Sr. Manager, Robotics Engineering & AI Enablement

Job ID: 11975

Alternate Locations:

About TP

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.

Your Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Roadmap Ownership

• Develop and maintain the multi-year roadmap for general-purpose and humanoid robotics solutions across plants, warehouses, and offices.
• Translate business objectives into a prioritized portfolio of robotics initiatives, aligned to safety, operational excellence, and financial targets.
• Continuously scan the robotics and automation landscape to identify emerging capabilities, platforms, and partners relevant to the enterprise.

Solution Design & Use Case Definition

• Lead cross-functional workshops to identify, assess, and refine robotics use cases, with specific emphasis on humanoid and general-purpose robotic applications.
• Define functional requirements, success criteria, and high-level solution architectures for robotics deployments in partnership with engineering, IT, safety, and operations.
• Ensure solutions are designed with scalability, reliability, and maintainability in mind, leveraging modular platforms and standard practices where possible.

Deployment & Program Delivery

• Own the end-to-end deployment lifecycle for robotics initiatives from concept and pilot through scale-up and steady-state operations.
• Coordinate site readiness, infrastructure, safety reviews, and change management activities required for successful robot deployment.
• Establish clear KPIs and benefits tracking for each deployment; monitor performance and drive continuous improvement in collaboration with operations teams.

External Partner & Vendor Management

• Serve as the primary owner for relationships with robotics OEMs, system integrators, and automation partners delivering technical solutions.
• Oversee partner scopes of work, delivery milestones, and quality standards, ensuring alignment to internal requirements and timelines.
• Collaborate with Procurement, Legal, and IT on vendor selection, contracting, performance management, and technology governance.

AI Enablement & Data Integration

• Work with data, IT, and analytics teams to ensure robotics solutions are integrated into enterprise systems (MES, WMS, ERP, safety systems, etc.).
• Guide how AI-enabled capabilities such as perception, navigation, and task orchestration are applied through partner solutions to improve robot performance and autonomy.
• Promote standardized data collection, monitoring, and reporting from robotic systems to support diagnostics, optimization, and strategic decision-making.

Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management

• Engage plant leadership, frontline teams, and functional stakeholders to align on use cases, operating models, and ways of working with humanoid and general-purpose robots.
• Develop training, communication, and adoption plans to ensure employees understand and effectively collaborate with robotic systems.
• Champion a culture of safety and innovation, proactively addressing concerns and promoting the benefits of robotics to the workforce.

Governance, Standards & Risk Management

• Define and enforce standards for robotics deployments, including safety, cybersecurity, interoperability, and lifecycle management.
• Partner with EHS, Security, and IT to ensure humanoid and mobile robots meet all applicable regulatory and internal compliance requirements.
• Manage risks associated with robotics deployments, including operational disruption, vendor dependencies, and technology obsolescence.

Team Leadership

• Lead and develop a small internal team of robotics program managers / engineers focused on requirements, integration, and deployment oversight.
• Foster strong collaboration across engineering, IT, operations, and HR to support workforce transformation as robotics adoption scales.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree: in Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 8+ years of experience: in industrial automation, robotics, advanced manufacturing, or related fields, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or program ownership role.
• Demonstrated experience: leading deployment of robotics solutions (e.g., industrial robots, AMRs, AGVs, humanoid or general-purpose robots) in production or.