonstrated success in managing cross-functional hardware, software and service programs with manufacturing and supply chain integration in a matrix-based organization.
- Experience operating within a stage-gate or milestone NPD process; familiarity with DFM, FMEA, V&V, pilot builds and commercialization.
- Proven track record delivering on schedule and business case with rigorous risk management and change control.
- Exceptional communication, facilitation and stakeholder alignment skills.
- Strong experience in managing relationships, facilitating discussions and resolving conflicts with senior leadership, business leaders and other key stakeholders, with the ability to influence decision-making and drive alignment across an organization.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
- Experience in manufacturing and sales/industrial equipment industries.
- Experience with loading dock equipment, industrial doors, safety barriers, industrial fans and other material-handling/in-plant safety equipment.
- Experience with Jama, Jira and Confluence management tools.
Additional Job Information: