Director, Technical Innovation

For over 30 years CamelBak has been an industry leader providing world-class quality products and experiences for the active outdoor consumer.

CamelBak is a safe, supportive, and collaborative environment where we all move the ball forward. We are passionate about improving the outdoor experience through hydration; striving to make the planet a better place for all of its inhabitants through our work in sustainability and clean water access.

CamelBak has been recognized as one of the "Best Places to Work" by Outside Magazine. Not only do employees enjoy a casual, active lifestyle when off the clock, we promote a casual, supportive, team-oriented work environment while on the job. You won't see any stuffy suits and ties at our headquarters.

We are looking for dynamic individuals who are motivated, passionate, adaptable, and creative team players. We recognizes that the right people will enable us to continue our success.

Position Summary:

The Director of Technical Innovation role is a key position in the growth and development of CamelBak. They will be responsible for leading both engineering and innovation efforts for the company. The role is both strategic and hands on so it will require an ability to ensure support and development of the team at the individual & project level to drive holistic success as well as to engage at a leadership level to drive Technical Innovation (with senior leadership).

Position Responsibilities 

· Main responsibility categories include areas of technical leadership, team management, technical expertise and innovation

· Strong communication skills with the ability to present/communicate at all levels within the Company, including to the Company Board and prospective customers

· Leadership and management of the Technical Innovation group at CamelBak (Product Engineering, Innovation)

· Align CamelBak’s Product Engineering organization (Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Laboratory & Materials Engineering) with the company’s forward-looking business model, optimizing resources, providing leadership and support to the teams, and building the organization

· Leadership and subject matter expertise to guide early stages of product development through to implementation stages of production and beyond

· Effectively lead the innovation process- from ideation, development, and implementation of new technologies, materials, and functionality in support of overall product and brand strategies with both current (Product Engineering) and future resources (Innovation)

· Where appropriate identify and establish partnership with select technology providers and existing suppliers to complement internal development of product design and technologies 

· Work collaboratively with Product Management and Insights groups to develop proper research protocols to help guide the development of new products and technologies

· Drive standards and processes as a thought leader to improve delivery methodologies, systems, and efficiency across various business lines of products and product development

· Champion a team environment amongst different disciplines and locations to meet project and team goals

· Foster individual ownership of project tasks/delivery of the technical teams and leaders of those teams, assisting where required to ensure project success

· Identify and mitigate potential risks while proactively seeking new opportunities

· Lead the Technical team ensuring the proper execution of existing Stage Gate development processes

· Ensures projects progress against the product roadmap and launch timing by leading diverse project teams through the project lifecycle

· Plan, develop and implement team initiatives, metrics and goals with an eye towards improved speed to market and design acceptance with an eye towards continued improvement

· Formulate research and product development projects with a focus on innovation, quality, safety, effectiveness and profitability

· Plan, prioritize, accurately resource and budget all technical activities in support of the annual business plan

· Work collaboratively with Product Management and other cross-functional groups to develop new product plans and strategies for innovation

· Work with Operations and QA (including suppliers/partners) to ensure new products are of the highest quality and readily manufacturable

· Ensure resource capacity through appropriate staffing level practices

· Manage CamelBak’s Technical Innovation team (5 members + future expansion) in prioritizing and executing strategic new product initiatives.

· Drive complex projects to successful completion in a timely manner

· Extensive knowledge and understanding of Product Development technologies and strategies

· Knowledge of innovation process and ability to implement at a leadership level to ensure success

· Working knowledge of applicable federal and state consumer product regulations

Qualifications/experience:

· Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Science or Engineering with equivalent work experience in both innovation and technical categories

· Master’s Degree in related field preferred

· 5 + years working with plastics

· 5+ years working in an environment with hard/soft goods

· 10+ years related experience in research and development with minimum five (5) years in a Product Development management role with responsibility for multiple departments (ideally including engineering, manufacturing and innovation).

· Demonstrated history of business success across multiple departments including engineering and innovation

· Proven ability of engineering technical leadership as a team orientated leader 

· Proven ability to engage with senior leadership and equally support growth of the department/team

· Prior budget responsibility in a senior leadership Engineering role

We offer a highly competitive salary, comprehensive benefits including: medical and dental, vision, disability and life insurance, 401K, PTO, tuition reimbursement, gear discounts and the ability to add value to an exciting mission!

Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veteran/Disabled

 👉 Please reference you found the job on GetOutdoorJobs.com, this helps us get more companies to post outdoor industry jobs here, thanks!