New Product Development Manager - Power Generation

Summary

The New Product Development (NPD) Manager is responsible for leading the development of reciprocating engine–based natural gas generator systems primarily intended for mission-critical data center applications and oil field infrastructure supply. This role oversees the complete product lifecycle—from concept and requirements definition through design, validation, and commercial launch—of fully packaged generator systems including engine, fuel system, radiator, weather/sound enclosure, enclosure ventilation, engine exhaust system and silencer, and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emissions systems.

The NPD Manager provides technical, strategic, and organizational leadership to cross‑functional teams, ensuring product development decisions are grounded in sound product strategy, market knowledge, customer needs, and real-world deployment considerations.

Principle Responsibilities and Duties

• Lead new product development activities for natural gas reciprocating generator systems serving data center and other critical infrastructure markets that often require rapid deployment.
• Own system-level architecture and integration of fully packaged generator solutions, including:
• OEM engines (e.g., Caterpillar 3520 series, Waukesha 9394 series, or similar)
• Fuel gas systems
• Radiator and cooling systems
• Weatherproof and acoustic enclosures
• Enclosure ventilation and airflow management
• Exhaust systems, silencers, and aftertreatment
• SCR emissions control systems
• Switchgear
• Control systems
• Translate market requirements, regulatory constraints, and voice‑of‑the‑customer (VoC) input into cohesive product requirements and platform roadmaps.
• Apply design-for-manufacturability (DFM), design-for-assembly (DFA), and design-for-serviceability principles throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develop detailed costed Bill of Materials (BOM) for the developed designs
• Develop General arrangements, P&ID and other key documents to be used by applications and execution teams.
• Maintain the design and BOM to reflect supplier changes, manufacturing improvements and lessons learned.
• Lead and align application engineering, project engineering,  manufacturing teams and service teams through iterative product development cycles.
• Guide teams to evaluate design options and tradeoffs using product strategy, market positioning, and customer value propositions.
• Ensure estimating activities accurately reflect product intent, supplier strategies, manufacturing methods, and design maturity.
• Direct application engineering input to ensure products are optimized for real-world site conditions, deployment configurations, and operational constraints.
• Drive design iterations that balance performance, cost, schedule, manufacturability, service access, and scalability.
• Ensure consistency of technical decisions across disciplines and product iterations.
• Capture and analyze voice‑of‑the‑customer input from data center operators, developers, EPCs, and internal stakeholders to prioritize features, options, and performance targets.
• Evaluate product designs within the context of multi‑unit data center sites, accounting for:
• Work with applications and customers to ensure generator solutions perform as intended when deployed in dense or large‑scale installations.
• Collaborate closely with suppliers and OEM partners to develop optimized technical solutions aligned with product constraints, supplier capabilities, and lifecycle objectives.
• Leverage supplier expertise while maintaining ownership of system‑level performance, interfaces, and requirements.
• Lead technical reviews, value engineering efforts, and risk mitigation activities with suppliers across development phases.
• Manage NPD projects using structured development and phase‑gate processes.
• Maintain project plans, budgets, schedules, and risk registers.
• Lead prototype builds through simulation and 3-D CAD with test cell and site verification.
• Support product launch and transition to manufacturing with complete technical documentation and service materials.
• Use market intelligence, field performance, service feedback, and cost data to guide ongoing product improvements.
• Identify opportunities for platform standardization, modularization, and simplification.
• Maintain awareness of competitive products, data center power trends, and regulatory developments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical or related discipline required).
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in product development of complex industrial systems or power generation systems.
• Knowledge of reciprocating natural gas generator systems and packaged equipment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional engineering, estimating, and application teams.
• Basic understanding of system‑level tradeoffs involving acoustics, airflow, manufacturability, and serviceability.
• Experience incorporating VoC and market knowledge into product strategy and technical decisions.
• Highly organized, analytical problem solver with strong business and technical judgment.
• Self‑starter with excellent communication and leadership skills.

Physical Requirements