Project Leader, Product Development

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Full‑Time (Management) Position – La Vergne, TN

As a global leader in woodworking, metalworking, and material processing equipment, we are committed to innovation, quality, and empowering our teams to deliver exceptional results. This role sits at the center of our product development efforts, leading new product initiatives from concept through launch. As a Project Leader, you will operate as the “CEO of the project,” driving alignment, managing risk, and ensuring successful execution across cross‑functional teams and external partners.

• Lead end‑to‑end execution of new product development projects from concept through launch and post‑launch stabilization
• Own project scope, schedule, budget, and execution, ensuring delivery on time, within cost targets, and to defined quality standards
• Develop and manage project budgets, monitor financial performance, and drive corrective actions as needed
• Ensure market inputs are robust and actionable, partnering with Product Management to validate product direction and customer needs
• Translate Voice of the Customer into clear, prioritized, and testable engineering requirements
• Maintain alignment and clarity of requirements across all stakeholders
• Collaborate with internal engineering teams and external suppliers to develop and refine product concepts
• Drive design decisions and trade‑offs balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and timeline
• Ensure solutions meet both technical requirements and business objectives
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks throughout all project phases
• Ensure appropriate engineering rigor at key development gates, including concept, design freeze, and pre‑production
• Lead validation strategies to confirm product performance, reliability, and compliance
• Drive alignment across engineering, marketing, supply chain, quality, manufacturing, and supplier partners
• Influence stakeholders and drive accountability without direct authority
• Manage projects involving both internal teams and external supplier‑led development
• Ensure quality and reliability considerations are built into the development process early
• Drive readiness for production, including validation, tooling release, and launch execution

• Education:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, required
• 5‑10+ years of experience in product development and project leadership
• Proven ability to independently lead complex, cross‑functional projects
• Strong technical acumen with the ability to guide and challenge engineering decisions
• Experience working in hybrid development environments with both internal teams and external suppliers
• PMP or equivalent project management certification preferred
• Familiarity with CAD tools, including Solid Works, preferred
• Strong leadership, communication, and problem‑solving skills
• Ability to operate with a high level of ownership and accountability

• Comprehensive Benefits:
  Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, telehealth, and more from Day 1
• Generous PTO + Paid Holidays
• Career Development & Learning Opportunities
• Team Member Appreciation Events
• A Culture That Values Integrity, Teamwork & Innovation

JPW Industries is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or other protected status.