Director, PepsiCo Product Design

The Director, Product Design, is responsible for the management and execution of comprehensive product design and structural packaging projects within PepsiCo. Successful candidates will demonstrate superior ability to drive, from ideation to execution, quality design practice applied to three-dimensional products, managing in the best way the whole design and development process. Their work will be a mix of internal execution and collaboration with external partners. Successful candidates possess outstanding technical knowledge, aesthetics sensibility, design skills in form-exploration, physical problem-solving and visual communication.

Responsibilities include:

Plans, recommends, and completes major product design programs leading to innovative solutions having significant impact on the business/staff organization. Advances and utilizes knowledge of technical, design, product, and market information. Consistently applies that knowledge to produce innovative product design solutions. Maintains a flow of major technical and design contributions (e.g. experience design, material/product/process innovations).

Creates commercial advantage through activities in one or more of the following areas: (a) developing innovative product design solutions to create business value for PepsiCo and its brands; (b) applying new technologies or new design or brand principles in innovative product/process concepts; (c) taking initiative to develop new products; (d) providing significant product support to clients and/or customers to expand opportunities,

Product Development: Generates creative design proposals (visions, scenarios, products) in order to visualize the desired output and share it with internal and external team members. Lead research activities, identify and map unique opportunities, and effectively translates customer needs into actionable design requirements. Translates the requirements identified into real product design proposals, leveraging an extraordinary ability to explore different design solutions and further develop them in 3D. Works comfortably with the engineering function and proactively produces solutions that take into account manufacturability and feasibility. Responsible for driving to final design recommendations, decisions and design approval to enable execution / production phases. Ensure thorough consideration of all project variables and that the final solution (product, service) will perform as planned.

Design Project Management: Responsible for partnering across disciplines within PepsiCo and external suppliers to ensure design assets are developed and delivered with quality, value, and on-time. Energizes and leads both the internal business and R&D team and external design resources from idea phase to commercialization. Ensures each stakeholder understands his/her role and responsibilities throughout the creative process. Regularly reviews the status of projects with appropriate leadership to verify that Company and Division expectations are met.

Identifies and promotes self-initiated design programs that generate critical business value for one or more divisions.

Supports the PepsiCo Design Organization in building and cultivating a strong external design network.

Qualifications:

10+ years of deep product design and production experience (preferably in a global and matrixed environment, and cross industry experience)

Prior team leadership experience

Undergraduate degree in Design

Strong design and development process

Extraordinary knowledge of 3D modeling and rendering

Extraordinary form-factor exploration, great sketching ability and modeling skills

Deep understanding of engineering processes and product manufacturability

Good communicator that is able to present their ideas clearly and with conviction

Excellent, creative problem solving

Strong conceptual designing skills

Excellent presentation skills across all levels

Taking an idea beyond theory and analysis into execution

Ability to work in an ambiguous and dynamic work environment; comfortable handling risk and uncertainty

Informal influencing at senior levels in the organization across sectors and functions

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin,

protected veteran status, or disability status.

PepsiCo is an equal opportunity employer Minorities/Females/People with Disabilities/Protected Veterans/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity.

If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the available EEO is the Law (