Sr. Manager Value Engineering & Platform Strategy

Vitamix•Olmsted Township, OH

About The Position

Vitamix is unquestionably the premium brand of high-performance “blenders,” and known for its top-notch company culture and climate. It is an important component of what makes Vitamix unique and successful, and the reason why Vitamix is recognized as a Top Workplace, NorthCoast99 Winner, and Smart Culture Award recipient. Throughout its 100+ year history, Vitamix has encouraged and promoted healthy lifestyles for both its customers and employees. Employees enjoy multiple wellness programs and perks, a free Vitamix machine, and an onsite fitness center. Vitamix also offers a flexible work environment, great work culture, healthy living initiatives like fitness reimbursements, and opportunities for advancement. For consumers, Vitamix can be found domestically in places like William Sonoma, Sur la Table, Crate & Barrel, Target, Amazon, and at Vitamix.com, and is in over 130 countries around the world. Ultimately, Vitamix is the Global-leader in high-performance blending solutions for home and commercial use, is preferred by chefs and is found in many of top restaurants around the world. It is relied upon by culinary schools in the U.S. and has been used to train thousands of students and master chefs worldwide. If it is not a Vitamix, it’s just a blender. Vitamix is seeking a Sr. Manager Value Engineering (VE) & Platform Strategy who will spearhead the vision for VE, platforming and cost optimization. This strategic leader will be responsible for building and prioritizing a high-impact pipeline of VA/VE and platforming initiatives, bridging the gap between technical possibilities and commercial financial goals. By partnering cross-functionally with Engineering, Product Management, and Supply Chain, this role ensures that strategic cost roadmaps are translated into actionable specifications and successfully delivered, optimizing value across the product portfolio. The successful candidate will have deep experience in engineering with a focus on VE, Platform Architecture with high-volume consumer products, appliances, or electro-mechanical products.

Requirements

Alignment with Vitamix’s culture and Guiding Principles which defines its Purpose, Mission, and Values.
10+ years’ experience in engineering with a focus on Value Engineering, Platform Architecture and/or Systems Engineering
Experience with high-volume consumer products, appliances, or electromechanical products is preferred
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field
Master’s degree is preferred
Proficient in MS Office
Experience with parametric cost modeling software
Proven track record of defining and implementing modular product architectures or platform strategies that reduced complexity and improved time to market
Strong ability to bridge engineering and finance
Demonstrated experience leading ideating workshops (e.g. teardowns, VAVE events, Kaizen) with cross-functional teams to generate cost-out and innovation pipelines
Deep understanding of NPD lifecycle with experience inserting value analysis
Proficiency in using data (warranty data, BOM cost analysis, competitive benchmarking) to prioritize engineering initiatives
Experience influencing stakeholders without direct authority, particularly in aligning Product Management, Supply Chain, and Engineering leadership on conflicting priorities
Problem Solving - Skilled at quickly diagnosing issues, identifying root causes, and developing and implementing effective solutions.
Critical Thinking - Ability to break down complex information, identify key elements, and assess their validity and relevance.
Communication - Ability to clearly articulate reasoning, explain decisions, and effectively convey complex ideas to different audiences.
Relationship Building - Ability to establish, maintain, and cultivate positive relationships with individuals, teams, and external stakeholders to foster a collaborative environment
Influence - Ability to persuade and guide others towards a desired outcome.
Innovation & Adaptability - Demonstrated ability to generate innovative ideas, explore unconventional approaches, and adapt strategies to achieve desired outcomes, showcasing originality, resourcefulness and a willingness to experiment.
Process Improvement - Demonstrated ability to analyze workflows, identify inefficiencies, and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
Leadership - Demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate others by clearly communicating vision, fostering positive relationships, and providing opportunities for growth and development.
Strategic Thinking/Planning - Ability to analyze situations, anticipate challenges, develop innovative solutions, and align actions with long-term goals.
Business Acumen - Demonstrated understanding and application of key business principles, including strategic thinking, financial literacy, and market awareness.
Conflict Resolution/Management - Effectively manages and resolves conflicts, fostering positive working relationships by actively listening, communicating clearly and finding acceptable solutions.
Change Leadership - Champion a culture of continuous improvement and adaptation, encouraging employees to embrace change to align with organizations vision and goals.
Ability to sit up to 8 hours per day, with walking and standing required frequently
Visual acuity is required to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data, viewing a computer terminal, reading documents, reports, and emails
Repetitive hand movements for tasks like typing or assembly
Up to 10% travel required
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Nice To Haves

Experience with high-volume consumer products, appliances, or electromechanical products is preferred
Master’s degree is preferred

Responsibilities

Define and drive long-term platforming and modularity strategies that maximize component reuse, reduce SKU complexity, and accelerate time-to-market across the global product portfolio.
Provide high level architectural guidance and system-level specifications to execution teams, ensuring that design decisions align with broader business goals for scalability and manufacturing efficiency.
Evaluate and champion the adoption of emerging materials, technologies, and manufacturing processes that offer competitive advantages in cost, weight, performance or sustainability.
Lead the strategic development of a robust, Cost-Out and Value-Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE) pipeline, utilizing competitive teardowns, data analysis, and cross-functional workshops to identify high-impact opportunities.
Transform raw ideas into actionable business cases with clear ROI, technical specifications, and risk assessments, ensuring a high-quality backlog of “ready-to-execute” projects.
Ensure all cost-reduction and platforming initiatives rigorously maintain or enhance product quality, customer experience, and brand reputation; serve as the gatekeeper against “cost-cutting at the expense of value.”
Serve as the strategic bridge between Product Management, Engineering and Supply Chain leadership to align to technical possibilities with both household and commercial roadmaps and financial targets.
Establish and manage a structured prioritization framework to evaluate competing initiatives, allocating resources to projects with the highest strategic value and financial return.
Monitor the end-to-end lifecycle of approved projects – from concept to validation – identifying critical risks, removing organizational barriers, and ensuring execution teams deliver against time, cost and specification targets.

Benefits

Employees enjoy multiple wellness programs and perks, a free Vitamix machine, and an onsite fitness center.
Vitamix also offers a flexible work environment, great work culture, healthy living initiatives like fitness reimbursements, and opportunities for advancement.

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