Job Summary: The Expert New Product Development Engineer is responsible for developing, evaluating, and modifying new product designs in support of customer and product requirements. This position is responsible for ensuring designs efficiently utilize quality and cost-effective materials, accounts for production capabilities, in support of the company commitment to producing top quality, durable bedding. This position is a highly collaborative role with many cross-functional partners working together to deliver great products. This role also takes on a leadership position within the New Product Development group that provides mentoring, training, and guidance to junior engineers.

Salary Range: $95,000-$135,000

Essential Duties, Responsibilities, and Key Results Area:

• Lead cross-functional product development teams dedicated to ensuring the product is meeting the organization's key metrics for cost/quality/timing
• Translate customer requirements from marketing into measurable product and technical requirements
• Develop test plans based on DFMEA, customer requirements, internal quality standards, and regulatory/EHS guidelines
• Conduct component testing, prototype trials, and full-scale validation builds and testing
• Create product, component, and cover specifications to fully document product designs
• Conduct cross functional technical design reviews to ensure technical community alignment on status of product design
• Ensure compliance to the NPD tollgate process; will collaborate with other functional resources at each step of the process and report-out at tollgate presentations to leadership
• Work with marketing to develop product claims and substantiate through validation testing
• Perform pilot testing with operations to ensure manufacturability of the design
• Support new production processes and launches to ensure product is manufactured according to design, safety, and quality specifications
• Provides mentorship to junior engineers
• Leads innovation activities for the NPD team. Supports NPD leadership initiatives for continuous improvement and lessons learned activities
• Assist in NPD initiatives, communicates with NPD team and other resources as required to support product development initiatives and rollout. Provides design and technical expertise as needed.
• Other duties as needed to support overall strategy and success of product development initiatives and rollout

Other primary duties and responsibilities include the following; however, Management reserves the right to assign or reassign other appropriate duties to this job at any time. This document excludes the marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of fundamental job duties.

Ideal Candidate Possesses These Attributes:

• Strong problem-solving skills, able to collect, analyze, and interpret data, synthesize, and analyze alternatives and recommend the right final solution
• Broad project management skills and disciplined in developing objectives, action plans and effective in defending and selling decisions with confidence
• Solid interpersonal and collaboration skills and ability to communicate technical subjects to broad audiences including leadership
• Impressive analytical abilities as well as the enthusiasm to push forward in difficult situations
• Flexibility to seek & incorporate input from others
• Ability to adapt and manage effectively in fast-paced and continuously changing environment
• Experience in planning, assessing, and implementing change
• Strong organizational skills and capability to work on multiple projects efficiently within strict deadlines
• Demonstrated proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, etc....
• Experience with 3-D CAD software such as Solidworks a plus

Internal and External Interfaces:

Member of Global Product Development as part of the New Product Development team.

Internal Partners:

• Sourcing, Engineering, Finance, Manufacturing, Marketing, Consumer Design

Qualifications:

• Degree in Mechanical, Textile, or Industrial Engineering (or other related Engineering discipline)
• 8+ years of experience in an engineering or operations organization delivering and maintaining consumer products

Work Environment/Physical Requirements: Fast-paced corporate office environment. Regular travel is not expected in this position; however, travel around scheduled projects such as program rollouts may be necessary.

The work environment and physical demands characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential duties, responsibilities, and key results of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties, responsibilities, and key results outlined herein.

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