Program Manager, New Product Introductions

• A core strength of excellent project management skills, capable of managing multiple diverse projects within a

• Talented verbal and written form communicator, comfortable with leading group discussions
• Flexible, open minded and a great listener
• Strong collaborator and able to foster a collaborative work environment amongst project team members
• Balances big picture vision with the ability to dive deep into specific challenges
• Leads without authority, builds trusting relationships and fosters people oriented connections
• Demonstrates leadership and perseverance

• Working on diverse projects
• Working with partners who are experts in their fields
• High Visibility to Senior Leadership Team
• Working in a company that balances constant innovation with structured processes that enable a successful global operation
• Working in a sizable family-owned company that values connection between all levels of employees
• Work within a tight knit, supportive group of highly skilled and open minded Program Managers

• Project Management of the design and implementation of new standard product launches.

• Develop, optimize, communicate and continually evolve the comprehensive Project Plan.
• Build consensus around, and gain approval of the Project Plan with functional team leaders and executive sponsors; incorporating feedback where required.
• Proactively review plans to identify opportunities for efficiencies and enhancements.
• Drive project actions to completion
• Provide problem solving guidance
• Identify gaps in project task responsibilities, work with management to resolve these gaps quickly
• Chart new paths on non-standard or ambiguous projects; utilizing the framework of Project Management to provide guidance to the product development team

• Ensure that cross functional team members understand their responsibilities and the required timeframes associated with their assignments (Industrial Design, Marketing, Finance, Engineering, Manufacturing).
• Facilitate effective collaborative project team meetings and communications
• Continually monitor effectiveness of communication plans, adjust as necessary.
• Monitor and report on the status of the project plan and objectives, identify and elevate significant project decisions or deviations.
• Work with the project team to effectively present project status to internal stakeholder groups, including

• Proactively manage risks throughout the entire project cycle, including analysis of problems and communicating effectively to stakeholders to ensure timely and proactive decision-making

• Facilitate post launch reviews (Lessons Learned) and continuously improve the Product Launch Process.
• Encourage engagement and communication across the Product Development teams to enable learning and collaboration.
• Investigating and introducing enhanced project management tools (best practices, templates, software etc.)

• Lead business process improvement projects within the Design & Corporate Marketing department and the company as a whole.

• 5+ years of Program / Project Management experience in a relevant industry
• Bachelors Degree in a field related to product development preferred.
• Project Management certification is an asset
• Experience with the Design and Development processes of a manufacturing organization
• Experience within the furniture industry is valuable
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials associated with commercial products
• Ability to travel internationally (infrequent)

Teknion