New Product Introduction Project Manager

NPI Project Manager

Location: High Wycombe Buckinghamshire GB

Job Description:

NPI Project Manager

Based: High Wycombe / Hybrid

Term: Permanent, full time 

Salary: Negotiable + excellent benefits

We are looking for a Project Manager to join the Programme Team at Focusrite. In this role, you will lead New Product Introduction (NPI) hardware projects from concept through to market launch, taking ownership of project planning, delivery, risk management and stakeholder alignment throughout the product development lifecycle.

The right candidate will be a strong communicator, an adaptive learner, and able to manage cross-functional project teams across Engineering, Product Management and Marketing. You will thrive shaping your day-to-day work, balancing multiple projects in parallel, and collaborating with stakeholders at all levels to deliver successful business outcomes.

This role offers the opportunity to take ownership of complex product development initiatives and would suit both established Project Managers and experienced delivery professionals seeking a highly collaborative, project leadership role.

You will be part of a team of enthusiastic project managers, within a dynamic company committed to growth and continuous innovation in sound recording and music production equipment.

Your responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Programme, Engineering and Product Management to produce product development strategies that can deliver on Business Case and product roadmap objectives.
• Apply and leverage our internal project management framework to deliver successful project outcomes, creating and executing project delivery plans and detailed stage plans with deliverables and review gates.
• Work closely with the cross functional delivery teams, Technical Programme Managers, and Programme Manager to manage priorities, resolve workload conflicts, and drive the project delivery plan to move from product concept realisation through to mass production. Project ownership will be for the entire development process, end-to-end.
• Proactively identify and expose project and programme risks, ensuring mitigation plans are implemented to support successful delivery.
• Independently estimate and track project costs and project performance measures (schedule/cost/quality), managing by exception and ensuring Business Case targets are met.
• Build and nurture strong relationships with internal project teams, key stakeholders and contract manufacturing partners to ensure successful delivery and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Apply problem-solving techniques from previous experience to overcome delivery issues and spot opportunities, remove blockers and build consensus among key stakeholders.
• Work alongside Scrum Masters in the organisation to deliver the total value proposition for new products, including accompanying software and customer experience elements.
• Propose and drive improvements to project delivery processes, tools and ways of working, contributing to the ongoing evolution of the Programme Management framework.

You will:

• Have experience managing cross-functional project teams towards a shared goal with a high degree of autonomy.
• Have experience working within structured project management environments and using digital planning and reporting tools.
• Demonstrate excellent spoken and written English.
• Possess strong problem-solving, organisational and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrate a continuous improvement mindset, seeking to refine processes, tools and ways of working.
• Be comfortable communicating project status, risks and delivery plans to a wide range of stakeholders.

Ideal candidates will:

• Have experience with new product development (NPD) lifecycles and project managing the development of hardware products.
• Have worked on projects using Agile principles and methodologies.
• Have experience managing project budgets, risks and stakeholder communications throughout the product development lifecycle.

About Us

Focusrite plc is a global music and audio group that develops and markets music technology products. Used by audio professionals and amateur musicians alike, its solutions facilitate the high-quality production of recorded and live sound. Our audio technology brands stand together, seeking to enrich lives through music by removing barriers to creativity – ‘we make music easy to make’.

The Focusrite Group trades under thirteen established and rapidly growing brands: Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Novation, ADAM Audio, Sequential, Oberheim, Martin Audio, Optimal Audio, Ampify Music, Linea Research, Sonnox, TiMax and OutBoard. With a high-quality reputation and a rich heritage spanning decades, its brands are category leaders in the music-making industry.

Music technology is an enriching space to work in and we enjoy a Group-wide open-door culture which encourages innovation. This culture, combined with a passion for the inspirational solutions we create, has led to the group winning numerous accolades, including four Queen's Awards for Enterprise and the AIM Company of the Year Award 2021.

The Focusrite Group is dedicated to building a great place to work and as an equal opportunity employer we are committed to Diversity and Inclusion. The group mission is to cultivate an equitable culture, internally and externally, where all people feel they are welcome and positively represented, whether office-based or working remotely. Equally, we recognise the major impact that climate change is having on our world and work every day towards being industry leaders in a carbon neutral future.

Benefits include flexible/hybrid working, company pension, life insurance, private healthcare, employee purchase scheme, company music events, free lunch in the canteen at Focusrite HQ. We arrange company training sessions and encourage personal development.