About
Nigel Wright Group is supporting Dimplex with this search.
For over 75 years, Dimplex has been the trusted name for electric heating. Today, we remain the market leader in the creation and manufacture of energy efficient electric heating appliances and systems with a portfolio of more than 700 products. Our experience and expertise is matched by a deep rooted and continuous investment in new ideas, modern design, and ongoing innovation to deliver market defining heating and air treatment. We also work closely with industry groups and the government to consult on energy use in order to help shape all our futures.
Purpose
This role is primarily responsible for the delivery of all new domestic portable heating and air quality appliances to the business, as part of an engaged and high performing Portables Business Unit, committed to creating sustainable, innovative, and value customer propositions.
The Portables Technical Product manager will lead the delivery of outsourced design, development and manufacturing, and release into high volume manufacture the agreed roadmap of portable heating and air quality consumer appliances. Working with procurement to lead the selection and management of third-party suppliers, best able to manage full product lifecycle design, development, validation, certification, and manufacture.
Activities are against the requirements of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process, the company operating procedures, and European and UK regulatory standards. The job holder is responsible for delivering all activity meaningfully, using their expertise and knowledge and always striving for a best-in-class approach.
Key Responsibilities
- Working with Category Director define clear requirement specifications for suppliers in line with customer proposition and category strategy.
- Deliver products with range thinking – minimising complexity, whilst achieving company sustainability and durability targets. Create and develop design brand language for the Portables Category.
- Collaborate with external suppliers on the design, development, certification, and manufacturing of the products to overcome all technical challenges and issues with appropriate resources to meet project targets.
- Lead external supplier selection, in collaboration with Procurement, Quality and the Portable BU Quality and Audit Manager.
- Manage all NPI through the NPI Process and provide business case rationale to support the selection of ODM / off the shelf supply or third-party OEM originated designs, with Glen Dimplex IP in place.
- Lead the OEM and ODM suppliers customised mechanical aspects of product design – structural, materials, mechanisms, wiring routing, etc. and agree the investment as part of the NPI business case for approval.
- Oversee and approve design calculations (e.g. structural FEA and thermal analysis, CFD), material, and equipment specification and selection, as required.
- Interpret requirements and prepare concise engineering specifications for design. Oversee and resolve any technical issues with designs or engineering specifications as required – calling for support when needed.
- Facilitate engineering change requests, and support supplier change control and release management.
- Support all new product launches and the Sales, Marketing and Customer Experience teams with any ongoing technical queries.
- Lead the resolution of quality or manufacturing challenges, supported by Procurement, Quality and the Portable BU Quality and Audit Manager.
- Liaise with Supplier Compliance teams and certification agencies to ensure product designs conform to all required regulations and standards. Liaising with internal R&D compliance areas for clarification as required.
- Keep up to date with changes to applicable global legislation.
- Lead by example – be a role model leader.
- Develop and maintain constructive relationships with colleagues.
- Build a strong understanding of customers and markets and be a champion of group values across all areas in the ongoing pursuit of customer satisfaction on time in full.
Experience Required
- Strong understanding of core design principles in relevant technology and competence centre fields to fulfil the requirement of the role.
- Strong background in product design, quality approval and certification in a technical/engineering/manufacturing discipline, and experience of working for a format NPI stage and gate process.
- Strong background in successfully delivering new products to market.
- Awareness of effective planning and implementation of design activity.
- Strong analytical and critical reasoning skills, problem solving and root cause analysis, and implementation of solutions.
- Team player with excellent verbal and written communication and networking skills with strong drive, initiative, and self-motivation, able to interface with all parts of the business internally and externally.
- Ability to balance competing priorities and drive issues to completion, working to strict deadline and under pressure.
- Awareness of markets and customers.
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to assimilate and manage information and ask questions to ensure information correct.