Manager of Continuing Engineering

Description:

Whisker is the maker of Litter-Robot, Feeder-Robot, and At Whisker, we believe pet parenthood can always get better.

As leading innovators in pet tech and refined pet accessories, we work tirelessly to solve problems and deliver smarter insights for pet parents while enriching the lives of pets. Whether it's a self-cleaning litter box that automates scooping, an automatic feeder that helps pets develop healthier eating habits, or a modern cat tree that delights both humans and felines, we strive to deliver better solutions for consumers while transforming pet care along the way. To us, having a pet is the best thing ever. At Whisker, life together just keeps getting better.

Whisker is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and Juneau, Wisconsin with 700+ passionate team members.

What You'll Do:

The Manager of Continuing Engineering leads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to ensuring all Whisker products in the field are operating at peak performance and is critical to maintaining a positive customer experience and extending the life cycle of our products. They will be accountable for building continuous improvement plans and aggressively addressing any customer concerns from the field.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary.

Leads and manages a cross functional team of firmware, mechanical and electrical engineers to address issues, enhancements, and optimizations for existing products.
Fosters a collaborative environment to ensure efficient troubleshooting and product improvement processes.
Develops and implements strategies for engineering support to enhance product performance and longevity.
Oversees the diagnosis and resolution of technical issues in the field, working closely with customer experience teams to prioritize and address concerns.
Ensures comprehensive root-cause analysis for product defects and manages the implementation of corrective actions.
Establishes workflows for proactive maintenance, reliability improvements, and feature updates.
Collaborate with software development on preventive maintenance tools to have proactive customer engagements regarding the quality of their products.
Acts as the primary point of contact between engineering and customer experience teams to ensure timely and effective response to field issues.
Collaborates with the new product development teams to share insights gained from the field for future design improvements.
Provides regular updates to execute leadership on product performance metrics and ongoing improvement initiatives.
Oversees updates to firmware, mechanical, and electrical components as needed.
Implements best practices for product documentation and knowledge transfer.
Will perform additional responsibilities when required

Leadership Responsibilities:

Directly supervises department Teams. Carries out supervisory responsibilities following Whisker policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, training, and hiring, planning, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, addressing team issues, and upholding safety and quality guidelines.

Requirements:

What You'll Bring:

Bachelor's degree in engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Firmware or related field) and / or related years of experience.
10+ years of engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
Proven experience in cross functional disciplinary teams.
Deep understanding of robotic systems including firmware, mechanical and electrical engineering.
Strong problem solving skills and the ability to make data driven decisions.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Experience working with customer-facing teams to resolve technical issues.
Familiarity with IoT-enabled devices.
Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information
Ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a fast-paced environment with numerous interactions and interruptions
A high degree of initiative, self-motivation, and ability to motivate others
Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with Team Members and colleagues
Comfortable with office pets (cats, dogs)

Not Required but Nice to Have.

Experience with consumer electronics

Benefits & Purrks:

Join a tenacious, inventive company that empowers team members to chart their own path, lead by grounding decisions in the "why", and has a strong sense of empathy and openness to new perspectives. Be a part of exciting growth, work with incredible people, and create tomorrow's pet products-plus a whole lot of extras. You will also be provided with:

Premium Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
Paid parental leave
Whisker Parents Program
1 day "pawternity" leave for new pet adoption
Pet Insurance Discount
401K match
Flexible spending accounts
Company-paid short-term disability and life insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Generous paid time off
14 Paid Holidays
Top of the line equipment
Pet-friendly office
Whisker products and swag
Continuing education Support
On-site gym with Peloton
Referral program

Statement of Inclusivity:

We believe different perspectives make Whisker better and strive to create a place where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

Please ensure to regularly check your email spam folder for any communication from Whisker to avoid missing important updates regarding your application status.