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Kohler Co. · 3 days ago

Senior NPD Project Leader, Wellness Products

Kohler, WI

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$120K/yr - $187K/yr

8+ years exp

Kohler Co. is a leading company in the Wellness division, seeking a Senior NPD Project Leader to spearhead product development initiatives. The role involves managing cross-functional teams, overseeing project budgets, and ensuring timely delivery of innovative products while maintaining quality and performance standards.

Consumer Goods

No H1B

Hiring Manager

Katie Zimmer

Responsibilities

Lead product development initiatives within the Wellness division for both North America and global markets, launching innovative new products and enhancing the quality, performance, and cost-effectiveness of existing portfolio of products

Manage cross-functional teams through the Kitchen and Bath Development Process (KBDP) from concept through market launch, ensuring each program meets defined objectives and performance metrics

Develop, manage, and track project budgets in partnership with the team, including development expenses, capital tooling, and expense tooling, while guiding the team to deliver products that achieve established cost targets

Create and maintain detailed project schedules in alignment with the KBDP framework. Oversee project deliverables and tasks within each phase, proactively identifying, anticipating, and mitigating risks and issues

Provide clear, concise, and timely communication to senior management regarding project status, execution plans, risks, and process adherence

Define, facilitate, and support effective decision-making processes for development teams. Coach project team members in developing and implementing cross-functional solutions to complex challenges

Build and maintain strong relationships with senior leadership to ensure alignment on NPD objectives and to remove organizational obstacles to project success

Champion continuous improvement in creative problem solving and drive ongoing enhancements to the KBDP process and broader organization

Lead regional and global initiatives of moderate to high complexity, risk, and strategic importance to the business

Provide structure and leadership to address complex design and business challenges

Proactively identify potential project risks and develop mitigation plans, clearly and appropriately communicating risks to management in a timely manner

Ensure assigned projects are delivered on time and within approved financial parameters

Inspire and challenge cross-functional teams to develop innovative solutions

Demonstrate sound judgment in taking calculated, moderate risks to advance project and business objectives

Identify and advocate for opportunities to improve organizational structures, processes, and ways of working

Operate effectively in environments with ambiguous, evolving, or conflicting structures and processes

Lead and facilitate effective brainstorming and collaborative working sessions

Facilitate conflict resolution and structured problem-solving to drive alignment and progress

Make timely decisions in situations with moderate levels of ambiguity

Select appropriate courses of action based on a clear rationale aligned with available data, constraints, and anticipated outcomes

Take independent action with an understanding of both regional and global business implications

Confidently raise concerns and differing perspectives in regional and global forums

Present well-formed options, scenarios, and recommendations to remove barriers and advance project objectives

Qualification

Product DevelopmentProject ManagementCross-Functional LeadershipBudget ManagementRisk MitigationContinuous ImprovementCommunication SkillsProblem-SolvingDecision-MakingTeam Collaboration

Required

Bachelor's degree in a 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)

Ability to travel 5-10% including internationally

Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without requiring sponsorship now or in the future