New Product Introduction Project Lead in Blackburn

Founded in 1975, with its head office in Blackburn, England, PPE operates manufacturing facilities in the UK and the US, plus sales offices and Channel Partner networks across the US, Europe and Asia. PPE manufactures high-performance O-rings and sealing components using advanced elastomer materials and precision designs that extend equipment life. Seals are critical to the function of industrial systems, and PPE’s solutions are trusted in the most demanding environments. Today, PPE offers over 200 elastomer grades used globally across industries such as oil & gas, chemical processing, food and pharma manufacturing, marine and power generation, aerospace, and semiconductors. The company’s success is built on the continual development of new elastomer materials combined with exceptional levels of customer service and technical support.

Location: On-site, Blackburn

Employment Type: Full-Time

Hours of Work: 08.30 - 17.00

Salary: £45,000.00 - £50,000.00 + bonus scheme

Overview: We’re looking for a highly organised and detail‑oriented New Product Introduction (NPI) Project Lead to support the developmental phases of new product introduction projects within a manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for co-ordinating development activities, ensuring alignment across engineering teams, and driving Agile project management practices to maintain schedule, quality, and readiness for downstream manufacturing functions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Agile Project Leadership
  • Lead NPI projects using Agile methodologies, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
  • Maintain and prioritise the development backlog, ensuring tasks are clearly defined, sequenced, and aligned with project objectives.
  • Track sprint progress, identify risks or delays, and escalate issues appropriately to ensure on‑time delivery of development milestones.
  • Promote Agile best practices and continuous improvement within the development workstream.
• NPI Development Support
  • Co-ordinate all development‑phase activities required to advance new products through the NPI process, ensuring readiness to hand over to the industrialisation team.
  • Ensure tasks are completed according to project timelines and company standards.
  • Support readiness for prototype and sample production by ensuring development deliverables, documentation, and updates are complete and approved.
  • Manage engineering tasks and ensure controlled communication of updates to stakeholders.
• Cross-Functional Alignment
  • Serve as the central point of co-ordination for the engineering tasks in each sprint.
  • Communicate project status, risks, and mitigation plans to stakeholders with clarity and confidence.
  • Work closely with internal/external suppliers to ensure readiness for prototype and sample production.
• Documentation & Compliance
  • Define and execute validation plans, including Standard Operating Procedures, Inspection Test Plans, PFMEAs, and Control Plans.
  • Ensure products meet customer requirements and safety, regulatory, and performance standards throughout the NPI process.
  • Drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions for issues identified during prototype and sample production.

Skills & Qualifications:

• Required
  • 5+ years proven experience in NPI, manufacturing engineering, product or process development.
  • Strong understanding of Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban) and experience applying them in engineering environments.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate ambiguity.
  • Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Preferred
  • Degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or related engineering discipline.
  • Certification in Agile or Scrum.
  • Experience with PLM systems such as Accolade, MS Project and MS Planner.
  • Experience with ERP tools such as JD Edwards.
  • Familiarity with Lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies.
  • Understanding of engineering drawings.
  • Experience in polymer manufacturing.

Typical duties:

• Agile Project Co-ordination
  • Lead Agile ceremonies, maintain a prioritised engineering backlog, and ensure sprint activities stay structured and on track.
  • Monitor progress, remove delivery obstacles, and guide continuous improvement across sprint cycles.
  • Lead team meetings and present sprint outcomes, risks, and plans to key stakeholders.
• New Product Introduction (NPI) Execution
  • Oversee daily engineering tasks that progress products through NPI stages, supporting hands‑on development and prototype/sample production activities.
  • Ensure technical inputs, documentation, and readiness criteria are met for prototypes, samples, and industrialisation.
  • Co-ordinate engineering workstreams and communicate controlled updates to maintain alignment and momentum.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration
  • Align engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and suppliers to meet NPI milestones and ensure prototype and sample production readiness.
  • Provide clear progress updates, risks, and recovery actions to stakeholders through structured meetings and presentations.
  • Facilitate smooth communication across departments to maintain co-ordinated execution of development activities.
• Technical Documentation & Quality Assurance
  • Create, manage, and maintain validation documents, SOPs, risk assessments, and traceability records throughout development.
  • Verify compliance with customer expectations and standards, leading investigations and corrective actions during prototype and sample production.
  • Support quality and regulatory reviews by ensuring documentation accuracy and readiness.
• Tools, Skills & Continuous Improvement
  • Apply Agile, Lean, and continuous improvement methods to enhance engineering efficiency and delivery predictability.
  • Use PLM, ERP, and project management tools to track progress, manage data, and support decision‑making.
  • Collaborate with technical teams to resolve complex challenges and foster a culture of problem‑solving and operational excellence.