Job Title

Midea is one of the world's largest home appliance brands, offering the most comprehensive selection of products in the world to fully serve the needs of day-to-day living at home, at work, or anywhere else you go.To continue to strengthen its base and support its growth in the US, Midea Laundry Appliances division (LAD) is expanding its Product Planning and Innovation capabilities. To lead this effort, Midea's LAD has opened a new position as R&D Innovation Leader & Product Planner at the Midea America Research Center (MARC) in Louisville, KY.The R&D Innovation Leader & Product Planner will be responsible for the direction of the following products:Clothes Washers Top Loading and Front LoadingClothes Dryers both Electric and GasPortable Clothes WashersCombination Washer/DryersThe full job description covers all associated skills, previous experience, and any qualifications that applicants are expected to have.As a key member of the R&D Leadership Team in the US, this role will be participating in the decision-making of major R&D Laundry programs, fueling innovation pipelines, and systematically solving key consumer pain points and coordinating global activities to enhance Midea's portfolio of Laundry product offerings.Domestic and International travel will be required.Essential Job Responsibilities· Collaborate with R&D Leadership, Marketing, Consumer insights, Industrial design, Sales and Quality in developing and maintaining multi-generational technical innovation roadmap for US LAD Division.· Collaborate with R&D experts, technical leadership and cross functional with an entrepreneurial and futurologist mindset and global strategy in formulating multi-generational platform planning for Washers and Dryers for North America.· Feeds overall picture of Technical Trends for North American Laundry products for team.· Responsible for Innovation process for MARC Laundry team in developing new technology, through leading innovation sessions, using both common and new techniques of innovation. Use guest speakers and experts, when necessary, with the objectives of leading cutting edge research projects and breakthroughs.· Developing and maintaining tracking lists of all innovation both internal and external resources (Midea ATC) for use to track projects from idea generation to proof of feasibility.· Develop and coordinate integration of MARC innovation projects into technical roadmap and LAD product plan.· Will systematically focus on meaningful consumer pain points of the laundry experience while researching for disruptive technologies with simple solutions to improve laundry experience.· Will work closely with other Consumer Insights, Quality, Product Management, Service, Sales, and Marketing to ensure Midea products are meeting consumer and customer needs.· Build and establish external research and technology partnerships with agencies, academia, institutes, suppliers, and innovators to fuel the R&D programs and pipelines for the LAD business.· Focus on data to guide product planning through close collaboration with consumer insights in research projects, while also reviewing quality and service data as input to multi-generational laundry products.· Understanding and tracking OBM, OEM and global project schedules for laundry products.· Provide strategic advice and decision making to LAD Division for the product development in the US.Qualifications· 5-8 years in technical Project Management in Research and Development and or Innovation experience in technology, home appliance, Ecommerce, or related industry.· Mechanical Engineering Bachelor's degree or equivalent discipline, Master's preferred.· Domestic and international experience and multi-cultural mindset.· Experience working with remote product development teams.· Proven experience of translating consumer pain points into product innovation.· Successful execution of complex projects.· Experience in team management, talent development, and strong coaching skills.· Excellent communication, motivation, and coordination skills.· Goal-oriented and self-managed personality with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.· Strong problem solving and risk management skills.Midea America Corp. is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.