Sr Manager, Robotics Eng & AI Enablement

Job : 11975

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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.

The Senior Manager, General Purpose Robotics Engineering & AI Enablement is responsible for leading the strategy, roadmap, and deployment of general-purpose and humanoid robotic solutions across the enterprise. This leader drives the identification, evaluation, and implementation of robotics use cases that enhance safety, productivity, quality, and cost efficiency in manufacturing, distribution, and corporate environments. While deep technical engineering and solution build will be heavily supported by external automation and technology partners, this role is accountable for owning the overall robotics portfolio, ensuring successful deployment at scale, and serving as the primary point of coordination across business, IT, and vendor teams.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.