Director of Innovation

HME has been creating innovative products for the drive-thru and pro-audio industries since 1971. From the very beginning, we've known these solutions would never have happened without the customer-focused people who make up our company. HME has a team environment with a culture of collaboration, learning, and growth. With subsidiaries located in California, Georgia, Missouri, Canada, UK, and China, companies around the world depend on HME for clear, reliable communication solutions. From setting the standard for drive-thru headsets and timer systems in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry to developing professional audio equipment used in the Olympic Games, HME strives to create the newest, most innovative products on the market while providing quality care and attention to its customers. At HME you will have the opportunity to learn and grow while developing our future products. Come join our team!

If your passion lies in direct customer interaction, thriving in creative and collaborative environments, and possessing an entrepreneurial mindset with exceptional problem-solving skills, then our Director of Innovation role is tailor-made for you. This position not only emphasizes customer engagement but also entails building a high-performing team of innovative individuals. As the Director of Innovation, you will spearhead the formation of a dynamic team, working collectively to identify, validate, and execute new ideas that solve customer and market problems. Through close collaboration with customers, partners, engineering, and product management, you will actively engage with customers and collectively devise fresh and innovative strategies to overcome challenging obstacles. Your role will also encompass nurturing a strong team dynamic and fostering an environment that encourages the generation of groundbreaking solutions through effective collaboration and teamwork.

The ideal candidate for our Director of Innovation opportunity must be a creative big-picture thinker, an independent problem solver, a cross-functional team leader, and an effective project manager with exceptional customer interaction skills. You will select projects that have the highest potential business impact and set specific achievable goals for the innovation team to execute. The key responsibilities for this position include conducting research to identify unmet customer/market needs and problems, formulating innovative solutions to needs and problems, selecting with business leaders the optimal solution, and finally leading the development of the solution. To succeed in this role, you will need to be a highly creative and practical problem solver, while also possessing strong customer interaction abilities. To create innovative solutions, you must have a wide breadth of knowledge and experience in electrical, mechanical, and software engineering, and a proven track record leading the development of innovative solutions and products.

What you will do in the position:

• Meet with our current and potential new customers to discover challenges to their current workflows. Brainstorm potential solutions as Innovation Projects.
• Work with the internal innovation and product development teams to evaluate and propose technical solutions to proposed Innovation Projects.
• Visit customer corporate locations and sites to observe existing workflows and identify areas where opportunities exist to provide value.
• Oversee deployment of Innovation Projects at customer locations to validate the effectiveness of the solution. Iterate as required.
• Establish resource priorities, schedule tasks, track and report progress.
• Supervise and review assigned staff and appropriate subcontractors.
• Set milestones and provide clear direction and expectations for assigned staff and subcontractors.
• Report to management on status and estimates to complete of each task department resources are involved in.
• Train and mentor other staff personnel in project leadership, design, troubleshooting, and equipment operation.
• Work with the Innovation Steering Committee to evaluate and propose technical solutions to proposed Innovation Projects.
• Visit customer corporate locations and sites to observe existing workflows and identify areas where opportunities exist to provide value.
• Meet project performance, cost, and schedule targets and work with stakeholders to reset targets if required.
• Participate in trade shows with sales and product management as necessary to gain knowledge about customer pain points.
• Identify new trends and business opportunities within the HSC QSR market and turn into PoCs and projects.
• Define processes as needed to complete innovation projects within desired timeframe.
• Refine high-level product goals/specifications for selected projects and translate these into engineering team goals.
• Estimate cost and schedule for new projects and identify project risks utilizing risk mitigation plans.
• Perform make/buy analysis for work packages as required to achieve project completion goals.
• Track the success of the new products/PoCs.

What you will need to succeed in this position:

• Strong ability to engage directly with customers, understand their needs, and build relationships.
• Capacity to think outside the box, generate innovative ideas, and develop unique solutions.
• Proven track record of working effectively in a collaborative environment, fostering teamwork and leveraging diverse perspectives.
• Possess a proactive and forward-thinking approach, with the ability to take calculated risks and seize opportunities.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills, enabling the identification and resolution of complex issues.
• Ability to lead and inspire a team, nurturing a high-performing and cohesive group of individuals.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively convey ideas, concepts, and strategies to diverse stakeholders.
• Capacity to think strategically, envision long-term goals, and align innovation initiatives with organizational objectives.
• Flexibility to navigate and thrive in a rapidly changing environment, adapting strategies as needed.
• Proficiency in analyzing data, market trends, and customer insights to drive informed decision-making.
• Senior-level system engineering expertise with a strong working knowledge of multiple engineering disciplines, including electrical, mechanical, and software.
• 10 years developing hardware/software products.
• 5 years leading projects.
• 5 years functional management experience.
• Bachelor's Degree, Electrical or Computer Engineering.
• Travel up to 25%

Pay Range: $139,035.00 to $213,900.00. This is the pay range we reasonably expect to pay for the role. This may vary depending on experience and other factors. Our benefits package includes tuition reimbursement; 3 weeks paid vacation your first year, paid holidays, medical, vision and dental coverage, pet insurance, life insurance, and 401K contributions.

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The employee will occasionally lift and move up to 25 pounds.