Product Development Specialist

Newell Brands is a leading $8.3B consumer products company with a portfolio of iconic brands such as Graco®, Coleman®, Oster®, Rubbermaid® and Sharpie®, and 25,000 talented employees around the world. Our high-performance culture, unparalleled curiosity about the world around us, and talented people fuel our success. Our culture is enabled through our core values which guide all we do and how we win as One Newell. They are Integrity, Teamwork, Passion for Winning, Ownership & Leadership.

Position Title: Product Development Specialist – Outdoor & Recreation and Baby (O&R / L&D)

Location: Piçarras, SC - Hybrid

Reports to: Sr. Manager, New Product Creation (NPC)

The Product Development Specialist – O&R and Baby (L&D) is responsible for leading the technical design and development of products across two segments: Outdoor & Recreation (e.g., coolers, drinkware and hydration, camping and outdoor equipment) and Learning & Development – Baby (e.g., Baby Bottles, pacifier and feeding products) – from concept through the contract gate. Operating within the New Product Creation (NPC) function, the PDS owns the product design and ensures new products meet consumer needs, performance, cost, quality, safety and manufacturability requirements before they are handed to the plants for industrialization.

The role combines strong mechanical and product-design engineering with materials and manufacturing-process expertise, translating product concepts into robust, safe, certifiable and manufacturable solutions across both segments. Given the safety-critical nature of juvenile products, the PDS places particular emphasis on consumer and juvenile-product safety compliance. The PDS partners closely with R&D, industrial design, marketing, sourcing, quality, regulatory and plant NPI teams, and is accountable for technical deliverables including 3D CAD models, drawings, specifications, prototypes and compliance documentation.

Responsibilities

Product Design & Development Leadership

• Lead the end-to-end technical development of O&R and Baby (L&D) products – from coolers, drinkware and camping/outdoor gear to baby bottles, pacifier and feeding products – from concept through contract gate.
• Manage development across two segments, balancing priorities and timelines to meet business commitments.
• Translate consumer, marketing and business requirements into detailed product designs, architectures and specifications.
• Own design trade-offs across performance, cost, quality, safety, aesthetics and manufacturability (DFM/DFA).
• Drive design reviews and technical sign-offs with cross-functional and regional stakeholders.
• Take full ownership of VAVE (Value Analysis / Value Engineering) initiatives, leading cost-reduction efforts across the portfolio to meet target cost.

Mechanical Design & Materials Engineering (or related Engineering)

• Design mechanical and structural systems, mechanisms and assemblies.
• Select and specify materials and processes appropriate to each segment – injection- and blow-molded plastics, metals and tubing, textiles and soft goods, foams and over-molding.
• Apply tolerance analysis, structural/durability considerations and ergonomics to deliver robust designs.
• Where products include electronics, specify and integrate electrical/electronic components and their safety requirements.

Safety, Compliance & Regulatory

• Ensure designs meet applicable consumer- and juvenile-product safety standards (e.g., ASTM, CPSC/CPSIA, FMVSS 213 and JPMA certification for baby products; outdoor product and food-contact standards for O&R).
• Lead product-safety risk assessments and embed mitigations into the design, with heightened rigor for safety-critical juvenile products.
• Define and coordinate certification and approvals with internal labs and external certification bodies, working closely with regulatory team.

CAD, Documentation & Technical Deliverables

• Develop and maintain 3D models and 2D technical drawings in SolidWorks, including tolerances and GD&T.
• Produce and control product specifications, BOMs, engineering changes and design documentation.
• Specify components and materials and support tooling definition (molds, fixtures devices, gauges) with internal and external toolmakers.

Prototyping, Testing & Validation

• Plan and execute prototyping, design verification and validation (DV/PV), durability and safety testing.
• Lead root-cause analysis and structured problem solving (8D, DMAIC, fishbone) for design-related issues.
• Define test methods and acceptance criteria, ensuring designs meet performance, durability and safety targets.

Project & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Support project planning, timelines and risk management across the development pipeline for both segments.
• Partner with plant NPIndustrialization teams to ensure smooth handoff to industrialization and ramp-up.
• Coordinate with sourcing and suppliers on component selection, feasibility and design-for-supply.

Key Deliverables

• Product specifications, architectures and BOM (for Outdoor&Recreation and Baby products).
• 3D CAD models and 2D technical drawings (SolidWorks).
• Prototypes and design verification/validation reports.
• Product-safety and certification documentation (e.g., INMETRO/ABNT/ANVISA/ASTM/CPSC/FMVSS 213 /JPMA).
• DFM/DFA feedback and design review records.
• VAVE projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Electrical, Industrial/Systems or related Engineering.
• Proven experience in product development of consumer products, preferably outdoor/recreation and/or juvenile/baby products.
• Hands-on with 3D CAD, intermediate level or higher, preferably in SolidWorks or Creo.
• Working knowledge of consumer- and/or juvenile-product safety standards (ABNT/INMETRO/IEC).
• Advanced to fluent English (written and spoken).
• Proven experience in a factory or manufacturing environment.
• Experience with plastics (injection/blow molding), soft goods / textiles and metal structures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in product lifecycle management.(e.g., PMP)
• Demonstrated experience developing Juvenile/Baby products and/or Outdoor & Recreation products.
• Familiarity with juvenile-product safety standards (ANVISA/ASTM, CPSC/CPSIA, FMVSS 213, JPMA) and outdoor/food-contact standards.
• Conversational or professional Spanish.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Green Belt.
• Experience with PLM/PDM and ERP systems such as Windchill, Teamcenter, SAP, or equivalent platforms.

Skills & Abilities

• Strong mechanical and product-design fundamentals across multiple product types.
• Solid grasp of DFManufacturing/DFAssembly, tolerance analysis, materials and manufacturing processes (plastics, metals, textiles, foams).
• Experience with DFMEA and product risk analysis, especially important for children's products.
• Ability to manage development across two segments and multiple projects in parallel.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and root-cause skills.
• Ability to lead technically across cross-functional and multi-site teams(LATAM-China).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

Travel

• 30% Frequent travel across LATAM sites and to suppliers, with periodic global travel as required.

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.