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POSITION OVERVIEW

At AC Infinity, we're looking for an experienced Director of Global Product Development to lead complex consumer-product development programs across our U.S. and international product, engineering, software, firmware, manufacturing, and operations teams. This position will play a key leadership role in strengthening cross-functional execution, improving communication across international teams, establishing scalable product-development processes, and ensuring that product concepts are successfully translated into technically sound, manufacturable, and commercially successful products. AC Infinity develops connected consumer products that combine hardware, electronics, sensors, intelligent controls, firmware, software applications, and environmental-control technologies. The Director of Global Product Development will help ensure these disciplines work together effectively throughout the complete product-development lifecycle. The ideal candidate combines strong leadership and project-execution skills with a practical understanding of hardware, firmware, software, and manufacturing. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can identify development risks early, drive decisions across multiple disciplines, establish accountability, and guide products from initial concept through mass production and continued improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Development Leadership Lead cross-functional product-development programs from initial concept and requirements through engineering development, validation, mass production, launch, and post-launch improvement. Establish clear project ownership, milestones, deliverables, timelines, responsibilities, and escalation processes. Ensure product requirements and intended customer experiences are clearly translated into actionable technical and engineering requirements. Lead product-development and technical reviews to identify risks, blockers, feasibility concerns, dependencies, and required decisions. Drive resolution when product requirements, engineering limitations, cost, quality, resources, manufacturing capabilities, and schedules are not aligned. Identify development risks early and ensure appropriate corrective actions are assigned and completed. Ensure engineering solutions maintain the intended functionality, performance, quality, and customer experience of the product. Maintain visibility into overall product-development schedules and ensure critical dependencies between teams are identified and managed. Cross-Functional and Global Program Management Coordinate effectively across Product Management, Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Firmware, Software, Manufacturing, Sourcing, Quality, and Operations. Improve communication and execution between U.S.-based and international product-development and engineering teams. Establish effective communication practices across geographically distributed teams, time zones, and cultures. Ensure cross-functional teams understand project priorities, responsibilities, dependencies, deadlines, and required decisions. Reduce development delays, late-stage design changes, misunderstandings, and unnecessary engineering rework. Facilitate resolution of disagreements or competing priorities between product, engineering, manufacturing, and business teams. Provide senior leadership with clear visibility into project status, schedules, risks, resources, dependencies, and major decisions. Escalate significant product-development risks and resource constraints to senior leadership when necessary. Product Development Process and Execution Develop, implement, and continuously improve standardized product-development processes, documentation, and stage-gate procedures. Establish consistent expectations for product requirements, technical reviews, engineering validation, design changes, production readiness, and project documentation. Improve planning and execution throughout EVT, DVT, PVT, pilot production, mass production, and post-launch improvement stages. Establish methods for identifying and resolving product-development issues earlier in the development cycle. Develop project reporting and tracking systems that provide accurate visibility into schedules, ownership, deliverables, risks, and outstanding decisions. Review existing development processes and identify opportunities to improve speed, accountability, quality, and cross-functional coordination. Ensure lessons learned from completed projects are incorporated into future development processes. Technical and Manufacturing Coordination Work directly with engineering teams to understand technical challenges involving mechanical systems, electronics, firmware, embedded systems, sensors, wireless connectivity, software applications, and related technologies. Participate effectively in technical discussions and challenge assumptions, timelines, requirements, and proposed solutions when appropriate. Work with manufacturing teams, factories, contract manufacturers, suppliers, and engineering partners to support product development and production readiness. Support engineering validation builds, pilot production, manufacturing transitions, and mass-production readiness. Identify potential manufacturability, quality, cost, sourcing, or production risks during development. Ensure manufacturing considerations are incorporated early enough in the development process to reduce late-stage changes and production delays. Coordinate resolution of technical and manufacturing issues discovered during validation, pilot production, and mass production. Team Leadership and Development Establish stronger accountability and performance standards within Product Development and Project Management functions. Coach and develop Product Managers, Project Managers, Program Managers, and other product-development team members into stronger cross-functional leaders. Establish clear expectations regarding project ownership, communication, documentation, escalation, and execution. Help team members improve their ability to identify risks, resolve blockers, manage priorities, and drive cross-functional decisions. Promote a culture of ownership, accountability, communication, continuous improvement, and disciplined execution. Assist senior leadership with evaluating organizational structure, responsibilities, resources, and capabilities within the product-development organization. International Product Development Work closely with engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, and product-development teams in China and other international locations. Travel internationally regularly to support development programs, engineering reviews, validation builds, supplier coordination, production readiness, and other business needs. Help bridge communication, technical, cultural, and operational differences between U.S. and international teams. Develop strong working relationships with international engineering teams, factories, contract manufacturers, component suppliers, and other development partners.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

At least five years of professional experience in product development, technical program management, engineering program management, hardware product management, or a related field. Demonstrated experience taking physical consumer products from initial concept through engineering development, validation, and mass production. Experience developing consumer electronics, connected hardware, smart-home products, appliances, IoT products, environmental-control products, or other electromechanical products. Experience leading Project Managers, Program Managers, Product Development Managers, or multidisciplinary technical teams. Strong understanding of multidisciplinary product development involving several of the following areas: Mechanical engineering Electrical engineering Firmware and embedded systems Mobile applications or cloud-connected software Sensors and control systems Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other wireless connectivity Manufacturing and production Working knowledge of product-development validation stages including EVT, DVT, PVT, pilot production, and mass production. Ability to participate effectively in technical discussions and challenge assumptions without necessarily serving as the individual design engineer. Strong project-management, problem-solving, decision-making, prioritization, negotiation, and escalation-management skills. Demonstrated ability to manage complex programs involving multiple teams, priorities, dependencies, and timelines. Experience working effectively across geographically distributed teams, time zones, and cultures. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with engineers, designers, Product Managers, Project Managers, manufacturing teams, suppliers, and senior executives. Willingness and ability to travel internationally on a regular basis, including travel to Asia.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Professional fluency in Mandarin Chinese and English. Significant experience working with engineering, product-development, or manufacturing organizations in China or other parts of Asia. Experience working across both U.S. and international product-development organizations. Educational or professional background in engineering, technical program management, product development, or hardware product management. Experience developing connected products that combine hardware, firmware, software applications, sensors, controls, and wireless connectivity. Experience developing smart-home, environmental-control, HVAC, ventilation, lighting, IoT, or other connected electromechanical consumer products. Experience working directly with factories, contract manufacturers, component suppliers, and engineering partners. Experience managing and developing international Project Management or Product Development teams. Experience establishing or improving formal product-development processes and stage-gate systems. Experience managing multiple product-development programs simultaneously.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate is not simply a Project Manager or Product Manager. We are looking for a product-development leader who understands how the entire development organization must work together to successfully bring complex physical products to market. This person should be equally comfortable discussing product vision and customer experience with designers and Product Managers, technical feasibility with engineers, execution and accountability with Project Managers, production challenges with manufacturing teams, and priorities, resources, and risks with senior leadership. The ideal candidate looks beyond whether individual tasks are complete and focuses on whether the overall product is being developed correctly, efficiently, and in alignment with its intended functionality and customer experience. This person should be comfortable operating across cultures and time zones, resolving ambiguity, challenging assumptions, identifying risks before they become larger problems, and driving teams toward clear decisions and measurable outcomes. Success in this position will be measured by greater consistency and accountability across product-development programs, improved communication between product, engineering, and manufacturing teams, earlier identification of technical and execution risks, reduced avoidable delays and engineering rework, and the successful delivery of products that meet their intended functionality, quality, cost, and schedule requirements.

AVAILABLE COMPANY BENEFITS 401

(K) Program with company match. Healthcare insurance for full-time employees (Medical, Dental, Vision). Life Insurance for full-time employees. Long-term disability for full-time employees. Paid Time Off. Fitness Reimbursement Program. Employee Discount Program. Company Lunch (two times a month). Company Breakfast/Beverage (two times a month). Stock options and bonus opportunities may be available based on position and company eligibility requirements.

JOB TYPE

Full-Time

PAY TYPE

Salaried:

$110,000 per year - $170,000 per year Bonus and stock-option opportunities may be available based on position and company eligibility requirements.

EXPECTED HOURS 40

Per Week + SCHEDULE Day shift Monday to Friday Additional hours may be required based on product-development schedules, international collaboration, and business needs. Regular international travel is required, including travel to Asia.

LOCATION

This position will be in the City of Industry, CA 91789. Candidates interested in employment with AC Infinity must relocate before starting work if moving from a different area. This is required. This position is an in-person position. It is not a remote position. Regular international travel is required.

NOTICE FROM THE COMPANY AC

Infinity is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, creed, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or locallaw.

Pay:

$110,000.00 - $170,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee discount Flexible spending account Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person