Senior Project Manager
Level: M5
Department: R&D
Location: Waterbeach
Xaar Values:
Xaar has defined 5 values which are vital to our business; each represents an area of essential importance to us. Their existence is intended to guide difficult decisions and shape behaviour.
Everything with Passion – we care about our technology, products, partners and each other.
Innovative – we always strive to constantly improve.
Integrity – we deliver on our promises.
Creative – we push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Collaborative – everyone is a partner; we help each other freely and willingly.
Purpose of Role:
We are looking for a Senior Project Manager to manage our new product development (NPD) projects within the Project Management Office. In this role, you will work with our multi-disciplinary teams to manage the development of new products from concept through to production.
We need an innovative, experienced and delivery-focused individual with the drive and enthusiasm to push forward relentlessly in a fast-paced and challenging environment.
Reporting Relationships:
• Reports to: Head of Project Management.
• Direct reports: None.
Key Accountabilities:
• Manage projects in accordance with the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) process.
• Work with the project team to:
o Identify customer requirements, develop product specifications, forecast product sales, create investment estimates, produce project plans (project schedule, resources, communication, risks, ROI etc.).
o Create product concepts and develop detailed designs, design verification and product validation plans, manufacturing plans, product certification strategy.
o Create go-to-market plans and product collateral, arrange product training, complete product testing, complete documentation, launch the product, learn the lessons.
• Use a range of techniques to ensure schedule, budgets, risk, quality and scope are under control.
• Build relationships with key stakeholders to encourage collaboration and ensure on-time delivery.
• Ensure adherence to PLM process and proactively drive process evolution to include best practice and improve efficiency, quality, time-to-market etc.
• Support all NPD projects in line with the Product Roadmap
Note: in this role, the project manager is not directly responsible for defining technical solutions.
Key Competencies:
Successful applicants will have comprehensive knowledge of the following key competencies, and experience in applying them in complex, rapidly changing situations:
• Leadership & professionalism - the ability to empower and inspire others to deliver in a morally, legally and socially appropriate manner.
• Team management - the ability to select, motivate, develop and manage teams to achieve specified objectives and to resolve differences and conflicts between them.
• Stakeholder management - the ability to identify and effectively engage with all stakeholders, taking account of their levels of influence and particular interests.
• Planning - the ability to consolidate and document the fundamental components of a project and then prepare and maintain schedules for project activities and events.
• Financial management - the ability to develop and agree budgets for projects, and to control forecast and actual costs demonstrating strong commercial awareness.
• Quality management – the ability to ensure that the project outputs and processes through which they are delivered are meeting stakeholder requirements.
• Requirements management – the ability to capture, assess and justify stakeholders’ wants and needs to arrive at an agreed schedule of requirements.
• Risk & issue management – the ability to identify risks (threats and opportunities) and issues, assess them and plan and implement appropriate responses.
• Governance - the ability to establish and maintain structures that define clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for governance and delivery of the project.
Key Challenges:
• Drive adoption and adherence to process (PLM) across all departments.
• Management of key stakeholders with strong personalities.
• Responsive to changing priorities and increasing time pressure.
• Foster collaboration between departments.
• Develop a culture for on-time delivery.
Key Relationships:
• Project Leads (Technical) & Team Leads (Resources).
• Chief Architect.
• NPI Manager (Manufacturing).
• Director of Print Systems.
• Director of Technology.
• Group R&D Director.
Person Specification:
• Intelligent, personable, with a positive attitude. Able to inspire confidence and respect at all levels.
• Able to demonstrate strong leadership and people management skills across the business.
• Not afraid of speaking their mind, taking risks and challenging decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Methodical, logical and process orientated.
• Dynamic and able to react to changing situations.
• Resilient and able to manage conflicting needs and challenging problems.
• Good organisational skills, able to plan, prioritise tasks and co-ordinate the work of others.
• Commercially aware and results orientated. Comfortable representing Xaar in front of customers. Able to travel internationally when required.
Experience:
• Degree qualified in a STEM subject.
• Minimum 5-10 years’ experience managing projects in high-pressure NPD environments.
• Thorough understanding of NPD and PLM processes.
• A range of IT systems at an advanced level e.g. MS Office and Project, Atlassian JIRA and Cognidox, etc.
• Formal project management qualification e.g. PRINCE2, MSP, APMP etc. (ideal, but not essential).
• Digital printing (ideal, but not essential).