Senior Manager, Engineering

Whirlpool•Saint Joseph, MI

16h

About The Position

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading home appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. As the only major U.S.-based manufacturer of kitchen and laundry appliances, the company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2024, the company reported approximately $17 billion in annual sales - close to 90% of which were in the Americas - 44,000 employees, and 40 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com. The Engineering team discovers, develops and evaluates new product ideas, enhancements, or strategic product extensions, and translates research discoveries into usable and marketable products. Leads, plans and tracks all phases of the product life cycle, from inception to introduction into the marketplace. Coordinates with various functions to ensure successful product development and implementation. The Materials Principal Engineer is a highly experienced and influential technical leader, typically operating strategically within an organization. They are recognized as experts in their domain and play a key role in shaping the technical vision and direction of significant projects or entire product lines. They often act as individual contributors on critical, high-impact initiatives and serve as mentors and thought leaders for the entire engineering organization.

Requirements

Bachelor's in Chemical. Mechanical or Materials Engineering (or related field) with 7+ years of industry experience in materials selection, material processing, development, approval at product and manufacturing levels, including cost reduction, quality improvement, implementation of new projects, and/or new technologies
7+ years of experience leading teams (either managerial or technical leadership)
Proven experience in leading high complexity materials projects or materials problem resolution
Experience in creating, managing, and executing raw materials strategies
Ability to provide technical and managerial mentorships
Competence to develop technical experts, creating new leaders for the future.
Recognized knowledge of materials supply chain and production processes
Recognized knowledge of materials properties and performances
Ability to drive quality improvement across categories and regions
Ability to drive the selection of optimal materials for NPIs through interaction across platforms

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, or Mechanical / Chemical Engineering.
Previous experience on PU (Polyurethane) industry (development and/or application)
Ability to collaborate effectively with various functions, including Engineering, Global Consumer Design, Quality, Manufacturing, Procurement, and Marketing.
Sense of urgency and ability to manage multiple tasks under pressure.
A natural inclination for problem-solving, critical thinking, proactive behavior, and respect for commitments and deadlines.
Actively breaking down barriers and encouraging others to do the same; strong communication skills with senior leadership regarding projects, initiatives, conclusions, and reports.
Soft skills to lead a multicultural and multiregional team.

Responsibilities

Own technical solutions for top-priority ADPs or PDPs.
Lead and drive the resolution of top critical Knowledge Gaps in key ADP and PDP projects within Platforms and BUs.
Accountable for the Global execution of raw materials strategy in collaboration with key partners within Categories, BUs, GSS, Design, and Manufacturing.
Works closely with subsystem and manufacturing process leaders during the early development phase to influence design and process selection, ensuring optimized material performance for a given application.
Own and drive respective Materials Value Team (MVT) strategies, including Cost pipeline generation and execution, Quality improvement and issues resolution, and competitive landscape and supply base management for the respective Materials discipline, in collaboration with GSS, GAME, and Quality Teams.
Lead and coordinate P4G RMI cost strategy to deliver annual targets for assigned materials discipline.
Accountable for executing technology programs, projects, and technical risk management to ensure work is planned and conducted on a rigorous engineering basis in their discipline space.
Lead systemic problem-solving & risk assessment to close knowledge gaps in critical ADPs, PDPs, Cost and Quality projects.
Drive Materials Governance and Complexity Reduction, as well as the reuse of knowledge and materials across Business Units and Platforms globally.
Drive Technical Design Previews (TDP)
Lead Benchmark Planning, Execution, and Analysis in their discipline space in collaboration with CAA, BUs, and Platforms.
EMS/MMS creation, consolidation, and management.
Lead regular meetings with the key foam suppliers to review projects pipeline for cost and innovation, to track ongoing activities and understand capabilities to define the PU foam & Gas strategy.
Work closely with the regulatory team to understand the upcoming regulation that could impact the PU Foam & Gas strategy, especially regarding blowing agents and refrigerants usage.
Develop the Raw Materials technology roadmaps to support the creation of innovation and IP strategies and pipelines, with end-to-end accountability through project execution, impacting all Regional Business Units, GPO Platforms, and multiple manufacturing plants worldwide.
Define a Raw Materials Strategy based on robust Technology roadmaps for their assigned materials discipline, incorporating technology trends and connections with relevant Industrial Process Technology.
Develop strategies for reducing complexity and governing raw materials.
Act as the Global raw material module owner for their assigned materials discipline.
Create, lead, and maintain a robust technical network and strategic partnerships with suppliers, universities, and research institutes.
Leverage knowledge through key suppliers and liaisons with other external organizations.
Develop and maintain proficiency and training content for assigned materials.
Coaching and Mentoring tech talent to develop competence within the Materials Organization.
Lead capability development, including the characterization of new materials and the improvement of test equipment, etc.