Vice President- Design & Advanced Development
Company: SharkNinja
Location: Needham
Posted on: May 6, 2025
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Job Description:
About Us -
SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company, with
a diversified portfolio of 5-star rated lifestyle solutions that
positively impact people's lives in homes around the world. Powered
by two trusted, global brands, Shark and Ninja, the company has a
proven track record of bringing disruptive innovation to market,
and developing one consumer product after another has allowed
SharkNinja to enter multiple product categories, driving
significant growth and market share gains. Headquartered in
Needham, Massachusetts with more than 3,300+ associates, the
company's products are sold at key retailers, online and offline,
and through distributors around the world. - -
About the Role
At SharkNinja, we are redefining how products improve everyday
life-and our Vice President (VP) of Design & Advanced Development
sits at the very heart of that ambition. We're seeking a creative
leader and future thinker to head up our global Front-End
Innovation team: a passionate, hands-on group of design
storytellers, engineers, and inventors who bring breakthrough
product ideas to life.
This isn't just a design leadership role-it's about leading the
spark behind SharkNinja's next generation of iconic products.
You'll be the creative catalyst shaping what's next, helping teams
turn blue-sky thinking into tangible, consumer-loved innovations
that define categories. Your team will shape the early concept
architecture that eventually fuels mass production through our NPD
(New Product Development) pipeline.
The ideal candidate is a designer at heart, with deep engineering
and design credentials, a natural flair for storytelling, and a
relentless passion for solving consumer problems in inventive,
inspiring ways.
What You'll Do
- 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.
What You'll Bring
- 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.
- 15+ 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.
Why This Role Matters
This role is more than just product design-it's about shaping our future. You will lead a team of makers, storytellers, and engineers to uncover what's next, spark new possibilities, and turn compelling ideas into category-changing products. -If you're obsessed with invention, fueled by creativity, and ready to lead a team that lives at the edge of what's possible-this is your moment.
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Our Culture
At SharkNinja, we don't just raise the bar-we push past it every single day. -Our Outrageously Extraordinary mindset drives us to tackle the impossible, push boundaries, and deliver results that others only dream of. If you thrive on breaking out of your swim lane, you'll be right at home.
What We Offer
We offer competitive health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, employee stock purchase options, wellness programs, SharkNinja product discounts, and more. -We empower your personal and professional growth with high impact Learning Programs featuring bold voices redefining what's possible. When you join, you're not just part of a company-you're part of an outrageously extraordinary community. Together, we won't just launch products-we'll disrupt entire markets. - -
At SharkNinja, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vital to our global success. Valuing each unique voice and blending all of our diverse skills strengthens SharkNinja's innovation every day. We support ALL associates in bringing their authentic selves to work, making an impact, and having the opportunity for career acceleration. With help from our leadership, associates, and our community, we aim to have equity be a key component of the SharkNinja DNA. -
Learn more about us: - -
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SharkNinja's Candidate Privacy Notice can be found here: - -
For candidates based in China, please visit:
For candidates based in Vietnam, please visit:
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We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other class protected by legislation, and local law. SharkNinja will consider reasonable accommodations consistent with legislation, and local law. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact SharkNinja People & Culture at -
Keywords: SharkNinja, West Hartford , Vice President- Design & Advanced Development, Executive , Needham, Connecticut
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