Cycle Design Lead Engineer

Whirlpool • Saint Joseph, MO

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Whirlpool Corporation is seeking a Cycle Design Lead Engineer to serve as a key technical expert within the Laundry Engineering Performance Subsystem. The role develops, optimizes, integrates, and validates algorithms and cycles for residential and commercial laundry products, working with technology partners to deliver consumer-relevant product performance. It is an onsite position at Whirlpool’s St. Joseph Technology Center in Michigan.

The engineer owns performance attribute strategy and the Cycle Design module, ensuring alignment with global requirements and integration with component modules across new and existing laundry products. The role spans concept development through production execution and includes collaboration across engineering, software, electronics hardware, product marketing, brands, legal, verification and validation, laboratories, and regulatory partners. The engineer also mentors junior team members and helps translate consumer needs into engineering requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or Computer Science Engineering.
• At least 5 years of product development experience in the appliance industry or consumer products industry, including engineering delivery for a major project launch.
• At least 5 years of experience with product performance optimization, including development, implementation, and validation of algorithms with software and hardware process partners.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, or Computer Science Engineering.
• At least 10 years of product development experience in the appliance industry or relevant consumer products industry, including engineering delivery for multiple major project launches.
• Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to explain complex engineering trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders and tailor messages to the audience.
• Proficient technical knowledge of core engineering tools and processes, including stage-gate product development, Design for Safety, Systems Engineering, FMEA, problem solving, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated experience leading successful initiatives with cross-functional process partners.
• Ability to mentor and coach junior engineers to develop a technically rigorous talent pipeline.
• Operational Excellence/Six Sigma certification, including use of OpEx tools to deliver project objectives.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements, such as DOE requirements, and demonstrated ability to collaborate with internal regulatory partners.
• Strong knowledge of software and software development processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of algorithms, logic, and cycle design for residential and commercial laundry products.
• Own performance attribute strategy and the Cycle Design module, collaborating with software, electronics hardware, and adjacent platform modules to optimize system performance.
• Drive deployment of Cycle Design roadmaps, including complexity reduction, attribute requirements, and cost and quality initiatives.
• Characterize critical module parameters that contribute to system-level attribute requirements through functional decomposition, and capture knowledge needed for module-level excellence.
• Develop understanding of laundry appliance physics, particularly thermal and fluid dynamics governing system performance.
• Drive new product design from concept through execution, including Advanced Development and Production Development projects.
• Develop multiple concepts and use FMEA, Design Verification Plans, risk management tools, and OpEx/Six Sigma methodology to make performance attribute trade-off decisions.
• Mentor junior Cycle Design engineers in technical project delivery and competency development.
• Manage communication and collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders to develop performance attribute claims and messaging.
• Support regulatory product compliance for NAR and other countries where NAR products are marketed, in collaboration with Government, Safety, and Regulatory partners.
• Translate the Voice of the Consumer into engineering product requirements to enable product leadership.

Benefits

• Generous benefits package.
• Whirlpool employee discount.
• Fitness and educational reimbursement programs.
• Kitchenettes.
• At Saint Joseph/Benton Harbor locations: recently renovated office space, free coffee, biking and walking trails, and access to The Eddy Early Childhood Center, subject to availability and additional costs.
• Always On Flexibility to manage personal, family, and outside-of-work commitments.
• Two weeks of work from anywhere per year, in minimum one-week increments.
• Four weeks of paid sabbatical leave after every five years of service.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior