Product Development Manager

Founded over 35 years ago First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan Pennsylvania into a group of companies employing over 5000 team memberswhile maintaining ourfamilyvalues and entrepreneurialspirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada the companies within the First Qualitygroup produce high-quality personal care and household products forlargeretailers and healthcareorganizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers wipes feminine pads paper towels bath tissue adult incontinence products laundry detergents fabric finishers and dishwash addition we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility unity and integrity we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality youll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning professional development and our mission to Make Things Better.

We are seeking a Product Development Manager for our First Quality Retail Services located in Lewistown PA. This position develops and introduces new products and modifies existing products to meet customer needs. Collaborates with Business Unit to identify customer needs and interacts with Operations (Process Engineers Production Planning Project Engineers and Quality Assurance) and Marketing to implement new products in a timely manner. Must maintain an up-to-date information base on relevant new product developments (i.e. via commercial professional professional contacts & patent literature) and represents First Quality on professional technical committees.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Leads a cross-functional team to plan develop and implement product improvements and new product introductions from Operations through to the Marketplace.
• Investigates new technologies (materials & equipment) and their applicability to absorbent products.
• Works with Marketing to plan conduct analyze and interpret consumer/market research studies.
• Plans conducts analyzes and interprets product use tests to benchmark competitive product performance.
• Works with Patent/Trademark attorney on intellectual property considerations (patentability infringement searches right-to-market reviews etc.)
• Prepares preliminary product costing for new products.
• Provides market-intelligence to corporation (patents/trademarks/industry news/etc).
• Benchmarks competitive products and develops strategies to maintain effective advantages.
• Conduct periodic review of technology patents industry trademarks as well as keeping abreast of new product introductions into the category.
• Develop new products from concept through commercialization. Comprise initial specifications developed in collaboration with customers concept demonstrations product/process development steps scale up and final spec for product and process acceptance by customers.
• Work in a close collaboration with Business unit Engineering Marketing and Operations to identify opportunities for new products and improvements to current products.
• Work closely with customers and suppliers technical staff and present to them our appropriate technical capabilities.
• Work with Engineering Process and Quality Assurance teams to optimize the technical and economic performance of existing products.
• Maintain extensive contacts with material suppliers to allow development of new raw materials and optimize the performance of current raw materials
• Maintain contacts with academic institutions and outside labs to augment the technical capabilities of First Quality.

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• Minimum of a Bachelors degree in Engineering or Science; MS preferred

• Minimum of 7 years of product development related absorbent hygiene products industry experience preferredpreferably in adult incontinence hygiene products.
• Knowledge of absorbent hygiene markets products competition consumers trends etc.
• Knowledge and use of Probability and Statistical Inference.
• Knowledge and use of Design of Experiments.
• Knowledge and use of Patents/Trademarks especially with regards to absorbent products and materials
• Ability to define problems collect data establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to develop and organize multiple projects.
• Ability to manage and lead a diverse cross-functional team of professionals to deliver against key objectives and timelines.
• Ability to assess process and raw material impacts on product performance and consumer satisfaction.
• Ability to interact with customers on all levels in both technical and sales capacities.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Microsoft Project Minitab as well as other office systems.
• Able to travel domestic and international to manufacturing plants conferences suppliers for product and process trials customer meetings and other business

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (years worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!