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Job Title: Project Development Engineering ManagerJob Description

The Product Development Manager will lead the design and delivery of innovative new products, technologies, and customer-facing solutions that drive company growth and deliver superior value to our customers. This strategic role is critical to differentiating our company from its competitors and building a sustainable pipeline of innovative solutions in the foodservice space. The ideal candidate is highly creative, technically skilled, customer-focused, and process-driven, capable of taking concepts from ideation through to production launch with excellence and efficiency. There are potential growth opportunities to join the executive leadership team.

Responsibilities

+ Lead New Product Development (NPD): Drive the full lifecycle of product development from ideation and concept generation through prototyping, validation, production handoff, and market launch.

+ Project Management: Own timelines, resources, budgets, and stakeholder coordination across multiple NPD projects, delivering results that meet both customer and company expectations.

+ Customer & Market Engagement: Partner directly with customers to understand needs, collect feedback, and deliver solutions tailored to real-world use cases.

+ Innovation & Trend Analysis: Monitor market trends, competitive technologies, and foodservice innovation to position the company as a leader in next-generation solutions.

+ Prototype & Test Rapidly: Use agile methods and quick iteration to validate ideas and reduce time-to-market.

+ Process & Documentation: Establish and improve scalable development processes, design standards, and best practices for repeatable success.

+ Cross-functional Leadership: Collaborate with internal teams (engineering, manufacturing, quality, marketing, sales) and external vendors to ensure product success.

+ Cost & Business Analysis: Evaluate development investments through ROI modeling and cost analysis, ensuring designs are aligned with business goals.

+ Acquisition Integration: Lead and support the technical integration of newly acquired technologies or product lines into the company’s systems and standards.

Essential Skills

+ Mechanical, electrical, or software product design experience

+ End-to-end project ownership from concept to launch

+ Process orientation with a focus on continuous improvement

+ Strong interpersonal and customer engagement skills

+ Experience in rapid prototyping and iterative design

+ Analytical mindset with cost modeling and ROI focus

+ Solid understanding of the foodservice equipment space (preferred)

Additional Skills & Qualifications

+ 5+ years of NPD/R&D experience

+ 5+ years of full product development lifecycle experience

+ Bachelor's Degree

+ Creativity & Vision: Thinks outside the box and encourages new ways of solving problems.

+ Agility: Thrives in fast-paced environments and adapts quickly to shifting priorities.

+ Results Driven: Consistently meets project goals and customer expectations on time.

+ Risk Management: Able to navigate innovation with structure and foresight.

+ Presentation & Communication: Effectively communicate ideas and solutions to internal stakeholders and external partners.

+ Industry Knowledge: Direct experience or familiarity with foodservice industry practices and customer needs is strongly preferred.

+ Nice to have direct report experience

+ Experience with ERP systems

Work Environment

The position is based in an office environment with access to a lab. The company is a 3rd generation family-owned business offering growth opportunities, including potential relocation packages for candidates from out of state.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Fort Wayne, IN.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $120000.00/yr.

We offer a competitive salary along with a full benefits package, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Fort Wayne,IN.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Dec 9, 2025.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing due to a disability, please email [email protected] (%[email protected]) for other accommodation options.