Manager, Design - Motorized/Treats

SharkNinja•Needham, MA

56d•Onsite

About The Position

SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company, with a diversified portfolio of 5-star rated lifestyle solutions that positively impact people’s lives in homes around the world. Powered by two trusted, global brands, Shark and Ninja, the company has a proven track record of bringing disruptive innovation to market and developing one consumer product after another has allowed SharkNinja to enter multiple product categories, driving significant growth and market share gains. Headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts with more than 4,100 associates, the company’s products are sold at key retailers, online and offline, and through distributors around the world. AI at SharkNinja At SharkNinja, we’re building an AI-native culture. We’re not waiting for the future; we’re creating it. Our people are expected to experiment boldly, adopt new tools, and continuously raise what’s possible to create meaningful impact for our consumers. If you believe the best way to do your job hasn’t been invented yet, you’ll fit right in. Manager, Mechanical Design - NPD Needham, MA Our mission is to positively impact people's lives every day, in every home around the world. That means our employees get to be thinkers and tinkerers, designers and doers, creators and number crunchers — makers of things they love. As we grow, we're excited to add a Manager, Mechanical Design - NPD to our global team. The Role You'll lead part of our growing NPD team, building the next generation of innovative Ninja products. This is a front-end role: you'll own the technology and feasibility phase of product creation, bringing technical substance and inspiration to our creative efforts and shaping our Motorized product roadmap with credible, buildable solutions. Think complete system innovations that sit between the physical (mechanical) and the system (sensors, software, batteries, connectivity).

Requirements

Degree-level technical qualification — ideally Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, or Industrial Design with a focus on engineering principles
Typically 6–10 years of proven experience in a Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Product Design, or Industrial Design environment
Consumer goods / household appliance experience desirable
Experience with plastic, casting, and sheet metal manufacturing processes
Experience working with IP teams to track prior art and identify novel or inventive solutions within an AD/R&D team
Proficiency in SolidWorks or Creo
Ability to identify, solve, implement, and verify technical solutions autonomously and as part of a team
Comfortable operating in the lab (with training): building prototypes, testing products, and reporting results
An all-rounder's appreciation for electrical engineering, software, and mechanical principles.
UX design appreciation is helpful but not essential
Flexible, resilient, and persevering, with a positive attitude and entrepreneurial nature — these are key to success at SharkNinja
A collaborator who isn't afraid to fail fast, learn, and pivot
Positive and driving, with an inquisitive nature
Strong judgment: knowing which problems to solve, how to make daily progress, and why iterating to prove out hypotheses matters
A growth mindset — you proactively build your own skills and actively seek out coaching from others
Keen to contribute to internal working groups beyond your core role to improve processes, working environment, and mindset

Responsibilities

Own the front end of the Motorized roadmap. Use ideation and innovation techniques to unlock and drive the roadmap alongside engineering and cross-functional PD, ID, Brand, and Test Kitchen teams across the US, UK, and China.
Fail fast, learn faster. Drive ideas to a conclusion early via functional rigs before handing part or complete solution packages to the back-end implementation AD team.
Get hands-on. Tinker on both short- and long-term projects, building POC (Proof of Concept) rigs to prove out hypotheses. Manage the hands-on work of prototype building and lab testing, then develop and report findings with clear next steps.
Communicate ideas fast. Sketching, CAD layouts, 3D models, and working prototypes to evaluate potential solutions.
Run design and engineering studies — independently and in teams — to solve technical and consumer problems, with user experience front of mind at every stage.
Keep the consumer at the center. Collaborate seamlessly with our global AD and CI teams so front-end, consumer-focused sensibilities drive our direction and carry all the way through development to 5-star products.
Coach and grow the team. Actively support and encourage your colleagues — especially junior team members — and motivate them to identify, solve, implement, and verify technical solutions autonomously.
Juggle well. Balance, prioritize, and drive multiple workflows and additional responsibilities against fast-paced schedules and deadlines.