Job Description
NPD Project Manager
Greater London – Hybrid
£49,000 - £53,000 + Car Allowance + Package
The Advocate is partnered with a growing leader within the drinks industry seeking a seasoned and ambitious NPD Project Manager to lead groundbreaking initiatives. This is an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with a global powerhouse and play a pivotal role in driving new product development success.
Key Responsibilities:
1. NPD Portfolio Ownership
Own the New Product Development (NPD) portfolio for a part of the EMEA region.
Collaborate with internal and external commercial and operations teams managing project intake and alignment ahead of monthly governance.
Ensure On-Time-In-Full (OTIF) delivery of NPD projects by addressing challenges and through a disciplined project management approach.
2. Project Scoping and Planning
Collaborate with stakeholders to define commercial, technical and operational requirements and success criteria.
Lead project scoping exercises to identify deliverables and milestones.
Develop detailed project plans, timelines, and manage project interdependencies.
3. Manage the complete end to end delivery of NPD projects
Collaborate with upstream US HQ based NPD teams on product development initiatives.
Ensure timely delivery of accurate Bill of Material data and manage effective flow of information representing NPD through the S&OP process.
Liaise with bottling partners and co-packers ensuring timely commercialization of projects through weekly calls.
4. Leadership of Cross-Divisional Project Team Delivery
Lead the cross-divisional project team, providing direction and guidance through regular project calls and effective action tracking.
Maintain pace by ensuring team adherence to project timelines and deadlines.
Prioritize tasks and activities to align with project goals and objectives.
5. Stakeholder Management
Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external multi-regional stakeholders.
Facilitate effective collaboration and trust among project teams ensuring clarity through clear written and verbal communication, respecting different cultures.
Provide timely and prioritized information to stakeholders and management to enable informed decisions and effective escalation of critical issues.
6. Risk Management
Identify potential risks and prioritize them based on their impact and likelihood.
Develop risk management strategies and prioritize mitigation plans accordingly.
Enable the rapid resolution of high-priority risks to minimize their impact on project objectives.
7. Adherence to Project Management Tools and Processes
Utilize project management tools and processes to plan, execute, and monitor projects.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date information in the project management system.
Ensure end to end timings, milestones and risks are documented for stage and gate governance.
8. Utilize Data Analysis and Reporting
Create and utilize reports to analyze large amounts of data.
Prioritize data analysis efforts based on project objectives and requirements.
Draw conclusions and make recommendations based on prioritized data insights.
9. Contribution to Continuous Improvement
Identify opportunities to enhance departmental processes and workflows.
Prioritize improvement initiatives based on potential impact and feasibility.
Collaborate with team members to implement prioritized improvements.
10. Maintain Comprehensive Knowledge of the full NPD Process
Stay updated on the end-to-end project delivery process.
Prioritize learning and development activities to enhance NPD process knowledge.
Provide guidance and expertise on NPD process-related matters to project team members.
Your Profile:
* 5+ years’ experience in commercialization project management, preferably in the consumer goods industry.
* Higher education qualification in a relevant scientific or business management discipline is desired.
* Formal project management qualification is desired.
* Experience in project management techniques/ tools is required, including managing within a stage and gate process.
* An accomplished communicator – clear, considered, succinct and flexible in style.
* Business and commercial acumen to prioritize, challenge, support and influence with program mindset to deliver optimum outcome.
* Experience in managing technical project delivery through upstream product development and downstream supply chain planning to production cycle. Experience of working in SAP is desired.
* Competent in data analysis in excel.
* Highly organized and rigorous, able to effectively manage 100 – 200 end to end projects in parallel at pace. Uses experience to prioritize time against the most critical projects.
* Sense of urgency, ability to multitask, attention to detail but also ability to see the bigger picture.
* Ability to take ownership and responsibility for a project team / process.
* Proven track record of business sense to quickly gain an understanding of the company structure, stakeholders, intercompany processes.
* Resilient and able to deal with ambiguity.
* Ability to perform under pressure.
* Self-starter that can question/challenge information being given, identify gaps and areas for improvements.
* Positive attitude to create enthusiasm in a very busy team.
* Comfortable with change in a department and company which is rapidly developing.
If you are a motivated individual with a passion for international sales, we'd love to hear from you!
Get in touch with Ciara at the Advocate Group or APPLY NOW to be considered for this exciting vacancy.
020 7871 8000
Ciara@advocate-group.co.uk
The Advocate Group is a leading recruitment partner, based in the UK, to the FMCG and consumer product sectors. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age.
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