NPI Product Owner

Job Description
Family Description
Applied R&D (AR) consists of target-oriented research either with the goal of solving a particular problem / answering a specific question or for multi-discipline design, development, and implementation of hardware, software, and systems including maintenance support. Supplies techno-economic consulting to clients. AR work is characterised by its detailed and complex nature in order to systematically combine existing knowledge and practices to further developing and incrementally improving products, operational processes, and customer-specific feature development.

Subfamily Description
General R&D Management (GRM) comprises the management of the engineering organisation which includes development and revision of new and existing products or services. Covers monitoring of different engineering dimensions and priority setting and conflict resolution between the different organisational dimensions (if any). Contains formulation of long-term objectives, implementation of policies, and monitoring of engineering budget and development schedule. Comprises optimisation of product delivery and involvement in patent search, technology surveillance, technology trends, and is main contributor in innovation management of the company.

How You Will Contribute And What You Will Learn
Job Title:
NPI Owner (New Product Introduction Owner)

Job Summary:
The NPI Owner is a critical leadership role responsible for driving the end-to-end delivery of new products from concept through to commercial deployment. This individual acts as the primary technical interface for operators, bridging R&D, product management, technical project management, services and customer-facing solution delivery. The NPI Owner ensures complex solutions are designed, validated, and delivered for major carriers, aligning engineering efforts with business goals and maintaining a master schedule for project execution .
NPI owner presents crisp summary to Nokia leadership team.
Key Responsibilities:

• End-to-End Project Delivery: Own and manage the master schedule for New Product Introduction (NPI) projects, ensuring timely and successful end-to-end delivery.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Customer teams, Product Management, R&D, and Services to ensure seamless coordination and execution across all stages of the product lifecycle.
• Technical Interface & Presales: Serve as the primary technical interface for operators, leading technical presales activities, solution design, demonstrations, Proofs of Concept (PoCs), and lab validation.
• Project Execution & Risk Management: Drive end-to-end technical project execution for major carriers, consistently meeting milestones, managing risks, and adhering to delivery schedules.
• Requirements Translation: Leverage deep network technology knowledge (RAN, Core, Access) to translate customer needs and feedback into clear, actionable R&D requirements.
• Strategic Alignment: Align engineering activities with overarching business goals and product strategy.
• Reporting & Communication: Provide regular updates to business line leaders and key stakeholders on project status, progress, and potential impediments.
• Technical Proficiency: Maintain hands-on technical proficiency, including coding skills, to contribute to and guide technical solutions, potentially developing internal tools for automation or operational support.

Qualifications & Skills:

• Experience: Seasoned professional with a strong background in technical customer success, product ownership, and technical project management, ideally within a telecommunications or related industry.
• Product Lifecycle Management: Proven ability to drive the full product lifecycle from concept and code to customer migration and commercial deployment.

• Technical Acumen:

• Extensive knowledge of network technologies, including RAN, Core, and Access.

• Demonstrated hands-on technical skills, including coding, and experience in building internal tools for automation, inventory, invoicing, or OSS.

• Project Management: Strong capabilities in technical project execution, including scheduling, risk management, and stakeholder communication.

• Customer Engagement: Exceptional ability to engage with customers, understand their needs, and act as a trusted technical advisor.
• Strategic Thinking: Unique blend of engineering discipline, product strategy, and customer engagement to ensure complex solutions are effectively delivered.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, from R&D engineers to executive leadership.
• Problem-Solving: Proactive and analytical approach to identifying and resolving technical and project-related challenges.

Key Skills And Experience
Impact
Impact is primarily short term and and typically functional, departmental or small single geographic in scope through management of resources. Accountable for departmenta/program goals, achievement and cost performance. Actions and errors will normally impact business, program, project, function. Marked contribution to defining the direction for new products, processes, standards or operational plans based upon business strategy.

Scope & Contribution
Individual Contributor: Independently carrying out consulting, specific functional work within a Business Unit/Geography. Assumes broad perspective. Resolves unique and highly complex problems within own discipline. Makes decisions about own and/or project work using known solutions as basis. Managerial/Supervisory: Typically second (occasionally first) level of solid line management. Effective management of resources and development/implementation of plans and processes. Interprets policies and establishes procedures. Increased awareness and influence of other functions outside of own business area. Decision making often repeated in similar manner - able to choose correct solution or modify existing solution.

Innovation
Highly independent and self directed. Develops plans, measures effectiveness. Assesses customer relationships and service levels. Can develop and implement complex and innovative concepts. Problems require searching and selecting. Anticipates problems, seeks opportunities. Models creative and innovative work methods.

Communication
Communicates with parties within and outside of own job function, which may include external customers or vendors depending upon the job function.Requires ability to influence others outside of own job area on policies, practices and procedures. Has cross-cultural knowledge and global mindset. Works to influence others to accept job function's view/practices and agree/accept new concepts, practices, and approaches. Requires influencing others outside of own job area on policies, practices and procedures, e.g. by expressing complex information in an engaging and inspiring manner.

Knowledge & Experience
Management Experience / Mastery of a specific professional discipline combining deep knowledge of theory and practice within a function. Expert in more than one area, broad perspective. Typically requires 7-10 years extensive relevant experience and/or a graduate / postgraduate equivalent degree.