Senior Director of Design – Advanced Development
SharkNinja
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Remote
Location: Massachusetts • United States
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Salary
💰 $188,400 - $265,000 per year
Job Level
About the role
- Lead SharkNinja’s Front-End Innovation team, responsible for driving concept creation, design storytelling, and early platform exploration across all product categories.
- Inspire a team of Industrial Designers and Product Design Engineers to generate physical and visual prototypes that sell ideas and excite cross-functional partners and senior executives.
- Be a design storyteller—capable of pitching future-focused concepts in a way that connects emotionally and drives alignment across the business.
- Champion a studio culture that blends hands-on making, iterative sketching, advanced prototyping, and bold thinking grounded in technical feasibility.
- Partner with Mechanical Engineering, R&D, Product Development, and Product Marketing to ensure early concepts are rooted in a strong, scalable product strategy.
- Integrate deep knowledge of materials, manufacturing methods (e.g., plastic injection molding, die casting, sheet metal), and DFM/DFA to ensure ideas are not just exciting—but achievable.
- Bring context and imagination to every phase of development, combining user insights, trend forecasting, and emerging technologies to shape future design visions.
- Cultivate a high-energy environment where curiosity, creativity, and invention are celebrated and continuously pushed forward.
- Maintain a consumer-obsessed mindset, with a focus on developing products that change behaviors, exceed expectations, and lead markets.
Requirements
- A degree in Product Design Engineering, Industrial Design, or a related field that blends design and engineering. A PDE background is highly valued for its unique balance of technical rigor and creative thinking.
- 10+ years of experience in product design and innovation, ideally in high-volume consumer goods environments.
- A rich portfolio of category-defining consumer products that demonstrate design excellence, storytelling, and successful commercialization.
- Proven leadership in building and developing creative teams—mentoring talent, championing new voices, and fostering collaboration across disciplines.
- An ability to lead with vision and conviction while remaining hands-on, detail-oriented, and deeply engaged in the creative process.
- A natural presenter and communicator, with the charisma and clarity to sell ideas across all levels of the organization—from engineers to executives.
- Strong technical foundation in high-volume manufacturing and an appreciation for the intersection of creativity and feasibility.
- A love for "making"—whether sketching, building, modeling, or hacking together ideas to inspire others.
- Bold thinking, grounded in insight, empathy, and a deep understanding of consumer behavior.
- A proficiency in SolidWorks or Creo, KeyShot, and Adobe Suite.
Benefits
- medical insurance
- dental insurance
- vision insurance
- flexible spending accounts
- health savings accounts (HSA) with company contribution
- 401(k) retirement plan with matching
- employee stock purchase program
- life insurance
- AD&D
- short-term disability insurance
- long-term disability insurance
- generous paid time off
- company holidays
- parental leave
- identity theft protection
- pet insurance
- pre-paid legal insurance
- back-up child and eldercare days
- product discounts
- referral bonus program
- and more.
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
product designinnovationhigh-volume manufacturingdesign storytellingprototypingmaterials knowledgemanufacturing methodsDFMDFAconsumer behavior
Soft Skills
leadershipmentoringcollaborationcommunicationcreativitydetail-orientedvisionary thinkingempathycuriosityinspiration