Manager, Open Innovation - Hardware

Lab Summary:

Samsung Research America’s Open Innovation Group identifies and incubates innovative external technologies that accelerate Samsung’s product development lifecycle and enhance the market position of its industry-leading consumer electronics offerings. We proactively research and create partnership & investment opportunities with breakthrough technologies that lay the foundation for the future of Samsung’s core products & services across smartphones, tablets, wearables, XR devices, PCs, TVs, appliances, and more.  In addition to driving both the technical and business processes to validate and commercialize new technologies in Samsung’s existing products, we maintain a strong pulse on the market to find the next big thing.

Position Summary:

The Sr./Manager, Open Innovation – Hardware Innovations is responsible for researching and developing collaborations with external innovations in various hardware segments (advanced computing, sensors, etc.), and formulating strategies to deliver innovative solutions through Samsung’s vast product ecosystem. The goal of the role would be to conduct an in-depth analysis of the hardware and silicon ecosystem, and develop recommendations and actionable partnership strategies to advance Samsung’s product capabilities and provide competitive advantage.

The Open Innovation Group combines the best of Samsung product expertise with the latest advances in technology to create radically futuristic and innovative products, services and experiences to delight and improve the lifestyles of our customers.  We research, identify, partner and promote new technologies that make the consumer experience better, faster, seamless, more powerful, and multi-dimensional across different product categories.

In this role, you will perform technology research on the latest advances in novel computing, SoC, sensors, and other various hardware innovations from startups, universities, and regulatory institutions to create new internal collaboration projects with Samsung R&D teams.  With an aim towards advancing Samsung’s product offerings across smartphones, wearables, TVs, XR devices, and more. you will develop business cases, promote the most relevant and impactful technology breakthroughs with our leadership team, foster partnerships with startups & universities, and drive pivotal initiatives that increase Samsung’s differentiation in the space.

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate relevant domain expertise by paying close attention to market trends, new breakthroughs in technology, and university research & technology publications in hardware innovations that are relevant to Samsung’s consumer electronics product offerings.
• Navigate the constantly evolving field of various hardware disciplines and be able to thoroughly evaluate innovative potential across a range of technology areas, including but not limited to energy-efficient computing platforms for advanced AI, new sensor hardware, components, thermal management, CMF, and more. 
• Identify new opportunities and key research areas that Samsung and SRA can embrace to secure core technology for future development and champion them throughout the organization.
• Foster relationships with external technology startups, VCs, accelerators, and universities, to find breakthrough innovations and effectively communicate their value proposition to Samsung R&D teams and executives globally.
• Be the primary liaison between partners and Samsung by leading discussions, facilitating evaluations, and driving POCs with an eye towards partnership, commercialization, investment, and/or M&A.  Be the internal champion for partner’s strategic goals and vision and advocate their needs to stakeholders ensuring awareness and understanding through effective communication.
• Coordinate cross-functional and cross-geo team activities, setting project milestones, and motivating teams to meet project timelines and deliverables.
• Proactively address ambiguity through strategic thinking followed by tactical execution.
• Form a clear understanding of team priorities to balance urgent vs. daily activities.
• Proactively build concepts and define new consumer experiences through partners.

Background and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in technology or engineering discipline required (e.g. EE, CS, or similar).  Post-graduate (MS, PhD and/or MBA) degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience 
• 7+ years of professional experience in advanced hardware technologies that could be deployed on consumer electronics devices at scale, as a technology researcher, product manager, developer, or hardware engineer in a technology company with a foundational understanding of novel semiconductor innovations and sensor technologies.
• Deep industry domain experience in at least one core technology vertical where such hardware innovations could be applied, including but not limited to: Mobile, XR, AI, IoT, Robotics, XR, TV, Digital Appliances, Computer Vision, etc.
• Acumen to convey findings succinctly in layman’s terms as well as envision and explain hypothetical technical implementation in and impacts on existing hardware technology stacks.
• Effective interpersonal and relationship management skills.
• Strong personal network within the industry, startup and ventures community.
• Experience in leading complex, multi-team and cross-geographic projects to success.
• Excellent written, verbal communications and presentation skills.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity associated with working in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• Must be willing to travel domestically and internationally (20%).

  Success Factors:

• Positive attitude and energy, imagination, persistence, and flexibility
• Great communication skills: clear, patient, and well adapted to the audience and situation
• Analytical skills to formulate and present structured, objective recommendations and respond to challenges and objections
• Personal skills to plan, organize, and prioritize multiple assignments and delivery on tight schedules
• Ability to position and sell technology to executive audiences