Commercialization Project Manager, NPD

Position Summary:

The Commercialization Project Manager is responsible for the leadership and coordination of cross-functional teams to enable effective execution of new product development projects in Mexico and Central America. Projects will include all projects focus on product change management (new product launches, cost optimization, network optimization).

The position is responsible for clear communication of progress and possible delays in timelines to commercial, bottler and supply chain leadership through the Stage Gate process. The Project manager will be accountable to deliver on NPD projects targeting multiple international customers.

The project manager is responsible for project scoping, planning, resourcing, and execution by leading the local Supply chain team in central America and Mexico and at HQ in Corona California. The Cross functional stakeholder team including regulatory affairs, formulation governance, operations, logistics, global procurement and network planning. The PM is responsible to deliver on the approved committed corporate tasks as set out by the timeline agreed based on priorities set by the Commercial leadership.

The position acts as a liaison between the corporate stakeholders in Corp NPD & Supply chain and the NPD & Operations project team in Mexico and Central America. The role will collaborate with other regional project managers including the Corp project manager to commercialize the products on time.

The ideal candidate should employ effective problem solving and should be able to easily adapt in a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment where priorities shift from day to day

Essential Job Functions:

• Lead the careful planning of highly complex registration with the corp. regulatory team, local supply chain and commercial team and outside partners to build project timelines.
• Jointly manager projects with Project manager in the Corona Headquarters office to charter and execute against the agreed project plan/ timeline
• Lead weekly cross-functional team meetings with the Corporate, Project resource in NPD as well as other external parties as needed by project.
• Guarantee that all NPD project priorities are identified and discussed in a high-level view to ensure that the team understands Commercial priorities.
• Verify that the corp NPD project team are completing tasks according to the agreed project timelines.
• Support activities required for checkpoint delivery for NPD Stages and Gates process.
• Track all activities and interact on a daily level to ensure communication of priorities and instill a sense of urgency with all stakeholders at the Corporate Office in NPD, OPS, Strategic planning, QA.
• Communicate progress and flag delays in timelines to NPD leadership by understanding the critical path of the project at hand to attempt to move the project along.
  • Analyze cause and effect of timeline changes
  • Develop mitigation plans based on risk assessment.
  • Identify actionable items and update trackers for: regulatory, formulas, graphics, SAP
• Scope projects properly to enable proper Bill of material set up by Project Specialist and the Formula Governance team.
• Lead a creative, high performing, motivated cross-functional team in everyday team interactions.
• Lead the team in a high paced environment by organizing and communicating information in a clear manner
• Able to hold stakeholders accountable while also being willing to support and facilitate
• Learn the ability to focus on the “big picture” and manage timelines by:
  • Connecting all dots and understand key cross-functional dependencies
  • Uncover roadblocks & define critical paths
  • Anticipate problems and create contingency plans
  •  Identify resource constraints
• Possess strong emotional intelligence, facilitative leadership and communication skills:
  • Model calm, poised leadership in entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment
  • Able to take ambiguous situations and add structure and clarity for the team

Position Requirements:

Qualifications

• Understanding of project management and product lifecycle.
• Ability to scope, and drive engagement through comprehension of stakeholder contribution
• Ability to collaborate daily with a cross functional in a healthy, robust matrixed environment
• Ability to navigate project objectives and goals.
• Take ownership and responsibility for actions, behaviors and contributions
• Excellent execution and performance management skills and a results-driven attitude
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, business planning