Director, New Product Introduction (NPI) & Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
Round Rock, Texas | Onsite | Full-Time
Reports to: CFO/CEO
Works closely with: Director of Operations/Engineering/R&D, Quality, Purchasing, Production, Program Management and external suppliers
Travel: Approximately 25%-35%, primarily to supplier locations
Role structure: Hands-on director role; initially an individual contributor leading cross-functional work
Role Summary
The Director of NPI & PLM leads the transition of new and modified products from development into stable production. The role coordinates product documentation, supplier readiness, pilot builds, production handoff and lifecycle changes across Ametrine and its manufacturing partners.
This position is focused on practical execution. The Director will work directly with cut-and-sew partners and other suppliers to ensure products can be produced repeatedly at the required quality, capacity and schedule. The role also helps develop alternate sources and contingency plans across fabric, metallization, printing, DWR treatment and cut-and-sew operations.
Primary Responsibilities
New Product Introduction
- Maintain the NPI schedule for new products, product changes and manufacturing transfers.
- Coordinate requirements, design release, sourcing, prototype builds, pilot production, validation and production handoff.
- Use clear stage gates, owners, due dates and readiness checklists.
- Identify schedule, supplier, material, quality and capacity risks early and drive actions to closure.
- Provide concise status updates covering progress, open decisions, risks and next steps.
Prototype-to-Production Transfer
- Work with Engineering and R&D to review designs for manufacturability and production readiness.
- Prepare or coordinate BOMs, routings, work instructions, technical packages, inspection points and packaging requirements.
- Lead prototype, pilot and first-production builds at Ametrine and supplier locations.
- Capture lessons learned and ensure changes are reflected in released documentation.
- Confirm that Operations and suppliers are ready before a product is released to routine production.
Cut-and-Sew and Supplier Readiness
- Work onsite with cut-and-sew partners to establish and improve production methods.
- Review patterns, sewing specifications, fixtures, templates, work instructions and inspection requirements.
- Assess supplier labor, equipment, training, floor space, quality controls and available capacity.
- Develop practical ramp plans and verify production rates through actual builds.
- Support supplier training and resolve manufacturability, throughput and quality issues during launch.
- Track supplier actions and escalate missed commitments or unsupported plans.
Product Lifecycle Management
- Maintain control of released BOMs, specifications, approved materials, suppliers, routings and product revisions.
- Coordinate engineering changes and assess their impact on inventory, suppliers, schedule, testing and customer requirements.
- Ensure the correct product configuration is used for each order and customer.
- Support PLM process and system improvements, including appropriate integration with ERP/MRP.
- Maintain orderly lifecycle records from product introduction through sustainment and retirement.
Supply-Chain Resilience
- Maintain a process-level supply-chain map covering fabric, metallization, printing, DWR, cut and sew, accessories and final delivery.
- Identify bottlenecks, long-lead items, single-source dependencies and supplier-capacity risks.
- Develop and qualify alternate sources where practical.
- Create contingency plans for specialized processes that cannot be economically dual-sourced.
- Coordinate source qualification with Operations, Purchasing, Engineering and Quality.
Quality and Process Control
- Partner with Quality to define process controls, inspection requirements and first-article expectations.
- Support supplier qualification, process reviews, root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
- Monitor first-pass yield, defects, rework and launch-related issues.
- Ensure production methods remain consistent with approved documentation and customer requirements.
Cross-Functional Coordination
- Lead NPI work through influence across Engineering, Operations, Quality, Purchasing and suppliers.
- Maintain clear owners, deadlines and escalation paths.
- Coordinate with the Director of Operations so new-product timelines and supplier readiness are aligned with the production plan.
- Support communication and coordination between Ametrine Inc. and Ametrine Ltd. where product development activities overlap.
Success Measures
- NPI milestones completed on schedule
- Prototype-to-pilot and pilot-to-production cycle time
- Supplier readiness and capacity verification completed before launch
- Percentage of critical supply-chain nodes with an alternate source or documented contingency
- Launch first-pass yield, rework and defect performance
- Completeness and accuracy of BOMs, routings, work instructions and product revisions
- Timely closure of supplier, manufacturing-readiness and lifecycle risks
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, industrial technology, textiles, supply chain or a related field; equivalent directly relevant experience may be considered.
- Eight or more years of relevant experience in NPI, manufacturing engineering, supplier development, PLM, product transfer or contract manufacturing.
- Demonstrated experience moving physical products from prototype through pilot and into production.
- Experience working directly with external manufacturers or suppliers.
- Working knowledge of BOMs, routings, work instructions, engineering changes and configuration control.
- Experience with ERP/MRP and PLM or related product-data systems.
- Strong project planning, follow-through, problem-solving and written communication skills.
- Ability to work onsite in Round Rock and travel approximately 25%-35%.
- U.S. citizenship required due to the defense-related nature of the company’s work.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with technical textiles, sewn products, outdoor equipment, military products, automotive soft goods, medical textiles, inflatables or related manufacturing.
- Experience with cut-and-sew production methods, patterns, line balancing or labor standards.
- Experience with coated, laminated, printed or metallized fabrics.
- Defense, aerospace or government-contract manufacturing experience.
- Experience qualifying secondary suppliers or developing business-continuity plans.
- PMP, Lean Six Sigma, APICS or similar certification.
Working Style
- Hands-on and comfortable working at supplier facilities and on production floors
- Organized, practical and attentive to manufacturing details
- Able to communicate effectively with engineers, operators, supplier managers and company leadership
- Persistent in following actions through completion
- Comfortable balancing several product introductions and production issues at the same time
- Focused on building useful processes without unnecessary bureaucracy