Director of Global Product Development

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The Director of Global New Product Development (NPD) leads G&W’s global NPD engineering organization, owning technical product development end-to-end — from concept through launch and post-launch monitoring. Reporting to the VP of Engineering, this role sets the technical strategy for the global NPD engineering team, partners closely with Project Management, Marketing, Global Product Line Managers (GPLMs), and Supply Chain and Manufacturing.

This person is a key driver of G&W’s innovative product pipeline in the electric grid space. This is a highly visible role with direct influence over the products that shape the future of grid resiliency and modernization.

• Provide strategic direction for the NPD department and linkage to business strategy
  • Set the strategic direction for the NPD organization, translating business strategy into departmental goals and short- and long-term plans.
  • Own the global NPD strategic plan and budget, in partnership with the Director of Project Management (NPD) and the GPLMs.
  • Benchmark industry best practices and drive continuous improvement of NPD processes, tools, and methods.
  • Evaluate and advance new technology, materials, simulation capability, and systems that result in new products and patents.
  • Build rapid-prototyping capability for radical innovation, partnering with the Innovation team, to move ideas from concept to product faster.
  • Partner with Marketing/GPLMs to build and maintain product development roadmaps.
• Technical Leadership
  • Provide hands-on technical guidance to managers and engineers, continuously raising the bar on development quality.
  • Own the accuracy and quality of department deliverables — BOMs, documentation, and standards — that meet marketing specifications and support manufacturing, installation, and field operation.
  • Support Sales and Marketing throughout development and go-to-market phases of G&W’s product portfolio.
  • Review and approve development and test plans for new products and product modifications.
  • Develop and execute the roadmap to increase upfront simulation capabilities to shorten development timelines and improve design confidence and product quality.
• Lead G&W’s global product development engineering network, including projects executed at BBK that support satellite facilities;
  Engineering Managers at satellite facilities have dotted-line accountability to this role.
• Allocate resources against product roadmaps and business objectives to support revenue growth.
• Manage key supplier and partner relationships to execute approved projects and support commercialization.
• Lead the NPD molding and materials team, continuously improving methods and processes.
• Attract, recruit, and develop top engineering talent across all NPD sub-teams.
• Set performance objectives, coach day-to-day, and lead annual performance reviews for the team.
• Develop staff to execute project work, drive innovation and to continue to improve in design, analysis and testing methods and quality of designs.

• A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mechanical or Electrical
• 10+ years of engineering experience in a product development environment, including 7+ years in a managerial role (2+ years managing managers preferred).
• Expertise in electrical/electromechanical design, power electronics, and systems integration.
• Proven track record leading global NPD teams through complex, highly technical development projects while growing team skills and capability.
• Strong program execution skills — sound planning, resource alignment, stakeholder engagement, and persistent follow-through to results.
• Ability to interpret technical standards and communicate technical issues and their impact clearly to direct reports and other stakeholders.
• Comfortable managing shifting priorities across multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong interpersonal, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong organization, facilitation, and negotiation skills.
• Proficiency in DFSS and Lean tools (DOE, Capability & Control, FMEA, MSE, DFM, etc.).
• Experience with ECNs, BOMs, and…