Development Project Manager

Development Project Manager

The Development Project Manager (DPM) leads the development lifecycle of permanent display programs from initial concept through prototyping, estimating, and manufacturing readiness. This role bridges Sales, Engineering, Vendors, and Manufacturing to deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions. The DPM is expected to bring strong mechanical aptitude, hands-on problem-solving ability, and a maker mindset to ensure prototypes, materials, and manufacturing strategies meet functional, aesthetic, and cost targets.

Full ownership of development for assigned display programs, driving concept-to-production execution with an emphasis on manufacturability, feasibility, and build quality.

Applies strong mechanical intuition and hands-on skills to evaluate physical builds, resolve issues, and guide engineering direction.

Makes strategic decisions around materials, fabrication methods, vendors, and cost drivers to support profitability and mitigate risks.

Ensures timely, accurate documentation including specifications, BOMs, ERP entries, prototype evaluations, and vendor communications.

Acts as a technical problem-solver, performing root-cause analysis and ensuring underlying issues—not symptoms—are addressed.

Partner with Sales and Account Management to define project scope, budgets, fabrication methodology, and timelines.

Develop precise project specifications translating sales requirements into engineering direction.

Provide manufacturing and material guidance to Engineering, informed by practical fabrication limitations and spatial awareness.

Participate directly in mockups and prototypes, applying hands-on skills to evaluate functionality, assembly, fit, and manufacturability.

Lead cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on cost, quality, engineering direction, and readiness for mass production.

Conduct root-cause analysis on mechanical or manufacturing challenges and drive corrective action.

Manage vendor communications, including negotiating pricing, lead times, and production strategies.

Oversee first article inspections with a maker-oriented, detail-driven approach to ensure specifications are met.

Maintain accurate ERP documentation, including BOM modifications and revisions.

Balance speed, cost, quality, and technical feasibility across multiple simultaneous projects.

Account Management

Engineering

Purchasing / Procurement

Estimating

Manufacturing / Production

Domestic & Global Vendors (including Asia)

Success in this role will be measured against metrics including but not limited to:

On-time milestone completion rate – Development milestones delivered according to schedule.

Prototype turnaround time – Average time required to produce and evaluate prototypes or mockups.

Mechanical issue resolution time – Speed and effectiveness in diagnosing and resolving development or mechanical challenges.

First-pass prototype success rate – Ensuring prototypes are meeting functional, aesthetic, and manufacturing criteria without rework.

Budget vs. target on development builds – Variance between estimated and actual development costs.

5–10 years of project management experience within a manufacturing or product development environment.

Strong mechanical and hands-on problem-solving skills; ability to understand assemblies and diagnose issues quickly.

Experience building prototypes, mockups, or test models; strong manual dexterity and spatial awareness.

Proven ability to independently manage complex, large-scale development programs.

Strong understanding of fabrication methods and manufacturing processes for materials such as acrylic, metal, and wood.

Ability to read engineering drawings and translate into actionable build direction.

Strong curiosity and technical depth; proven root-cause problem-solving capabilities.

Experience working with international suppliers, including long lead-time partners in Asia (preferred).

Proficiency in MS Office; advanced Excel skills a plus.

Experience with MS Dynamics 365 or similar ERP systems (preferred).

Strong communication, organization, and cross-functional alignment skills.

Strong mechanical intuition:
Understands how things fit together and can diagnose issues quickly.

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