Sr. Lead, Systems Engineer & Product Architect

Job ID: 17603 

Alternate Locations:  

Newell Brands is a leading consumer products company with a portfolio of iconic brands like Graco®, Coleman®, Oster®, Rubbermaid®, Sharpie® and Yankee Candle® - and 24,000 talented teammates around the world. Our culture is built on values in action: Integrity, Teamwork, Passion for Winning, Ownership, and Leadership. We work together to win, grow, and make a real impact—supported by a high-performing, inclusive, and collaborative environment where you can be your best, every day. 

The Sr. Lead, Systems Engineer & Product Architect provides system-level technical leadership for new product development efforts across DYMO printing solutions. This role defines the overall product architecture, translates product and customer needs into clear, measurable, and testable requirements, manages critical interfaces, and ensures mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, connectivity, labeling, and partner-developed elements function as one integrated system.

As a hands-on technical leader, you will work across engineering disciplines, ODMs, and technology partners to manage system interfaces, resolve cross-functional issues, and ensure the complete product functions as an integrated system. The role owns system-level requirements, architecture decisions, technical trade-offs, integration planning, verification strategy, and technical risk management. It is not a traditional project management or product ownership role; the focus is technical leadership, system integrity, and ensuring partner-developed solutions meet DYMO requirements and acceptance criteria.

Major responsibilities include:

• Define the overall product architecture, major subsystems, system boundaries, product-level connectivity architecture and technology choices, and how hardware, firmware, software, connectivity, and labeling work together.
• Translate product and customer needs into clear, measurable, and testable system and integration requirements with defined acceptance criteria. 
• Define and control critical interfaces between hardware, firmware, software, connectivity technologies, labels/consumables, external systems, and partner-developed solutions.
• Lead cross-functional technical trade-off analysis across performance, cost, complexity, risk, schedule, power, usability, reliability, connectivity, and other system considerations.
• Define product platform and reuse architectures, including common interfaces, modules, and reusable building blocks that support multiple products and product generations.
• Define and manage system-level performance targets, including connectivity performance, reliability, recovery, and acceptance expectations across interacting subsystems.
• Plan and lead system integration across internally and externally developed elements; identify cross-system issues and drive resolution of problems that cross technical boundaries.
• Define the system verification strategy, including how system and integration requirements and critical interfaces will be verified and what evidence is required for technical acceptance.
• Lead system-level technical reviews, manage critical technical decisions, identify and mitigate cross-functional technical risks, and maintain architectural integrity throughout development.
• Technically direct and challenge ODMs and technology partners at the overall product/system level, ensuring partner-developed solutions conform to DYMO architecture, requirements, interfaces, and acceptance criteria.
• Define the evolution of product architectures, platforms, interfaces, connectivity technologies, and other enabling technologies needed to support future product generations.

Job Qualifications 

Education, Experience, and Leadership Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, electrical engineering, mechatronics engineering, computer engineering, software engineering, or a related technical field required; advanced degree a plus.
• 10-15+ years of engineering experience developing complex electromechanical preferably connected products, with significant experience in system architecture, systems engineering, and technical product integration.
• Demonstrated technical depth integrating mechanisms, motors, sensors, electronics, embedded firmware and software into high-volume products.
• Demonstrated experience translating product and customer needs into detailed, testable technical requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Experience leading cross-functional technical work across multiple engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, connectivity, and verification.
• Experience working with ODMs, technology partners, or external engineering organizations and the ability to technically direct, review, and challenge partner-developed solutions.
• Proven ability to lead complex system integration and resolve technical issues that cross subsystem and organizational boundaries.
• Strong technical judgment and demonstrated ability to make and communicate system-level trade-offs and decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create precise requirements, interface definitions, technical decisions, and acceptance criteria.
• Ability to influence and lead across functions without relying on direct organizational authority.

Strategic Mindset and Additional Attributes

• Systems thinker who naturally works across the seams between disciplines, technologies, and partners.
• Able to balance customer needs, technical performance, cost, complexity, risk, and long-term platform considerations.
• Comfortable operating in an ODM- and partner-leveraged development model while maintaining internal technical control of the overall product.
• Partners well with domain technical authorities who retain responsibility for detailed subsystem requirements, architecture, design decisions and technical approval within their respective disciplines. 
• Able to distinguish product-level technical authority from detailed discipline execution and focus internal effort on architecture, requirements, interfaces, integration, and acceptance.
• Ability to identify emerging technologies and translate them into practical product architecture and platform decisions.

Newell Brands (NASDAQ: NWL) is a leading global consumer goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands, including Rubbermaid, Sharpie, Graco, Coleman, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Yankee Candle, Paper Mate, FoodSaver, Dymo, EXPO, Elmer’s, Oster, NUK, Spontex and Campingaz. We are focused on delighting consumers by lighting up everyday moments. Newell Brands and its subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers and comply with applicable employment laws. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled are encouraged to apply.