Project Manager (Operations, New Product Introduction)

Summary:

VIAVI (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a global provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for telecommunications, cloud, enterprises, first responders, military, aerospace, and railway. VIAVI is also a leader in light management technologies for 3D sensing, anti-counterfeiting, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, government and aerospace applications.

We are the people behind the products that help keep the world connected at home, school, work, at play, and everywhere in between. VIAVI employees are passionate about supporting customer success and we welcome people who bring their best every day to the company – to question, to collaborate and to push for solutions that will delight our customers.

New Product Introduction (Ops NPI) Project Manager

Job Summary:
The Ops NPI Project Manager will lead cross-functional Operations teams in the planning and execution of new product introductions, ensuring a smooth and successful transition from design engineering to full-scale production at either a VIAVI owned factory or the factory of a contract manufacturing (CM) partner. This role serves as the central Operations point of contact for all product launch activities, managing timelines, budgets, and risks to meet strategic business objectives focusing on schedule, quality, delivery, and cost.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Essential duties and responsibilities:

Project management: Lead the Operations elements of the NPI process from project initiation through production launch, first customer shipment, and into volume production.

• Represent Operations on the cross functional NPI project team
• Drive integrated project planning to establish work commitments and dependencies between Operations and other functions
• Lead the Operations team to execute to the requirements of the Product Development Process (PDP), including functional deliverables to support project goals
• Drive Operations execution to plan including:
  • Alignment and documentation of project goals and metrics
  • Project resourcing
  • Management of work commitments across the Operations team, ensuring required deliverables are completed on time
  • Project expense (capital and operational) forecasting and performance to plan
  • Capacity planning and production ramp planning

Cross-functional collaboration: Coordinate and manage a diverse operations team, including test engineering, manufacturing engineering, and supply chain; coordinate requirements and deliverables across the extended internal (R&D, product line management, service, finance, etc.) and external (contract manufacturer, suppliers, etc.) team.

Manufacturing launch and production ramp: Ensure manufacturing requirements for production launch and ramp, at either a VIAVI or a CM factory, are met during the NPI process.

• DFx and Supply Chain reviews are executed at appropriate phase of the NPI process
• Drive Supply Chain and manufacturing process development concurrently with product development
• Manufacturing process development is complete and validated prior to pilot build

Risk management: Proactively identify project risks, develop mitigation strategies, and resolve issues that arise during the NPI process to keep projects on track.

Stakeholder communication: Provide clear and regular communication to stakeholders and senior leadership on project status, progress against milestones, and resource utilization.

Continuous improvement: Conduct post-mortem analysis of completed projects to identify lessons learned and drive continuous improvement in NPI processes and tools.

Pre-Requisites / Skills / Experience Requirements:

Required qualifications and skills:

Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field.

Experience: 

• 5 years of project management leading teams to achieve aggressive cost, quality, and schedule targets
• 5 years of NPI project management experience in a cross functional environment (R&D, Operations, PLM, Service, etc.)
• Experience managing teams in a geographically dispersed environment, across multiple time zones and cultures
• Strong understanding of the CM environment through direct experience managing CM operations or through successful transfer of products into a CM

Technical knowledge: Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, engineering design, and product lifecycle management.

Methodology proficiency: Experience with project management tools and methodologies (e.g., Phase-Gate, Lean, Agile).

Problem-solving: Demonstrated ability to drive root-cause analysis and problem resolution.

Leadership: Proven leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams effectively.

Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of communicating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred qualifications

PMP or other project management certification.

Professional qualification in Risk Management, Six Sigma, Lean, CPI

Familiarity with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.

Experience in a regulated industry, such as aerospace, medical, or defense.

If you have what it takes to push boundaries and seize opportunities, apply to join our team today.

VIAVI Solutions is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer – minorities/females/veterans/persons with disabilities.