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New product development manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.,

Matthew Lopresti

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical new product development manager skills. We ranked the top skills for new product development managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 33.4% of new product development manager resumes contained product development as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a new product development manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 new product development manager skills for your resume and career

1. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how new product development managers use product development:

Guided continuous improvement of all processes associated with product development, internationalizing, release for manufacturing/operational readiness, documentation and launch.
Spearheaded efforts to provide basis for data-driven decisions about product development and marketing based on measurable indicators of consumer preferences.

2. Project Management

Here's how new product development managers use project management:

Led purchasing and project management functions; evaluated, negotiated, and established productivity programs to meet objectives.
Mentored two first level managers to achieve higher proficiency in people management and project management.

3. R

R is a free software environment and a language used by programmers for statistical computing. The R programming language is famously used for data analysis by data scientists.

Here's how new product development managers use r:

Develop and streamline R code for data evaluation and statistical analyses performed on data collected from experiments and from outside sources.
Developed an entirely new category of toddler toys for an exclusive launch at Toys R Us.

4. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how new product development managers use business development:

Developed strategic partnerships and New Business Development programs.
Serve as the interface between the engineering and business development teams and the integrated supply chain functions.

5. Direct Reports

Here's how new product development managers use direct reports:

Supervised several direct reports and major vendors relationships.
Managed a global team with ten direct reports in the US and Europe including team members representing all supporting functional groups.

6. Market Trends

Here's how new product development managers use market trends:

Identified / researched market trends to develop sustainable growth in profitable revenue, number of accounts, and net membership.
Identify global market trends; facilitate product planning process and lead the application of design language for the department.

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7. Market Research

Market research is a collective effort to collect information related to a consumer's needs and wants. It is a systematic approach that involves recording and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Market research helps a business to identify a target market correctly and identify the gaps in potential consumer's expectations.

Here's how new product development managers use market research:

Assisted in start-up activities including market identification and market research, creation of company mission statement, product idea generation.
Cultivated and established outsourced alliances for electronic engineering, finite element analysis, rapid prototyping, and market research.

8. Technical Support

Technical support or tech support are the services provided by any hardware or software company to users. They help in solving the technical difficulties the customers face with their products or services. Moreover, the tech support employees maintain, manage, and repair the IT faults. They are also responsible for resolving the network problems, installing and configuring hardware and software.

Here's how new product development managers use technical support:

Cultivated relationships with Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing Technical Support, and Production to assure successful launch of new products.
Provide technical support to the manufacturing team after product launch and assist in transfer to a low cost facility.

9. Product Management

Product management is a part of an organization's function that deals with product development, planning, pricing, forecasting, launching, and marketing the product.

Here's how new product development managers use product management:

Spearheaded concept design and product management with market investigation, margin justification, and customer interaction.
Maintained direct report responsibility for the product management team.

10. CAD

Here's how new product development managers use cad:

Created, analyzed and resolved the issues by engineering mock up models, mechanism breadboards, prototypes, and CAD simulations.
Optimize sterling silver jewelry design concepts through process stages of illustration, technical specifications, documentation and 3D CAD Models.

11. Cost Reduction

Here's how new product development managers use cost reduction:

Provided expertise and leadership in implementing continuous improvement programs Including lean manufacturing and cost reduction projects.
Directed, planned, coordinated and integrated the functions of product design and improvement, qualification, and cost reduction.

12. Product Quality

Product quality is the basic element of a business. It means to add features in a product or service in such a way that it meets the needs and wants of the customers. Enhancing the product quality also means improve the goods from any existing defects to ensure customer satisfaction.

Here's how new product development managers use product quality:

Documented various engineering processes to reduce development time and expenses while improving product quality.
Audited suppliers, initiated Engineering Change Requests (ECR's), monitored incoming inspection and out-going product quality.

13. Product Line

Product line is a collection of similar or related products that may be under a single brand manufactured by the same company. It may include different varieties of a specific product of a brand which comes in different categories. In other cases, the product line may differ in some characteristics despite being from the same manufacturer.

Here's how new product development managers use product line:

Evaluated competitive equipment to assess comparative advantages and disadvantages of the current product line.
Reviewed new product recommendations, developed pricing and channeled merchandise into product line.

14. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how new product development managers use sigma:

Led several 6 Sigma projects to improve sub system performance and quality yielding level 1 benefits of $1.2M.
Educated and managed the global organization in these processes, including Six Sigma and ISO 9001.

15. FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services that regulates the production and sale of food, pharmaceutical products, medical equipment, and other consumer goods, as well as veterinary medicine. The FDA is now in charge of overseeing the manufacture of products like vaccines, allergy treatments, and beauty products.

Here's how new product development managers use fda:

Authored two successful FDA 510(k)s and six Technical Files for European CE marking.
Remediated Quality System deficiencies from 2011 FDA inspection and closed out two product recalls.

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What skills help New Product Development Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on new product development manager resumes?

Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Director, Human-Computer Interaction Program, Indiana University

In my experience, our most successful MS HCI graduates (https://soic.iupui.edu/hcc/graduate/hci/masters/) take the time to put together a compelling online portfolio that showcases their project experience and skill set in action, as applied to specific research opportunities they had with faculty or projects they worked on during their UX internships in the industry. The personal brand of UX junior professional can be greatly enriched when the portfolio includes not only what the student has done, but why and what was the design rationale behind the process and the results, what was the larger context and goal of the project (especially in large collaborative projects), and what was the specific role and contribution of the student. The discussion about the portfolio of a candidate has become a key ingredient of the interview for UX jobs, besides other important activities such as UX design exercises or remote assignments.

What new product development manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Matthew Lopresti

Associate professor of Philosophy and humanities, Hawaii Pacific University

Captains of industry are often asked about the traits they look for in new hires. Critical thinking is always a must, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.

These are the core competencies of the discipline of philosophy. Top-notch communication abilities begin with a depth of ability to understand nuanced, complex details, and then turn around and clearly communicate these complex ideas in easily digestible bits of information. It is no coincidence that students who graduate with philosophy degrees repeatedly dominate graduate and law-school entrance exams like the GRE and LSAT; they are often the sharpest thinkers with the quickest minds

What technical skills for a new product development manager stand out to employers?

Patrick Lindsay

Assistant Lecturer, Miami University

Most all employers expect full competency in creatively using technology for communications. By that I don't mean mobile devices or social media usgae. I mean a widespread working knowledge of technology tools (apps, software, etc). Employers are seeking those candidates who can convey thoughts, ideas, responses in a multi-faceted way. Basic competency in written correspondence is no longer enough. Employers want to see daily business communication not only contain demonstration of good writing (grammar, syntax, formatting) but also being able to create embedded images, video, and relevant web links to better communicate. And not just for a big fancy client presentation, but consistently in regular communication. Further, they want words supported by data; support words with numerical evidence. As such, advanced excel skills and real experience in data sources and extraction stand out to employers.

Similarly, they expect professional virtual audio-visual communication. It is not enough to just be on the Zoom call. The expectation is to be prepared, to be engaged, to be aware of the audio and video angles and backgrounds. To demonstrate active listening as well as enthusiastic, energetic, even animated talking. Body language and facial expression are even more enhanced in virtual communications.

If there was a positive outcome from being thrust into an academic world that was all virtual, it was the need to learn new technical skills, not only for classwork, but also for social interaction. This will not only be appreciated by employers, but for many, expected.

What soft skills should all new product development managers possess?

Tom Springer Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Chapman University

-Good communication skills
-Ability to exercise critical thinking and innovative problem solving
-Able to work under supervision and mentoring
-Works well in a team-oriented environment

Do you want to know more?

List of new product development manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a new product development manager resume and required skills for a new product development manager to have include:

Product Development
Project Management
R
Business Development
Direct Reports
Market Trends
Market Research
Technical Support
Product Management
CAD
Cost Reduction
Product Quality
Product Line
Sigma
FDA

VOC
Business Cases
Product Portfolio
Manage Cross
ISO
Line Extensions
Product Design
ROI
OEM
ERP
Process Improvement
Product Specifications
Cost Savings
Medical Devices
QA

Competitive Analysis
Quality Standards
IP
Brand Development
Trade Shows
Market Analysis
International Suppliers
Portfolio Management
Retrofit
UK
Competitor Analysis
Industrial Design
UL

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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