NPI Leader

Job Description Summary

Lead the team responsible for industrializing new products such as LM9000 and major design changes into manufacturing, ensuring safe, high-quality, and cost-effective production readiness. This role oversees cross-functional NPI activities from early design through ramp-up, owning manufacturing process design, qualification, and transition to stable production.

Job Description

Roles and Responsibilities

1. Program Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead NPI manufacturing workstreams from concept through production launch, representing operations in program forums.
• Act as primary manufacturing interface to Engineering, Program Management, Supply Chain, and Quality.
• Identify and manage risks to safety, quality, delivery, and cost; drive cross-functional mitigation and escalation when needed.

2. Manufacturing Readiness & Industrialization

• Develop manufacturing launch plans including readiness reviews, milestones, and go/no-go criteria.
• Define routings and standard work for new products, including work instructions, visual controls, and tooling requirements.
• Ensure tooling, fixturing, equipment, and gauges are specified, procured, installed, and validated on time.
• Translate design intent into capable processes, using PFMEA, control plans, and process capability studies to ensure robustness.
• Coordinate first article assembly and test; ensure results are documented and issues resolved.

3. SQDC for assembly & test

• Ensure safe assembly methods, tooling, and handling of heavy or complex components.
• Define inspection checkpoints (in-process and final) and error-proofing steps.

• Balance line layout, takt, and staffing to meet ramp plans; identify labor and test cost drivers and cost-out options

• • Convert demand into TAKT targets for new operations and cells.
  • Design routings, work content, and line/cell layouts to support flow at or better than TAKT.

• • Monitor actual cycle times vs TAKT and lead improvement actions to close gaps (methods, tooling, staffing, line balance).

• Cost: Develop costed manufacturing solutions for NPI and drive cost-out opportunities through process optimization, yield improvement, and waste reduction.

4. Pilot Builds, Launch, and Ramp Support

• Lead pilot and first article builds for new products; capture lessons learned and translate them into updated standard work and control plans.
• Support rate readiness and ramp: ensure capacity, staffing, and material availability align with program rate curves.
• Train production teams on new processes, documentation, and quality requirements; support certification where needed.
• Monitor ramp performance (yield, scrap, rework, cycle time, downtime, safety events) and drive stabilization to standard work.

5. Documentation, Governance, and Change Control

• Ensure manufacturing documentation is complete and controlled: routings, work instructions, tooling specifications, control plans, and visual aids.
• Support configuration control and change management for product and process changes during NPI, assessing impact on SQDC.
• Provide clear status updates on NPI manufacturing readiness and Flight Deck metrics to leadership and governance forums.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college (or a high school diploma / GED with at least 4 years of experience in manufacturing)
• Minimum of 5 years Manufacturing experience

Desired Characteristics

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and resolve problems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead programs / projects.
• Experience in aerospace or other highly regulated industries.
• Experience implementing or operating within a formal lean operating system or management system.
• Background in NPI, industrialization, or greenfield/brownfield manufacturing projects.

GE Aerospace offers comprehensive benefits and programs to support your health and, along with programs like HealthAhead, your physical, emotional, financial and social wellbeing. Healthcare benefits include medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage; access to a Health Coach from GE Aerospace; and the Employee Assistance Program, which provides 24/7 confidential assessment, counseling and referral services. Retirement benefits include the GE Aerospace Retirement Savings Plan, a 401(k) savings plan with company matching contributions and company retirement contributions, as well as access to Fidelity resources and planning consultants. Other benefits include tuition assistance, adoption assistance, paid parental leave, disability insurance, life insurance, and paid time-off for vacation or illness. ​

GE Aerospace (General Electric Company or the Company) and its affiliates each sponsor certain employee benefit plans or programs (i.e., is a “Sponsor”). Each Sponsor reserves the right to terminate, amend, suspend, replace or modify its benefit plans and programs at any time and for any reason, in its sole discretion. No individual has a vested right to any benefit under a Sponsor’s welfare benefit plan or program. This document does not create a contract of employment with any individual.

#LI-EDRICH

This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. Therefore, employment will be contingent upon the ability to prove that you meet the status of a U.S. Person as one of the following: U.S. lawful permanent resident, U.S. Citizen, have been granted asylee or refugee status (i.e., a protected individual under the Immigration and Naturalization Act, 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)).

Additional Information

GE Aerospace offers a great work environment, professional development, challenging careers, and competitive compensation. GE Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.

GE Aerospace will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen (as applicable). Employees may also be subject to random and reasonable-suspicion drug and alcohol testing.

Relocation Assistance Provided: Yes