Hardware NPI Project Manager

About the role

Object First, now an independent business unit of Veeam, builds secure, simple, and powerful backup storage for Veeam customers, engineered with Absolute Immutability to deliver true ransomware-proof protection. Our Zero Access architecture ensures no one can alter or delete backup data, providing cyber resilience by design. We are a fast-growing team driven by innovation, clarity, and meaningful impact.

Are you looking for a role where you can make a real impact by working with meaningful, high-performance technology? Join a fast-growing, innovative-driven team where clarity, ownership, and collaboration truly matter.

We are seeking a remote Hardware NPI Project Manager to drive the operational readiness and on-time deployment of new hardware products. This individual contributor will serve as the primary liaison between internal and external teams, coordinating launch plans, dependencies, approvals, risks, and deliverables from development through production deployment.

The role also owns approved hardware configuration and BOM updates along with targeted post-launch lifecycle support. The ideal candidate is a hands-on, highly organized project manager with a strong ownership mindset who can drive execution across teams and communicate comfortably on hardware configurations and other technical topics without being the engineering subject-matter expert.

Key Responsibilities

Hardware NPI Project Management

• Lead cross-functional coordination for new hardware launches, serving as the primary liaison among Product, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, vendors, and suppliers to align requirements, dependencies, decisions, and deployment schedules.
• Build and maintain integrated launch plans, readiness checklists, milestones, owners, and deliverables to keep each hardware introduction on schedule.
• Identify and assess launch risks, assign and track mitigation actions, escalate blockers when needed, and follow open issues through resolution.
• Coordinate the transition from development to production and deployment by confirming that required approvals, documentation, configurations, and operational handoffs are complete.
• Coordinate hardware validation and test cycles by aligning schedules, owners, dependencies, and issue resolution, while Engineering retains responsibility for technical test criteria and approval.

BOM Management and Lifecycle Support

• Own and maintain the hardware Bill of Materials (BOM) as the operational source of record, incorporating approved component and configuration changes while ensuring accuracy, completeness, and cross-functional alignment.
• Coordinate the BOM change-control process by documenting Engineering-approved changes, securing required operational approvals, updating affected records, and communicating implementation timing to stakeholders.
• Track cost impacts associated with approved BOM changes and provide clear visibility into material drivers to support leadership decision-making.
• Provide targeted coordination for lifecycle transitions, including approved product updates, component substitutions, and end-of-life planning, as needed to maintain hardware continuity.

Support & Quality Coordination

• Serve as the coordination point for significant hardware-related support issues, bringing together Support, Engineering, Operations, and vendors to establish owners, next steps, and escalation paths.
• Monitor hardware issues, returns, and warranty trends; identify recurring patterns; and coordinate corrective actions or risk escalations with the appropriate teams.

Metrics & Reporting

• Track and report launch readiness, milestone completion, schedule adherence, open dependencies, and selected post-launch quality trends.
• Monitor RMA volume, warranty usage, and hardware cost drivers to identify emerging risks and inform launch or lifecycle decisions.
• Prepare concise status summaries and actionable insights that clarify readiness, surface risks, and support timely cross-functional decisions.

Process Improvement

• Identify and support cross-functional process improvements that strengthen launch planning, handoffs, documentation, and operational consistency.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Business, or equivalent relevant work experience.
• 4+ years of experience managing cross-functional hardware launches, NPI programs, hardware operations projects, or similar initiatives, including ownership of schedules, dependencies, risks, and stakeholder communication.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
• Project management capabilities, including integrated planning, cross-functional facilitation, decision and dependency tracking, risk management, escalation, and ownership from initiation through deployment.
• Ability to discuss technical details with Engineering and translate them into clear project actions.
• Ability to establish priorities, maintain momentum across distributed teams, and follow commitments through completion with limited supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical and operational information for cross-functional stakeholders and clearly document decisions, risks, owners, and next steps.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-changing, remote environment.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English.
• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Object First is unable to provide employment visa sponsorship for this role.

Preferred

• Experience maintaining BOMs or hardware configuration records through formal engineering change and approval processes.
• Experience with data center hardware, storage systems, server platforms, enterprise appliances, or other complex hardware products.
• Experience using hardware quality, warranty, or RMA data to identify trends and coordinate corrective actions with Support, Engineering, Operations, or vendors.

Key Competencies

• Takes ownership of commitments, follows issues through resolution, and communicates early when timelines or outcomes are at risk.
• Builds alignment across Product, Engineering, Operations, Support, Marketing, vendors, and suppliers, even when priorities or perspectives differ.
• Uses data and attention to detail to validate readiness, identify risks, and support sound decisions.
• Creates repeatable processes while adapting plans quickly as requirements, dependencies, and launch conditions change.
• Balances speed, accuracy, and flexibility to keep launches moving without compromising critical requirements or documentation.