NPI Director North America - Solutions
Description
Join the worldwide leader in playing cards and in “play” solutions. Play is what keeps us going, and it always has been our greatest motivation. That's why we live different, play different.
We are seeking an experienced NPI Director North America - Solutions to provide regional leadership for New Product Introduction across North America, covering the relevant manufacturing sites and Design Center capabilities. The role translates business and customer priorities into a coherent NPI strategy, governance model and project portfolio, ensuring that new products move from concept to stable commercialization with the required quality, cost, timing, compliance and manufacturability. The role aligns Commercial, Global Design Center, NPI, Engineering, R&D, Quality, Procurement and Manufacturing and develops the capabilities required for consistent execution across sites..
Key Responsibilities:
NPI strategy and governance
- Translate the global NPI strategy into the North American operating model, stage-gate governance, priorities and decision routines, aligned with the Global Accounts and Global Design Center Director.
- Own the North American NPI portfolio and facilitate prioritization, resource allocation, escalation and trade-off decisions across customer programs and manufacturing sites in the region.
- Implement and continuously improve common global standards, templates, performance measures and management routines for product development, prototyping, design transfer, validation and industrialization.
- Ensure early NPI and Design Center involvement in strategic customer opportunities and new product concepts.
Portfolio delivery and industrialization
- Oversee major and complex NPI programs from concept through commercialization and stable production handover.
- Ensure projects have clear business cases, requirements, milestones, risks, accountabilities and readiness criteria.
- Drive design-for-manufacturing, cost engineering, value engineering and manufacturability reviews before production commitment.
- Ensure product concepts are technically feasible, compliant, financially viable and transferable across the relevant North American manufacturing network, while ensuring effective transfer to or from other regions when required.
- Lead executive-level reviews of portfolio status, critical risks, capacity constraints and recovery plans.
Cross-functional and customer leadership
- Act as the senior NPI interface for strategic customer programs and align customer expectations with operational capabilities.
- Build strong collaboration across Commercial, Business Development, Design, Engineering, R&D, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain and Manufacturing.
- Coordinate North American and global resources to resolve cross-functional issues and accelerate decision making.
- Promote disciplined change control and transparent communication throughout the development and industrialization process.
Capability and team leadership
- Lead, coach and develop the North American NPI organization with teams in Seattle, Dallas and East-Longmeadow, including regional managers, project leaders and specialist resources.
- Build project management, product industrialization, risk management and technical problem-solving capabilities.
- Contribute to global communities of practice and promote best-practice sharing across North American sites and with other regions.
- Foster a culture of customer focus, innovation, accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
Qualifications and Requirements:
- Master’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, product development, business or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- Significant leadership experience in NPI, product development, engineering, industrialization or complex program management within a multi-site manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated experience establishing governance, managing portfolios and leading major cross-functional product introductions.
- Strong commercial awareness and ability to balance customer value, technical feasibility, operational risk and financial performance.
- Excellent communication, influencing and decision-making skills in an international and multicultural environment.
- Fluent professional English; additional languages are an advantage. Ability to travel across North America and internationally when required.
Benefits an NPI Director North America – Solutions can expect from Cartamundi:
- Competitive pay
- Climate controlled facility
- 401(k) with company match
- Health, dental, and vision insurance starting day one
- HSA (Health Savings Account) and FSA (Flexible Savings Account)
- Life insurance
- Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
- Paid time off
- Tuition reimbursement
- Employee discounts on daycare, gym memberships, travel, and much more
Apply today and discover the magic of making a difference at Cartamundi!
Cartamundi does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities. This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. For more information on E-Verify, or if you believe that your employer has violated its E-Verify responsibilities, please contact DHS dhs.gov/e-verify.
Candidates must be 18 years old to work for Cartamundi.
No agencies please. No sponsorship available.
About Cartamundi:
At Cartamundi, we're all united by our common belief that world is better with play. Play is what keeps us going, and it always has been our greatest motivation. That's why we live different and play different. To us, it is not just an activity. It is a guiding mindset that reminds us to have fun, to be fair, to connect with people – across cultures and generations – and to embrace shared experiences.
We are a worldwide leader in playing cards and in “play” solutions.
Our owned brand portfolio includes a suite of heritage brands which go back as far as 1848, including global brands like Bicycle®, HRO®, Bee®, Copag®, Shuffle® and many locally loved brands. These brands combine craftsmanship with innovation as the basis for their continued relevance and positive contribution to the local communities that love and use these brands.
At Cartamundi, we have significant expertise in printing; our presses have been running since 1765. Today, our company has become the largest playing cards and board game manufacturer in the world and the trusted partner of leading toy companies. We make well-known brands such as Monopoly®, Uno®, Magic: The Gathering®, Guess Who ®, Pokémon®, Trivial Pursuit® every day.
As we look into the future and how entertainment evolves, we are bringing the digital world to the physical world and vice versa. We have a dedicated team of experts that is looking into future technologies, products, and applications that can get our consumers and communities to truly live different and play different.
We are still a family-owned company with headquarters in Belgium and have a global network of 16 manufacturing facilities, 6 design centers, 1 digital studio and 1 global R&D center