Concept Development Specialist

IMMI•Westfield, IN

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

IMMI is seeking a Concept Development Specialist for a hybrid engineering role with two central mandates: improving the efficiency, organization, and readiness of engineering development environments, and researching new markets, technologies, and user needs to support future product growth. The Specialist stewards the IDEA Center and prototype and engineering development spaces while identifying potential product, accessory, service, and business opportunities. The role works with Engineering, Marketing, Product Management, Manufacturing, Sales, and Leadership to turn process improvements and market insights into faster, higher-quality innovation. The position improves the IDEA Center, prototype shop, and engineering support areas; sustains 5S and workplace organization standards; and optimizes workflows, layouts, material flow, tool access, prototype stations, and storage systems. It supports prototype builds, demonstrations, testing, and customer visits; facilitates brainstorming and continuous-improvement activities; and tracks workspace and process KPIs. The Specialist also researches customer and user needs, industry trends, competitor products, and technologies. They develop and assess concepts for strategic and manufacturing fit, create sketches, mockups, prototypes, presentations, and business cases, and present recommendations to leadership and cross-functional teams. In partnership with Product Engineering and New Product Development, the role identifies product enhancements, accessories, and complementary products.

Requirements

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Design, Innovation, Product Development, Technology Management, Marketing, Human-Centered Design, or a related field.
At least 3 years of experience in product development, innovation, engineering support, industrial design, manufacturing, or continuous improvement.
Demonstrated understanding of 5S, Lean principles, visual management, and workplace organization.
Experience developing concepts, prototypes, mockups, or product improvements, with creativity and problem-solving ability.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
Strong organizational and project management skills.
Ability to work independently and collaborate across functions.

Nice To Haves

Experience in automotive, child safety, military, transportation, outdoor recreation, industrial, or consumer product markets.
Training in Lean, Kaizen, or workplace organization methodologies.
Experience in Design Thinking, Human-Centered Design, or Innovation Management.
Experience with CAD software, rapid prototyping, 3D printing, fabrication, or maker-space environments.
Understanding of market research and customer discovery methodologies.

Responsibilities

Continuously improve the IMMI IDEA Center, prototype shop, and engineering support areas.
Implement and sustain 5S methodologies and standards for organization, labeling, storage, visual management, and inventory control.
Keep engineering development spaces customer-ready and able to showcase IMMI's innovation capabilities.
Optimize workspace layouts, material flow, tool access, prototype assembly stations, and systems for storing and retrieving samples, prototypes, benchmark products, and testing equipment.
Coordinate workspace improvements that support productivity, safety, aesthetics, and collaboration.
Identify bottlenecks in the concept-to-prototype pipeline and implement changes to reduce cycle time.
Support prototype builds, concept demonstrations, testing activities, and customer visits.
Facilitate brainstorming events, 5S audits, continuous-improvement workshops, and design-thinking activities.
Track and report workspace and process KPIs, such as 5S audit scores, project cycle time, and space utilization.
Research customer and user needs through research, observation, interviews, and market analysis.
Study industry trends and investigate end-user pain points to identify opportunities for products, technologies, and services.
Benchmark competitor products and technologies and maintain organized collections of competitive products and benchmark data.
Develop concept proposals aligned with IMMI's Mission, Vision, and Core Values, and evaluate concepts against company skills, manufacturing capabilities, and growth objectives.
Create concept sketches, mockups, prototypes, presentations, and business cases; present concepts and recommendations to leadership and cross-functional teams.
Partner with Product Engineering and New Product Development to develop accessories, add-on features, and complementary products.
Identify opportunities to improve existing products' functionality, usability, aesthetics, and customer value.