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Job Description

Technical Project Leader – New Product Commercialization & Engineering

Location: Iowa City, IA (Iowa City Beauty Care Plant)

About the Role

Are you ready to bring multi-million-dollar consumer innovations from the drawing board to the high-speed production line?

As our Technical Project Leader, you will be the single-point owner accountable for the end-to-end technical readiness and successful commercial launch of next-generation packaging and product designs. In this role, you will bridge the gap between creative design concepts and high-speed manufacturing reality. You will lead cross-functional engineering, R&D, and operations teams to deliver product innovations on time, within budget, and with right-first-time quality.

Whether qualifying new materials, coordinating full-scale plant trials, or optimizing supply chain economics, your leadership will directly impact millions of consumers who trust our brands every single day.

Spotlight on our Iowa City Plants: Advanced Manufacturing in the Heartland

• The Brands You Know & Love: The Iowa City facilities are flagship manufacturing hubs proudly producing world-class Personal Care, Beauty, and Oral Health brands that sit in 9 out of 10 American households.
• Cutting-Edge Automation: This is not your typical plant. Iowa City houses state-of-the-art, high-speed automated packaging lines, high-precision liquid blending, and advanced robotics.
• Sustainability Leader: The site operates with a deep commitment to environmental stewardship, operating as a zero-waste-to-landfill facility and continuously innovating to reduce energy and water footprints.
• Vibrant College-Town Culture: Situated right next to the University of Iowa, the Iowa City/Coralville area consistently ranks among the top mid-sized creative communities in the U.S.—offering Big Ten athletics, a thriving arts and culinary scene, excellent public schools, and an affordable, high quality of life.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Technical Leadership & Governance

• Serve as the lead technical interface representing plant operations and manufacturing feasibility in front of commercial, brand management, and executive R&D leadership.
• Own and direct the Technical Readiness Master Plan across the entire project lifecycle, navigating projects through formal Stage-Gate qualification milestones.
• Quantify, communicate, and proactively mitigate technical risks associated with new formulations, novel packaging geometries, and high-speed filling line changes.

2. Manufacturing Execution & Plant Commercialization

• Design and execute end-to-end technical validation plans, including pilot plant production, tooling testing, line demonstrations, and production-scale validation runs.
• Coordinate the production of test market materials and finished consumer test products to validate performance before mass roll-out.
• Lead engineering change management systems, guaranteeing that product specifications, material approvals, and quality control systems are fully compliant prior to first ship.
• Partner with internal manufacturing plants and external contract manufacturing (CM) partners to ensure equipment capability, line capacity, and operational readiness.

3. Financial & Supply Chain Excellence

• Own the project's manufacturing economics, leading capital expenditure planning, start-up budgets, and Total Delivered Cost (TDC) modeling.
• Partner with engineering hubs to build comprehensive project feasibility and financial assessment models.
• Build integrated Critical Path Schedules (CPS) to protect speed-to-market while minimizing scrap, inventory exposure, and business disruption.

What You’ll Bring to the Table

• Leadership with Agility: Demonstrated capability to translate complex technical/chemical/mechanical challenges into clear, actionable manufacturing plans that cross-functional teams can execute flawlessly.
• Collaborative Influence: Proven ability to influence partners across R&D, Brand Marketing, Operations, and Finance to drive win-win commercial and operational outcomes.
• Root-Cause Problem Solving: Strong analytical mindset with a track record of applying disciplined methodologies to overcome manufacturing scale-up bottlenecks.
• Bias for Action: An owner’s mindset with an innate sense of urgency to hit launch milestones without compromising safety, compliance, or product quality.

Job Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an Engineering discipline (Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, Packaging, Materials Science) or related technical field.

Experience: 3-5+ years of direct experience in manufacturing, engineering, packaging development, or new product introduction (NPI) within Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, or food/beverage.

Project Management Mastery: Extensive hands-on experience using Microsoft Project or equivalent enterprise scheduling software to manage multi-workstream critical path schedules.

Financial & Cost Acumen: Understanding of manufacturing cost drivers, capital expenditure management, and line-efficiency metrics (OEE).

Communication Skills: Outstanding verbal and written executive-level communication skills; capable of simplifying technical data into business-relevant decision points.

At P&G, we believe that diverse experiences help build strong leaders. Mobility is a key component of many management careers, providing opportunities to grow through different assignments, locations, and business challenges. Candidates should be prepared to consider relocation opportunities throughout their career as business needs and development opportunities arise. 

Looking to learn more about P&G's hiring process?

• How do we hire?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Compensation for roles at P&G varies depending on a wide array of non-discriminatory factors including but not limited to the specific office location, role, degree/credentials, relevant skill set, and level of relevant experience. At P&G compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. Total rewards at P&G include salary + bonus (if applicable) + benefits.  Your recruiter may be able to share more about our total rewards offerings and the specific salary range for the relevant location(s) during the hiring process.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment. We value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Immigration Sponsorship is not available for this role. For more information regarding who is eligible for hire at P&G along with other work authorization FAQ’s, please click HERE. 

Procter & Gamble participates in E-Verify.

Qualified individuals will not be disadvantaged based on being unemployed. 

P&G is dedicated to meeting the needs of applicants requesting an accommodation/adjustment due to a disability in order to complete the online application process.  If you have a disability that affects your ability to complete our online application process, please visit our Disability Accommodation Page.

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