Senior Engineer NPI

Job Title: Assistant Manager / Manager NPI Engineering

Department: Manufacturing Engineering
Reports To: Senior Manager / Head – Engineering / Operations
Experience: 8 - 10 Years
Industry: Electronics Manufacturing / EMS

Job Summary

The Assistant Manager / Manager – NPI Engineering will be responsible for leading and managing the New Product Introduction (NPI) function, driving the successful transition of new electronic products from design and development into stable, scalable, and cost-effective mass production.

The role will lead NPI activities across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, procurement, and customer teams, ensuring product and process readiness within defined timelines, quality standards, and cost targets.

The ideal candidate should have strong hands-on experience in electronics manufacturing, PCBA, SMT, through-hole assembly, box build, process engineering, DFM/DFT, and NPI execution, along with demonstrated experience in managing cross-functional teams and customer-facing NPI projects.

Key Responsibilities

1. NPI Leadership & Project Management

• Lead and manage end-to-end NPI activities from project kick-off through pilot builds, validation, ramp-up, and mass production.
• Establish NPI project plans, timelines, milestones, deliverables, and resource requirements.
• Drive multiple NPI projects simultaneously while ensuring adherence to quality, cost, delivery, and engineering requirements.
• Act as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for customers during the NPI execution phase, coordinating technical discussions, project updates, risks, and action plans.
• Review customer engineering data, drawings, BOMs, Gerber files, CAD data, specifications, and assembly requirements.
• Identify technical, manufacturing, material, and capacity risks at an early stage and drive mitigation plans.
• Conduct regular NPI project reviews with internal and external stakeholders.

2. Product & Process Engineering

• Lead DFM/DFT reviews and provide manufacturing inputs during the product development stage.
• Ensure products are designed for efficient manufacturing, assembly, inspection, and testing.
• Define and establish optimized manufacturing processes for SMT, through-hole, PCBA, cable assembly, box build, and final assembly.
• Develop process flow, work instructions, process parameters, inspection criteria, and manufacturing documentation.
• Lead process validation and ensure process capability and stability prior to mass production.
• Support development of tooling, fixtures, stencils, test fixtures, jigs, and other manufacturing aids.

3. Production Readiness & NPI Launch

• Drive complete manufacturing readiness for prototype, EVT/DVT/PVT, pilot, and mass-production builds, as applicable.
• Lead First Article / pilot production builds and ensure timely closure of all build-related issues.
• Analyze defects, yield losses, process deviations, and manufacturing issues during early builds.
• Coordinate with Quality, Production, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Engineering teams to ensure smooth production ramp-up.
• Establish production readiness checklists and ensure closure of all open actions before mass production release.
• Monitor NPI performance against agreed KPIs such as yield, cycle time, cost, quality, and launch timelines.

4. BOM, Engineering Data & Change Management

• Review and validate BOMs for completeness, accuracy, manufacturability, and ERP/MRP alignment.
• Ensure correct material structures, alternates, component specifications, and assembly requirements are established.
• Lead implementation of Engineering Change Orders (ECOs), product revisions, and process changes.
• Ensure engineering and manufacturing documentation is controlled and released through the appropriate PLM/ERP systems.
• Coordinate with customers and internal engineering teams on drawing, BOM, specification, and revision-related changes.

5. Customer & Cross-Functional Management

• Establish strong technical and professional relationships with customers during NPI and product transfer activities.
• Lead technical discussions related to manufacturability, process capability, quality, tooling, testing, and production readiness.
• Coordinate with Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, Production, and Test Engineering teams.
• Communicate project status, technical risks, resource requirements, issues, and recovery plans to senior management.
• Ensure timely escalation and resolution of critical NPI issues.

6. Team Leadership & People Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop the NPI Engineering team.
• Allocate resources across multiple NPI projects based on project priorities and business requirements.
• Set objectives, monitor performance, and provide technical and functional guidance to team members.
• Build a strong culture of ownership, accountability, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
• Identify training and competency-development requirements within the NPI Engineering team.
• Support recruitment and capability development of NPI/process engineering resources.

7. Process Improvement & Cost Optimization

• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturability, productivity, quality, yield, and overall manufacturing cost.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions for NPI and early-production issues.
• Drive process optimization using appropriate problem-solving methodologies such as 8D, 5 Why, Fishbone, and FMEA.
• Lead initiatives related to Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, waste reduction, cycle-time improvement, and process standardization.
• Identify opportunities for automation and process improvement during NPI development.

8. Quality, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure NPI processes comply with applicable customer requirements, engineering standards, and quality management systems.
• Drive PFMEA, Control Plan, process validation, and related manufacturing quality activities.
• Ensure compliance with applicable IPC standards, including IPC-A-610.
• Support audits and customer assessments related to NPI and manufacturing engineering.
• Proactively identify and mitigate product, process, material, tooling, and production risks.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 8 to 10 years of relevant experience in Electronics Manufacturing / PCBA / NPI Engineering, with demonstrated experience in leading NPI projects and teams.
• Strong experience in an EMS / Electronics Manufacturing environment is preferred.
• Proven experience managing end-to-end NPI activities from engineering data review through mass production.
• Strong technical knowledge of:
• SMT and Through-Hole assembly processes
• PCBA manufacturing and testing
• Box Build / System Assembly
• DFM / DFT
• PFMEA and Control Plans
• Process validation and qualification
• BOM and engineering change management
• Root cause analysis and corrective actions
• IPC-A-610 requirements
• Strong understanding of electronic components, PCB fabrication, assembly processes, and manufacturing requirements.
• Experience with ERP/MRP, PLM, and engineering documentation systems.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other engineering/project management tools.
• Experience with Gerber viewers, CAD/CAM tools, or PCB design data is an advantage.
• Strong project management, stakeholder management, and customer communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in an EMS organization handling multiple customer NPI projects.
• Experience managing and developing an NPI / Process Engineering team.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100, or other relevant quality management systems.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Experience with cost estimation, process costing, VA/VE, and productivity improvement.
• Understanding of PCB fabrication, electronic component sourcing, and alternate component qualification.
• Experience in customer audits, technical reviews, and NPI project reviews.

Key Competencies & Attributes

• Strong leadership, ownership, and accountability.
• Excellent customer-facing and stakeholder-management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple complex NPI projects simultaneously.
• Strong decision-making and escalation management skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Hands-on and technically strong approach to manufacturing challenges.
• Ability to work effectively under tight project timelines.
• Strong team-building and people-development capabilities.
• Proactive, structured, and solutions-oriented mindset.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• On-time NPI project completion and production launch.
• NPI first-pass yield and production yield.
• Successful pilot / first-article build performance.
• Closure of NPI issues within agreed timelines.
• DFM/DFT improvement and manufacturing cost optimization.
• Process readiness and documentation completion.
• Reduction in NPI-related production issues.
• Customer satisfaction and successful NPI execution.
• Team productivity, capability development, and resource utilization.