Job Summary:This new position will lead all product safety and field return activities for the Small Appliances team. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years of R&D and product safety experience, preferably in consumer products/appliances segments. This candidate will work closely with the R&D teams regarding product safety - including field surveillance, root cause analysis, product safety training, and third-party safety regulatory requirements (i.e. UL, CSA, etc.).
Essential Job Responsibilities:- Monitor reports of safety allegations from multiple streams of data.
- Develop a new and improved database system to track all reported safety allegations.
- Establish a new field return lab to investigate product safety allegations related to all small appliances and environmental products.
- Work closely with the quality organization to determine which units to return to the lab for further evaluation.
- Work with external forensic investigators, on allegations associated with property damage beyond the product, to understand the narrative of the event and findings from both scene and lab exams.
- Travel to third party lab and/or scene exams as needed to investigate safety allegations resulting in property damage, to determine cause and origin of the event.
- Summarize and report out findings from all streams of data on a monthly and/or ad hoc basis.
- Provide insights and feedback to R&D team regarding construction and testing requirements for future products under development.
- Be a champion to further establish and define product safety processes and procedures for the team to follow.
- Lead product safety training for an international team of engineers on an annual basis.
- Mentor other engineers regarding product safety best practices.
- Manage various action items & day-to-day communication with various internal/external parties - including local engineering team, international teams, legal department, investigators, etc.
- Develop a thorough understanding of existing and upcoming safety regulation changes affecting these products.
- Work with the R&D teams to ensure future compliance & that the necessary design work is being achieved to meet regulations.
- Be a hands-on engineer who can work in the lab to test units and root cause failures.
- Maintain excellent communication with global colleagues - including taking occasional weekend/evening calls or meetings, helping track project milestones, deliverables, action items, etc.
- Ability to travel domestically & internationally.
Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in engineering, preferably Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering.
- 10+ years' engineering experience, preferably in consumer electronics/appliances segments.
- Extensive experience investigating insurance claims & failure modes specific to small appliances, fans, heaters and air purifiers.
- Awareness of heater recall constructions and failure modes.
- Knowledge of arc tracking failure modes and experience testing PCB designs to limit the propagation of such failure modes.
- A general understanding & familiarity with the construction of heaters, electric pressure cookers, air fryers and other small appliances.
- Experience conducting forced failure testing, including NiCr wire, locked rotor, and UL flammability testing.
- Goal-oriented & self-managed.
- Excellent communication & organization skills.
- Ability to thrive in a collaborative team-environment.
- Be a self-starter with excellent organization skills.
Preferred Qualifications:- Master's degree in engineering, preferably Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering
- Direct product safety experience in consumer electronics/appliances/HVAC segments
- Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
- EPA 608 certified
- History of working with global colleagues
