Manager, Product Lifecycle OperationsRole SummaryThe Manager, Product Lifecycle Operations owns the continuous improvement, governance, and adoption of Own Brand product development and launch processes. The role drives all 21 Own Brand brands toward a consistent Stage Gate process and a common location for managing product development work, project stages, timelines, required activities, and cross-functional information. This position also leads the implementation of a new Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system, partners with the selected third-party vendor and internal teams to deliver the project, and serves as the ongoing business owner of the platform after launch!
Location: This is approved to be Remote or will be hybrid if you are located close to one of Ferguson HQ locations, per Company Policy.
ResponsibilitiesStage Gate Governance Across Own Brand
- Own, govern, and continuously improve the Stage Gate process for product development across all 21 Own Brand brands.
- Drive consistent adoption of common Stage Gate standards, required stages, workflows, roles, responsibilities, approvals, and documentation across brands and teams.
- Partner directly with Own Brand companies that are not currently using Hive to transition their product development work into the platform.
- Work with each brand to design a practical workflow that supports its business needs while meeting corporate process, governance, and reporting requirements.
- Lead training, user acceptance, adoption, and ongoing adherence activities to help each brand successfully implement and sustain the Stage Gate process in Hive.
- Maintain process documentation, templates, user guidance, and governance standards to support consistent execution across all brands.
Product Development & Launch Process Excellence
- Own and improve the end-to-end product development and launch process, from concept through launch and lifecycle transition.
- Define clear process steps, ownership, required inputs, data points, dependencies, handoffs, and timing expectations across participating departments.
- Identify and remove bottlenecks, duplicate work, communication gaps, and inconsistent practices that affect launch timeliness and preparedness.
- Ensure teams understand the work required for each project, when it is due, and the information needed to complete it.
- Improve cross-functional communication and awareness of project status, launch milestones, open requirements, risks, and next steps.
- Partner with functional leaders to resolve process barriers and implement sustainable improvements.
PLM Implementation & Ongoing Business Ownership
- Lead the end-to-end implementation, launch, adoption, and ongoing business ownership of a new Product Lifecycle Management system.
- Serve as the business lead and primary partner to the selected third-party PLM vendor, IT, implementation partners, and project management resources.
- Define future-state processes, workflows, governance, user roles, required data points, data ownership, business rules, integrations, and system requirements.
- Engage interested parties across Product Development, Global Sourcing, Supply Chain, Product Data, Product Assurance, International Logistics, Marketing, Finance, Sales Operations, IT, and other functions to capture end-to-end requirements and drive the project to completion.
- Coordinate process validation, data preparation, user acceptance testing, training, communications, deployment, and business readiness.
- After launch, own platform governance, process alignment, user adoption, business support, and the prioritization of feedback, change requests, and enhancements.
- Partner with IT and the vendor on administration, integrations, releases, support, and continued improvement of the PLM system.
- Ensure the platform serves as a common source of product development information and supports consistent visibility across all brands and departments.
Change Management, Training & Adoption
- Develop and deliver role-based training, job aids, and practical guidance for Stage Gate, Hive, PLM, and product launch processes.
- Lead team member readiness, communications, user acceptance, adoption, and reinforcement of new ways of working.
- Coach teams transitioning into Hive and common corporate processes while accommodating legitimate business needs within established standards.
- Influence across brands, functions, and organizational levels to drive timely decisions, sustained adoption, and process adherence.
Preferred Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Product Management, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Experience leading cross-functional process improvement, transformation, governance, or enterprise technology implementation initiatives in a matrixed organization.
- Experience supporting Stage Gate, product development, new product introduction, sourcing, supply chain, operational excellence, or product launch processes.
- Experience leading or serving as a business owner for a PLM, workflow, ERP, PIM, MDM, or related enterprise system implementation preferred.
- Ability to define end-to-end processes, workflows, business requirements, data points, governance models, roles, handoffs, and system requirements.
- Strong project and program leadership skills, including the ability to manage priorities, dependencies, risks, decisions, issues, and stakeholder expectations.
- Demonstrated change leadership, facilitation, training, user acceptance, and collaborator engagement capabilities.
- Ability to influence across companies, brands, functions, and organizational levels without direct authority.
- Strong problem-solving, process improvement, communication, and executive presentation skills.
- Experience in partnering with IT, third-party software vendors, implementation partners, and project management organizations preferred.
At Ferguson, we care for each other. We value our well-being just as much as our hard work. We are committed to a holistic approach towards benefits plans and programs that support the mental, physical and financial well-being of our associates. Our competitive offering not only includes benefits like health, dental, vision, paid time off, life insurance and a 401(k) with a company match, but our associates also enjoy additional meaningful and inclusive enhancements that are adaptable to their diverse situations and needs, including mental health coverage, gender affirming and family building benefits, paid parental leave, associate discounts, community involvement opportunities and more!
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Pay Range:
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Actual pay rate may vary depending upon location. The estimated pay range for this position is below. The specific rate will depend on a candidates qualifications and prior experience.
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$6,900.30 - $11,275.00
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Estimated Ranges displayed are Monthly for Salaried roles OR Hourly for all other roles.
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This role is Bonus or Incentive Plan eligible.
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Ferguson complies with all wage regulations. The starting wage may be higher in certain locations based on local or state wage requirements.
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