NPI Engineering Project Specialist

About the Team & Role

The Devices team at Tools for Humanity is responsible for driving and coordinating all aspects of new product introduction—from early concept prototypes through mass production.

We are looking for a highly organized, detail-oriented NPI Engineering Project Specialist to help bring new products to life. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, sourcing & supply chain, and finance—helping teams move quickly while maintaining visibility and control over costs.

This is a highly execution-focused role involving spend tracking, procurement support, supplier onboarding, and building lightweight processes that enable speed without unnecessary overhead.

You’ll thrive here if you enjoy turning chaos into clarity and want to work closely with real hardware development in a fast-moving environment. This is a high-impact, high-autonomy role that plays a foundational part in scaling hardware products globally.

Key Responsibilities

Cost Visibility & Budget Tracking

• Build and maintain simple, reliable cost trackers for early-stage projects

• Help engineering teams understand costs during concept and investigation phases

• Provide quick budgetary estimates for prototypes, builds, and design work

• Track actuals vs. budget and flag deviations early

Prototype & Build Support

• Source and procure parts for prototypes (high-mix, low-volume, often urgent)

• Manage supplier communication for quotes, lead times, and availability

• Track parts from order → delivery → build to ensure nothing is missed

Supplier Onboarding & Management

• Onboard new vendors (NDAs, SOWs, basic documentation)

• Maintain organized and accessible supplier records

• Follow up with vendors to ensure timelines are met

Purchase Order (PO) Management

• Create and issue purchase orders accurately and efficiently

• Ensure pre-PO approvals are completed without slowing progress

• Track spend against POs and project budgets

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Track ECNs and ensure cost/procurement impacts are captured

• Maintain clean and up-to-date project data (costs, suppliers, orders)

• Help build lightweight processes that improve visibility without adding friction

About You

Required Qualifications

• 3–4 years of experience in operations, project coordination, procurement, or engineering support

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, or a related field preferred

  • Equivalent experience (e.g., supply chain, manufacturing, military, consulting, or finance) also considered

  • MBA or Master’s degree is a plus

• Extremely detail-oriented with strong organizational skills

• Comfortable working extensively in spreadsheets

• Strong follow-through and accountability

• Clear communicator across engineering, vendors, and finance teams

• Bias for action with a problem-solving mindset

• Fluency in English required; German is a plus

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to hardware development, NPI, or manufacturing environments

• Familiarity with procurement processes (POs, quotes, supplier management)

• Experience with ERP, PLM, or project tracking tools

• Understanding of BOMs, ECNs, or engineering workflows (nice to have)

What we offer:

• An open and collaborative office space in downtown SF

• Unlimited PTO

• Monthly Phone Reimbursement or a company device

• In-office meals

• Top-tier medical, dental, vision insurance

• 401k + employer match program

If you are passionate about designing smart and feature-integrated components and systems for innovative hardware products and want to be part of a team shaping the future of the global economy, we would like to hear from you! Apply now at Tools for Humanity and make a difference on a global scale.

Pay transparency statement (for CA and NY based roles):

The reasonably estimated salary for this role at TFH in San Francisco ranges from $149,000 - $175,000 , plus a competitive long term incentive package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, TFH offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, vision and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, life insurance, flexible time off, commuter benefits, professional development stipend and much more!