Director of Product Development

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Company: HoMedics, a FKA Brand.
Location: Charter Township of Commerce, MI 48390

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Founded in 1987, HoMedics is a leader in consumer health, wellness, home environment, consumer electronics, and lifestyle products. Our family of brands includes HoMedics, the #1 brand in massage; and JAM Audio, makers of the top-selling Bluetooth® speaker in America; Ellia, premium diffusers and 100% pure, therapeutic grade essential oils; and The House of Marley, a high-performance audio brand developed in partnership with the Bob Marley family. We distribute our products to more than 60 countries throughout North and South America, Central America, the Asia-Pacific region, and Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Our company is committed to designing and producing innovative products and rapidly bringing them to market. We are seeking a Head of Product Development / Engineering with the ability to combine engineering / design, program management excellence, creativity and imagination to develop the next generation of best-selling durable consumer products in various categories. The ideal candidate must have a strong background in developing innovative durable consumer products from ideation to store shelf. This position reports to the GM of the business.


Essential Functions:

  • Manage product development projects to ensure they are all on time, on quality, on budget, on strategy and provide an exceptional consumer experience.
  • Manage the product development process working collaboratively with product / category managers while working closely with other departments/functions across the organization, including:
    • CEO
    • Sales
    • Legal
    • Brand Marketing
    • Quality
    • Manufacturing and Sourcing
    • China NPD / support organization
    • Customer Service
    • Consumer Relations
    • Logistics /Trade Compliance
    • Finance
    • Operations departments
  • Heavy focus on the ideation and development of new consumer products. Specifically identify the function, feature set and desired look of a product with a focus on creating innovative new features and products that stand out in marketplace and resonate with the consumer.
  • Manage (staff, organize, motivate) team of engineers and project managers experienced in Industrial design, manufacturing design, packaging design and interactive point of purchase display designs.
  • Identify and coordinate with sourcing, new functionalities and product features while maintaining and/or reducing cost of manufacturing.
  • Work closely with the quality and compliance functions to ensure all safety and regulatory requirements are continuously met.
  • Work closely with the global sourcing organization with respect to vendor selection
  • Work directly with the legal (in-house and external) to maintain database of intellectual property such as patents and copyrights. Assist in filing for patents and copyrights, maintain appropriate documents and files, and ensure protection of inventions and intellectual property
  • Seek out and apply knowledge of new trends and innovation to identify not only new products but also opportunities to improve overall consumer experience (Out of Box experience)
  • Develop and manage annual R&D budget

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or electrical engineering or similar discipline. MBA highly desired.
  • Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in product development of durable consumer products sold at retail. (Required:durable consumer products that plug-in and/or battery operated).
  • Proven track record of developing cutting edge consumer products that have been successful in the retail marketplace.
  • Experienced in project management and leading cross functional teams consisting of both internal and external suppliers with a focus on working effectively with design and engineering teams. Note: In addition to leading the project teams, there is a high level of individual responsibility with this position. This is a hands-on position.
  • Disciplined product development process experience (Stage / Phase Gate)
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with both consumers and technical people.
  • Strong leadership, negotiation, analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial culture with changing priorities.
  • Self-motivated with a drive to excel. Strong multi-tasking capabilities.
  • Dynamic presentation skills.
  • Willing and available to travel, including overseas travel.


HoMedics offers attractive compensation packages along with comprehensive employee benefits including:

  • Major medical, dental and prescription insurance
  • Flexible spending accounts (FSA)
  • 401(k) with employer match
  • Short- and long-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Travel accident insurance
  • Paid holidays
  • Paid time-off program (PTO)
  • Employee purchase program
  • Employee assistance program
  • On-site cafe
  • On-site fitness facility
  • Several additional voluntary benefits

HoMedics is AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER