Senior Innovation Project Manager, New Category Creation

Company: Samsung Electronics America
Location: Mountain View
Posted on: May 13, 2022

Job Description:

Position Summary

Making the future is everyday life at Samsung. We're seeking innovators who are called to not just change the world, but build a better one. We enable the best technology hardware on the planet, but our best is always a prototype for something better and our people thrive with a driven mindset - better builds on better. We believe that innovation and growth are driven by an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce. We aim to create a global team where everyone belongs and has equal opportunities, inspiring our talent to be their true selves. Together, we are building a better tomorrow for our customers, partners and communities.

The Samsung Product Innovation Team (PIT) is looking for a Senior Innovation Project Manager, New Category Creation. Samsung's Product Innovation Team (PIT) is a regional US innovation team supporting local sales & global R&D functions that identifies latent consumer needs and hidden gems that unlock big growth. Every day, the diverse team of engineers, designers and researchers, work together to dream up, incubate and test new-to-the-world ideas that tangibly improve users' lives.

Role and Responsibilities

Position Summary:

The Senior Innovation Project Manager, New Category Creation reports directly to the Director of New Concept Development.

This position will:

• Lead and manage new product category expansion innovation projects that unlock Samsung growth into new segments, new markets and new channels
• Develop new value propositions and define new category blueprints for home-related product categories that Samsung should enter, including market sizing and revenue potential
  Responsibilities:
  
  
  • Collaborate across Samsung's lines of business and R&D units to discover emerging product categories and experience opportunities based on changing and emerging consumer needs
  • Supervise, plan and manage new concept development projects to define new-to-the-world product and new features that can drive regional strategic priorities and near-term / mid-term revenue growth for Samsung
  • Work with both internal design & engineering teams and external innovation agencies to develop market-driven insights and new to the world product concepts
  • Identify new market, consumer and technology trends to generate compelling, actionable insights for the US market and diverse ideas that drive product development
  • Define and bring new concepts to life by through concept boards, engaging presentations, and thought-provoking experiences
  • Design and execute innovative research plans to generate insights and answer key stakeholder questions within a fast-paced timeline
  • Conduct rigorous concept testing and validation with consumer to quantify the impact of innovation with regards to purchase intent
  • Assess key competitor activity with respect to proposed innovations
  • Manage project schedule, budget and key stakeholder input to drive business results while advocating for creativity and innovative approaches
  • Write clear business justification, legal requirements, and manage vendor contracts during project planning to enroll innovation partner agencies
  • Facilitate communication between business units/product planning in Korea, regional sales teams in New Jersey to drive adoption of new concepts
  • Conduct secondary research on competitive and industry trends to inform innovation team leads, managing director of PIT and counterparts in Korea headquarters
  • Build sticky presentations to sell-in product concepts to business unites with creative assets, compelling narrative and coherent logic flow
  • Develop working-level relationships with internal research, design, engineering and product planning teams to influence product planning direction
  • Participate in trade shows, seminars and workshops related to home appliance products and lifecycle to develop proficiency in latest home appliance industry trends and dialogue
    Skills and Qualifications
    
    Education and Work Experience Requirements:
    
    
    • Minimum 8 years of experience in product design, research & development, product planning, consumer research or business management
    • Minimum Bachelor's Degree required in innovation related field such as engineering, product design, human factors, marketing, business, etc. Master's Degree or MBA preferred.
    • Experience with top design, innovation, or business consulting or market research firms preferred
    • Demonstrated experience in cross-functional innovation project management or leadership
    • Background in qualitative (ethnographic preferred) and quantitative consumer research required and considered "consumer obsessed"
    • Prior experience with innovation in consumer electronics or technology industry
    • Work experience in overseas branches or offices preferred, demonstrated cross-cultural work experience
      Skills:
      
      
      • Must have good networking and/or knowledge of best in class research firms and innovation agencies in the US (Familiarity with Silicon Valley / SF Bay Area preferred)
      • Demonstrated experience in innovation processes, design thinking, and/or design strategy
      • Must be willing to travel internationally and to regional headquarters in New Jersey
      • Requires frequent conference calls between overseas offices during evening hours
      • Champion for new innovation methodologies, willing to be advocate for innovation throughout the organization
      • Critical, creative and strategic thinking capability
      • High degree of ownership and independent self-management
      • Ability to manage and mentor junior team members
      • Learning mindset with ability to ask provocative questions that uncover new ideas
      • Demonstrated empathy for consumer needs, mindsets, and behaviors
      • Must be able to articulate functional and emotional requirements of design and product concepting
      • Must be able to work with creative and technical staff to identify required visualization assets for building final deliverables, including experiential prototype if applicable
      • Passion for lifestyle and home appliance products
      • Eye for design that can turn a "napkin sketch" into a more polished concept
      • Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative research by creating actionable frameworks
      • Ability to craft well-designed deliverables and documents in PowerPoint and Adobe CS
      • Good understanding of the new concept development process
      • Excellent writing and communication skills
      • Experience with top design, innovation, or business consulting or market research firms a plus
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Keywords: Samsung Electronics America, Mountain View , Senior Innovation Project Manager, New Category Creation, Executive , Mountain View, California