Assistant Manager - NPD

V-Guard · India

Role Purpose

Lead end-to-end new product development for consumer appliances & other products of V-Guard as need be with a focus mainly on kitchen appliances. Manage the product development through stage-gate execution, compliance requirements & certifications, supplier development, and launch readiness to deliver on-time, cost-effective, reliable, and energy-efficient products that delight Indian consumers and strengthen market share.

Role & responsibilities

Strategy & Roadmap

• Define 12-24 month product roadmaps for various categories under appliances like Mixer grinder, cooktops, air fryers, OTGs, and other Small kitchen appliances align with brand positioning and market opportunity.
• Build business cases with volume, pricing, margin, CapEx and tooling forecasts; secure approvals through stage-gate governance.

Consumer & Market Insights

• Translate Indian consumer needs (regional needs, usage for small kitchen applications, safety expectations) into product requirements.
• Support on identifying Benchmark competition, track BIS/BEE star ratings & requirements, feature trends, materials, and price points; run periodic VOC, NPS, and usage studies.

Product Development & Engineering

• Drive concept-to-launch: Product Roadmap/ Product Development Calendar → ID/UX → engineering design → prototyping → validation → certification → Scale-up.
• Understand DFMEA/PFMEA, Design Verification & Plan, reliability test plans (Drop, surge, endurance), and manufacturability (DFM/DFA).
• Understand CAD, BoM, tolerances, materials; ensure safety features (thermal cut-off, overload protection, food-contact compliance).

Compliance & Certification (India & Global )

• Ensure BIS/ISI certification and IS standards compliance for relevant categories; coordinate with labs and auditors.
• Understand BEE star labeling where applicable and support on documentation and testing.
• Ensure IEC/ISO safety standards, RoHS/REACH, EPR, WPC/BIS for applicable Electronics/IoT modules & maintain technical files.

Supplier Development & Sourcing

• Support in Identifying and qualifying suppliers/ODMs (India, China, ASEAN); run PPAP/APQP; negotiate tooling and NRE; drive localization and VAVE.
• Support in setting CTQs, incoming quality plans, and escalation frameworks; monitor supplier OTD, PPM, and cost-out initiatives.

Quality & Reliability

• Ensure to achieve reliability goals and warranty targets; recommend root-cause analysis (8D) and corrective actions for field issues.
• Understand on control plans, process capability (CP/CPK), and first-pass yield improvements with manufacturing/QA.

Project & Program Management

• Run stage-gate (Concept/Feasibility/Design/Validation/Pre-Launch/Launch) with clear deliverables, risks, and mitigations.
• Manage timelines (MS Project), budgets, CapEx, tooling, and cross-functional dependencies across R&D, Sourcing, QA, Manufacturing, Marketing, and Service.

Costing & Value Engineering (VAVE)

• Own product cost targets and margin; support teardown benchmarking and VA/VE to reduce COGS without compromising quality.
• Drive localization (% BoM localized) and alternate supplier development to improve resilience and cost.

Sustainability & EPR

• Ensure product development through required compliance as per India EPR guidelines for e-waste and plastic; integrate recyclability, energy efficiency, and repairability into design.
• Track returns, material declarations, and eco-design initiatives.

Launch Readiness & Post-Launch

• Coordinate packaging, user manuals (multi-language), spares/fixtures, service training, and pilot production ramp.
• Monitor early-life performance, returns, and consumer feedback; implement quick-turn improvements and running changes.

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers (mechanical, electrical, electronics, firmware, testing); on project execution & management, build capability in tools and processes.
• Foster a culture of safety, compliance, agility, and consumer-centricity.

Preferred candidate profile

Qualifications & Experience

• B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics/Mechatronics; M.Tech/MBA is a plus.
• 5-7 years total experience with at least 2-3 years leading NPD for consumer/kitchen appliances in India.
• Hands-on with stage-gate, APQP/PPAP, DFMEA/PFMEA, DVP&R, reliability engineering, and certification workflows.
• Experience with ODM/EMS models and supplier ecosystems in India/China/ASEAN; strong negotiation and vendor management.
• Working knowledge of CAD/PLM, tolerance stack-ups, thermal systems, motors, controls, plastics/tooling, and food-contact materials.
• Familiarity with BIS/ISI, BEE, IEC/ISO safety standards, RoHS/REACH, EPR and documentation requirements.
• Tools: MS Project, Excel/Power BI, ERP (SAP/Oracle), JIRA/Confluence (preferred).

Core Competencies & Skills

• Development time analysis and Product Development calendar preparation for timely delivery.
• Systems thinking and design-to-cost mindset.
• Risk management (FMEA), problem solving (8D), and decision-making with data.
• Cross-functional leadership, stakeholder management, and executive communication.
• Program management across multiple SKUs with overlapping timelines.
• Quality orientation with strong attention to detail and compliance.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• On-time delivery to stage-gate milestones (TTC-Time to Completion and TTM-Time To Market adherence).
• Certification lead-time and first-time pass rate (BIS/BEE/IEC).
• Product reliability: warranty rate, early-life failure rate, MTBF.
• COGS vs target, gross margin improvement, VAVE savings (₹).
• Localization, Modularization & Standardization - % of BoM and supplier PPM/OTD metrics.
• Launch quality: FPY, field return rate in first 90 days, NPS uplift.
• Sustainability/EPR compliance and documentation completeness.

Travel

20-30% domestic travel; occasional international travel to supplier/ODM sites (China/ASEAN) as needed.