Manager, Product Applications

Job Description

Position Overview

The Manager, Product Applications leads the Product Applications team responsible for validating the performance, manufacturability, installation readiness, and market readiness of Nextpower mechanical and electro-mechanical components. This role manages the personnel, priorities, test execution, documentation quality, and development of the team that conducts Form-Fit-Function (FFF) testing, evaluates new design revisions, supports vendor qualification, and develops test components and fixtures.

The Manager ensures new products, updated designs, and components from new vendors meet Nextpower engineering, quality, safety, manufacturing, and installation requirements. This position partners closely with R&D Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Field Applications, Product Management, Project Engineering, and project teams to resolve design risks early, deliver customer-ready solutions, and support successful go-to-market launches.

Key Objectives

Lead And Develop Product Applications Personnel

Manage, coach, and develop a team of Product Applications Engineers and technicians; set priorities, assign resources, review deliverables, and maintain accountability for safe, timely, and high-quality execution.

Validate New Products

Ensure new product concepts and prototypes satisfy engineering requirements, customer needs, installation expectations, manufacturability objectives, and safety standards before launch.

Test And Approve Updated Designs Of Existing Offerings

Confirm revisions to existing components or assemblies maintain or improve system reliability, manufacturability, compatibility with adjacent parts, and installation quality.

Qualify New Vendors And Manufacturing Sources

Oversee supplier and first-article testing to assess whether new vendors can consistently meet Nextpower design specifications, quality requirements, and manufacturing standards.

Scale Test Methods, Fixtures, And Reporting

Standardize test plans, fixture development, structured data collection, and professional reporting so results are repeatable, actionable, and useful for engineering and business decisions.

Core Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Personnel Management

• Manage day-to-day work, project assignments, priorities, capacity, and schedules for Product Applications personnel supporting product testing, design validation, vendor qualification, and field issue resolution.
• Coach and develop team members through goal setting, performance feedback, technical review, mentoring, and career development planning.
• Review and approve test plans, test reports, recommendations, and cross-functional communications to ensure technical accuracy, consistency, and professional quality.
• Build a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, customer focus, and continuous improvement across all testing, construction, and field activities.
• Coordinate staffing and resource needs with leadership, vendors, R&D sites, and cross-functional stakeholders to meet tight project schedules and launch milestones.

New Product Testing & Validation

• Lead the team conducting Form-Fit-Function testing on new concepts, prototypes, and pre-production assemblies to confirm alignment with design intent.
• Oversee representative test setups in the R&D yard or other test environments to simulate installation and operational conditions.
• Ensure product notes, installation manuals, engineering requirements, and acceptance criteria are sufficient, accurate, and validated through testing.
• Identify design gaps or failure modes and drive resolution with R&D Design Engineering prior to go-to-market launch.
• Ensure safety evaluations are completed on new designs and comply with internal and applicable industry standards.
• Require structured data collection, analysis, and professional reporting for all critical test activities.

Testing of Updated / Revised Designs

• Manage validation of updated designs to ensure manufacturability, mechanical performance, compatibility with system interfaces, and readiness for field implementation.
• Guide review of updated drawings, specifications, product notes, installation manuals, and design requirements for completeness and ability to achieve design goals.
• Direct testing of individual parts and full assemblies to confirm functional requirements, compatibility with adjacent components, and installation procedures.
• Provide recommendations for improving installation instructions, product notes, design features, and value engineering based on test outcomes.
• Lead replication of customer-reported issues in the R&D yard and drive data-driven, field-ready solutions with appropriate stakeholders.

Vendor Qualification & Supplier Assessment

• Oversee Form-Fit-Function testing on first-article parts from new vendors to verify compliance with Nextpower specifications.
• Ensure verification of drawings, product notes, specifications, dimensional accuracy, and compatibil