Manager Innovation & Design

ABOUT US

tms unites technology, marketing, and sourcing to drive transformational change for the world’s leading brands. With 1,200+ employees across 26 countries, we offer an impressive range of solutions – from inspiration and innovation to category management and delivery. 
Operating as a creative agency, a strategic consultancy, a sourcing business, and a technology provider, we engage with over 110 million customers every single day for our clients, including Starbucks, T-Mobile, O2, McDonald’s, and adidas.
Most importantly, we're a place where you can achieve great things, and be recognized as the best.

WHAT MATTERS THE MOST

Breakthrough, business-driving ideas come from extraordinary people with the freedom to be their most authentic selves at work. Authenticity and diversity are critical elements of our business. They can only be realized when we create access and equity for all. We foster a culture of inclusion and belonging and aspire to be ever-evolving.
tms is a place where brilliant people are better together. If you want your ideas to be heard and to contribute to a culture of inclusion and authenticity, bring us your voice! Visit us at tmsw.com. 

WHY WE THINK YOU WILL LOVE THIS ROLE 

Manager Innovation & Design will sit within our Global Merchandise Services (GMS) team. GMS helps brands bring their fan communities products that unleash badge-wearing potential, so the people who love them most can love them even more.
Through reimagining products and merchandise, designing innovative industry-leading solutions, and developing in-demand products, we spark an emotion connection with customers and have a lasting impact on people, business, and the planet. We want you to be part of it! 

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are looking for a Manger, Innovation & Design who can turn deep market and user insights into category-defining product experiences. You will lead an industrial design team to deliver visually iconic, commercially successful products in drinkware/lifestyle competitive landscape. The role demands a rare blend of strategic vision, product/industrial-design excellence, and program-management rigor.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO THE ORGANIZATION 
Innovation & Product Strategy 
•    Lead yearly mega innovation & agile innovation for CAP (China, Asia Pacific) key markets.
•    Conduct systematic market, competitive, and consumer segmentation analysis to uncover NPD innovation opportunities.
•    Identify emerging consumer needs, technology enablers, foresee on-trends design and opportunities in CAP markets; translate them into 3-year product roadmaps with clear milestones, resource allocations, and risk mitigation plans.
•    Own the innovation funnel: opportunity framing, concept validation with key stakeholders including NPD/PD, clear product definition and innovative ideas for new product development.
•    Define differentiated positioning, value propositions, and enhance life cycle management for each target segments/products.
Industrial Design Leadership
•    Lead platform-based design strategy for drinkware, creating scalable product families that maximize component reuse, tooling efficiency, and brand consistency.
•    Set the creative vision and ensure ID team delivers a distinct product design, usability signature, and brand narrative for LTO/Core promotions.
•    Optimize the design process and ensure sufficient communications across different teams i.e. Engineering/PD/BD/MM.
•    Maintain and evolve the company’s design language library (form factors, lid architectures, surface details).
Program & Stakeholder Management
•    Build and manage integrated schedules, resource plans, tech feasibility for yearly innovation and ensure final project roll-out
•    Present innovative directions and design solutions to CAP key customers; secure customer’s trust in professional expertise
Talent & Process Development
•    Recruit, mentor and retain talented industrial designers; foster a culture of curiosity, critique, and data-driven iteration
•    Continuously refine design-thinking workflows, 3D modelling, rendering/prototyping capabilities, and KPIs (Time to market, platform synergy)

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO HAVE 
•    Bachelor’s degree required in Industrial Design, Product Design, or a related field.
•    7 years+ of product design/product innovation experiences, minimum 2 years+ leading design/product development team
•    Proven ability and track record of new product innovation in consumer industry
•    Excellent stakeholder presentation skills

And we’d love you to have…  
•    Strong communication skills 
•    Passionate about product creativity and design
Any of the following would be a plus 
•    Master’s degree (MBA, or equivalent)
•    To-B industry experiences 
•    Expert command of design tools (Rhino, Creo/SolidWorks, KeyShot, Adobe CC)