Requisition ID: 65069
ABOUT WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading kitchen and laundry appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home and inspiring generations with our brands. The company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2023, the company reported approximately $19 billion in annual sales, 59,000 employees, and 55 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.
This role in summary
Whirlpool is currently seeking qualified candidates for an Innovation Program Manager Kitchen. This role is for our Benton Harbor, MI location.
As the Innovation Program Manager, your primary responsibility will be to define, manage, and execute the strategic innovation roadmap for the kitchen category (cooking and refrigeration). You will lead cross-functional teams across Marketing, Design, and Engineering to deliver breakthrough innovation projects from concept to implementation. This includes navigating through desirability, feasibility, and viability phases, ensuring alignment with business goals and driving successful project execution.
Your responsibilities will include
- Strategic Leadership: Own and manage the innovation agenda for kitchen products (refrigeration and/or cooking), overseeing the innovation portfolio and ensuring projects are strategically aligned across the organization.
- Project Management: Lead innovation projects from initial concept (Pre-A0 to A2) through Whirlpool’s advanced process, ensuring continuous input from both internal and external stakeholders. Translate business needs into actionable technical solutions.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Coordinate cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Design, Consumer Insights, and Engineering, to navigate through desirability, feasibility, and scalability phases of innovation development. Work closely with Strategic Planning to shape future product strategies.
- Agile Methodologies: Plan and execute design sprints using design thinking, agile, and lean-startup methodologies. Manage project budgets, track progress against KPIs, and report key outcomes to executive leadership.
- Communication and Coordination: Serve as the central communication point between the project team and key stakeholders, ensuring clarity and alignment at every stage of the project lifecycle.
- Performance Management: Ensure projects are completed on time, within budget, and meet all performance, quality, and cost targets. Drive decision-making related to trade-offs between design, cost, quality, and timelines, maximizing the value of the innovation under development.
- Fluency in English (both written and spoken)
Minimum requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering
- 3+ years of product and technical domain knowledge in kitchen appliances
- 4+ years of experience in product or innovation development
Preferred skills and experiences
- MBA or equivalent advanced degree
- PMP (Project Management Professional) certification
- Agile Certification
- System Engineering Certification
- Operational Excellence or Six Sigma Certification
- Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills
Additional information
Whirlpool’s Ways of Working
Our goal is to provide an environment that helps you bring your best to Whirlpool every day. We apply ‘always on’ flexibility to all work days. You will have the autonomy to manage personal, family, and outside-of-work commitments as needed. Employees in this role work in person Monday through Thursday with the option to work from anywhere on Friday.
We offer other flexibility and industry-leading time-off benefits that will help you balance what’s important at work and at home, including:
- Flexible Friday: Option to work extra hours Monday through Thursday to finish up work early on Friday.
- Two-Week Work from Anywhere: Minimum of one-week increments for a total of two weeks per year.
- Sabbatical: Four weeks paid leave after every five years of service.
Connect with us and learn more about Whirlpool Corporation
See what it's like to work at Whirlpool by visiting Whirlpool Careers. Additional information about the company can be found on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
At Whirlpool Corporation, we value and celebrate diversity. Whirlpool Corporation is committed to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable law.
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