Sr. NPD Project Leader, North America

Sr. NPD Project Leader, North America

Work Mode: Hybrid

Location:  Hybrid - Kohler, WI

Opportunity

As a member of a New Product Development project team:

• Focus on product categories for North America region including regional and global projects.
• Lead product development teams to launch innovative new products and improve the quality, performance and/or cost of existing products.
• Manage cross functional teams using the KBDP new product development process through market launch. Drive each Program to defined metrics.
• Develop and manage the project budget with the team including development expense, capital tooling and expense tooling. Guide the team to develop new products that meet cost targets.
• Develop and monitor project schedules and adhere to the KBDP process.  Manage deliverables and tasks within each phase of a project. Anticipates and manages tasks/risks within each project. 
• Participate in performance expectations and evaluations for cross functional teams. Provide leadership and mentoring to less experienced team members as needed.
• Communicate to senior management on project status, execution plans, and process.
• Define and facilitating decision-making process for development teams. Coaches project team personnel to develop and implement cross-functional solutions to complex issues.
• Establish and maintain relationships with senior management for the purpose of aligning NPD objectives and removing obstacles for project completion.
• Drive improvements in creative problem solving and continually improve the KBDP process and organization.

Specific Responsibilities

Project Management:

• Lead regional and global projects of moderate-to-high complexity, risk and business impact.
• Provide structure and leadership for solving technically complex design and business problems.
• Proactively identify and plan for project risks, communicating risk clearly, early and appropriately to management
• Managing your assigned projects' timing and financial adherence to plan. 

Leadership

• Challenge project teams to achieve innovative solutions.
• Willing and successful in taking moderate risk.
• Identify opportunities for organizational and process change.
• Work effectively when organizational structure or processes are unclear or conflicting.
• Lead brainstorming discussions.
• Able to facilitate & resolve conflict and problem solving.

Decision-making

• Make decisions with moderate levels of ambiguity.
• Chooses appropriate action and alternatives with rationale  that is consistent with facts, constraints, and predicted consequences.
• Take independent action with insight into global and regional business impact.
• Willing to speak up and raise concern in global and regional settings.
• Provide options, scenarios and recommendations to overcome obstacles.

Skills/Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in product development related discipline (e.g. Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing, or Design) with a minimum of 8 years of experience in concurrent product development (project management, product design, process engineering or manufacturing engineering). 
• Must demonstrate the capability to build cohesive high-performance teams, improve development processes and communicate effectively with associates and executives.
• Global product development experience is preferred but not required.
• Ability to travel 10-20% including international.

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About Us
It is Kohler’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact kohlerjobs@kohler.com.  Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.