Product Development Manager

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 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. 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 solutions. In 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, you’ll 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 First Quality Products located in McElhattan, PA.  This position will be responsible for providing the company with products to meet customer/consumer needs and achieve corporate profit margin requirements.  Directs and coordinates all product development activities associated with absorbent hygiene products, from Operations through to the Marketplace.  Provides technical and market expertise with regards to absorbent hygiene products/markets.

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 Purchasing to negotiate price, quality, and service with vendors.
• 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 absorbent hygiene category.
• Reviews and provides recommendations on new idea submissions for absorbent products.
• Reviews consumer complaint data to identify opportunities to improve product performance and consumer satisfaction.
• Support Sales and marketing in presenting to customers.

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering; MS or PhD preferred
• Minimum of 7 years of medical product development or related industry experience preferred, preferably in absorbent hygiene products. 
• Knowledge of 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.

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 (year's worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations.  As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.