Manager, Open Innovation, Visual Technology

Lab Summary:

Samsung Research America’s Open Innovation Group identifies and incubates innovative external technologies that accelerate Samsung’s development and market position of its industry-leading consumer electronics.  We proactively research and create partnership and investment opportunities with breakthrough technologies that lay the foundation for the future of Samsung’s core product & services across smartphones, tablets, wearables, 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 – Media Solutions role is responsible for researching and developing collaborations with external innovations in next generation display & media technology, and formulating strategies to deliver innovative and immersive media solutions through Samsung’s device ecosystem.

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 next generation visual display technologies, spatial computing, visual AI, audio, and multimedia standards from startups, universities, and research institutes to create new internal collaboration projects with R&D teams.  With an aim towards advancing Samsung’s consumer products (Mobile, TV, Appliances, Networks, and Samsung Research), 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 domain expertise by keeping a pulse on market trends, advances in core technology, and university research & technology publications in next generation media technology solutions that are relevant to Samsung’s consumer devices.
• Navigate the constantly evolving field of  next generation media solutions and be able to thoroughly evaluate innovative potential across a range of disciplines, including but not limited to AR/VR, light field/holographic displays, transparent & flexible displays, projectors, spatial computing, computer vision, optics, audio, generative AI and more.
• Foster relationships with external technology startups, VCs, and universities to find breakthrough innovations and effectively communicate their value proposition to Samsung R&D teams and executives globally.
• Identify new opportunities and key research areas that Samsung and SRA need to embrace to secure core technology for future development and champion them through the organization.
• 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.  Post-graduate (MS, PhD and/or MBA) degree or equivalent experience strongly preferred or equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• 7+ years of experience in display technology as a researcher, product developer, or hardware/software engineer in a technology company, with a foundational understanding of various media solutions such as display technologies (microLED, OLED, ELQD, AR/VR micro-displays and optics), audio, spatial computing and their potential applications.
• 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, 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