Advanced Development Leader - Rac

Midea America Corp., 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. In North America we strive to aim high, put the customer first, transform and innovate the marketplace, utilizing our commitment, dedication, inclusion, and partnership with our teams. Midea America is a subsidiary of the Midea Group, a global company with over 150,000 employees and operations in more than 195 countries. As a publicly listed company, Midea ranked #245 as a Fortune Global 500 company and offers one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry.

Job Summary

This new position will be responsible for coordinating advanced development R&D activities for both the Unitary & Ductless HVAC R&D team as well as the Retail AC R&D team. It will be a very strategic role within the organization. This person will work as a liaison between the various engineering teams to support new technology concepts, university research, and IP strategy/roadmap activities. The right candidate will focus on practical innovation, help scope, and manage projects, brainstorm new projects, and other advanced development items to grow the business and improve our products. This is a full-time position.

Some domestic and international travel is required.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Assis the product planning and research team with items related to advanced development/innovation/new concepts.
• Manage dotted line reporting relationships regarding all advanced development projects and pipeline across multiple teams.
• Strong communication and organization skills related to product design and project management.
• Can lead complex research projects and mentor engineers regarding project/program management, risk assessment, etc.
• Be an internal advocate to help drive innovation and integrate into our product plans.
• Participate in weekly R&D calls with international design team – following up on action items, etc.
• Be a self-starter regarding a proactive approach to innovative ideas, developing plans to establish proof of concepts, pushing for those to be integrated into product plans, etc.
• Lead the IP process for all RAC related items – including evaluation, competitive monitoring, infringement searches, and internal approvals/reviews.
• Collaborate with international R&D team regarding product design, problem-solving, and new concept development as related to technical and application-related solutions.
• Must be creative and not afraid to take risks.
• Assist with competitive evaluations and analyses as related to advanced development concepts and innovation.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in Mechanical Engineering
• A proven leader with the ability to influence others at all levels within the organization.
• 10+ years of sealed system or HVAC design experience
• Knowledgeable and experience with managing, reading, interpreting patents.
• Goal-oriented & self-managed
• Strong people skills with the ability to communicate with technical teams.
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong critical thinking skills and ability to organize/execute a strategy.
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative team environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• History of working with global colleagues
• Master’s degree in engineering or MBA