Job ID: 11975
About Newell Brands: Newell Brands is a leading consumer products company renowned for its iconic brands such as Graco®, Coleman®, Oster®, Rubbermaid®, Sharpie®, and Yankee Candle®. With a global team of 24,000 talented individuals, our company culture is grounded in values like Integrity, Teamwork, Passion for Winning, Ownership, and Leadership. We strive for a collaborative environment where everyone can thrive and make a significant impact.
The Senior Manager, Robotics Engineering and AI Strategy will play a pivotal role in leading the strategy, roadmap, and implementation of general-purpose and humanoid robotic solutions across our organization. This position is crucial for identifying and evaluating robotics use cases that can significantly enhance safety, productivity, quality, and cost efficiency in our manufacturing and distribution processes, as well as within corporate environments. Although deep technical engineering will be supported by external partners, you will be the key owner of the robotics portfolio, ensuring successful large-scale deployment and serving as the primary liaison among business, IT, and vendor teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategy & Roadmap Development: Create and sustain a multi-year roadmap for general-purpose and humanoid robotics initiatives across various locations, including plants, warehouses, and offices.
- Initiatives Alignment: Translate business objectives into a prioritized list of robotics initiatives geared toward safety, operational excellence, and financial targets.
- Market Insights: Stay updated on the latest robotics and automation trends to identify promising capabilities and partners.
Solution Design & Use Case Definition
- Workshops Leadership: Conduct cross-functional workshops to discover and refine potential robotics use cases, specifically focusing on humanoid and general-purpose applications.
- Requirements Definition: Collaborate with engineering, IT, safety, and operations to establish functional requirements and solution architectures for robotics deployments.
- Scalable Solutions: Ensure that solutions are built with scalability, reliability, and maintenance in mind, utilizing modular platforms and industry standards.
Deployment & Program Delivery
- Lifecycle Ownership: Manage the full deployment lifecycle of robotics initiatives, from concept development and pilot phases to scaling and ongoing operations.
- Site Readiness Coordination: Organize site readiness, infrastructure setup, safety reviews, and change management necessary for successful robot deployment.
- Performance Monitoring: Establish KPIs and continuously track the benefits of each deployment to drive ongoing improvement.
External Partner & Vendor Management
- Relationship Management: Act as the primary point of contact for robotics OEMs, system integrators, and technology partners.
- Scope Oversight: Manage scopes of work, delivery timelines, and quality standards to align with internal requirements.
- Collaboration: Work with Procurement, Legal, and IT on vendor selection and ongoing performance management.
AI Enablement & Data Integration
- Enterprise Integration: Collaborate with data and IT teams to ensure robotics solutions are integrated into enterprise systems.
- AI Capabilities Application: Guide the implementation of AI features to enhance robot performance and autonomy.
- Data Monitoring: Promote standardized practices for data collection and reporting from robotics systems.
Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management
- Leadership Engagement: Align with plant leadership and teams to ensure successful adoption of robotics initiatives.
- Training and Communication: Develop plans to ensure staff understand and collaborate with robotic systems effectively.
- Safety Advocacy: Foster a culture of safety and innovation, addressing concerns and showcasing the benefits of robotics.
Governance, Standards & Risk Management
- Standards Definition: Establish and enforce standards for robotics deployments, addressing safety and compliance requirements.
- Compliance Partnership: Collaborate with EHS, Security, and IT to ensure regulatory compliance for robotics.
- Risk Management: Identify and manage risks related to robotics deployments, including operational disruptions and technology obsolescence.
Team Leadership
- Team Development: Manage and cultivate a team of robotics program managers and engineers focused on integration and deployment.
- Collaboration Promotion: Encourage teamwork across engineering, IT, operations, and HR for workforce transformation.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
- 8+ years experience in industrial automation or related fields, including at least 3-5 years in a leadership or program ownership capacity.
- Proven experience deploying robotics solutions in manufacturing or logistics contexts.
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