Newell Brands - Sandy Springs, GA
posted 3 months ago
Newell Brands is a leading consumer products company with a strong portfolio of iconic brands such as Graco®, Coleman®, Oster®, Rubbermaid®, and Sharpie®. The R&D Manager will play a pivotal role in leading front-end innovation and product sustaining efforts for the Writing business unit. This position requires operating within a cross-functional team to ensure that the product innovation funnel meets consumer needs while adhering to a structured stage-gate process. The R&D Manager will champion engineering efforts from initial ideation through to final product launch, collaborating closely with Marketing, Industrial Design, and Consumer Insights to develop technology roadmaps that align with brand strategies. In this role, the R&D Manager will negotiate with Brand Development, Sourcing, and Supply Chain organizations to balance the needs of new product development (NPD), productivity, and product sustaining, ensuring optimal business outcomes. The manager will incorporate consumer and market insights to drive innovation and project execution, collaborating with support organizations to develop program Profit and Loss (P&L) and key drivers to meet established objectives regarding time, costs, and quality. A foundational understanding of product specifications, material selection, manufacturing processes, cost constraints, and the regulatory landscape is essential to drive high-quality, sustainable, and efficient new product development. The R&D Manager will also influence department budget development to ensure an appropriate balance of resources across projects, demonstrating an expert level of understanding of manufacturing processes and technologies. Monthly innovation funnel meetings will be facilitated to encourage a culture of curiosity and problem-solving, with a systematic approach to root-cause analysis and solution implementation. The manager will develop and manage the implementation of emerging and disruptive technologies to meet program objectives and will be responsible for preparing Invention Disclosure Forms to provide counsel on Intellectual Property (IP). Leading cross-functional workshops and design studies will be key to generating and evaluating concepts for feasibility and business alignment, while also being open to input from a diverse creative team.