The Product Insights & Innovation Manager – Asia Design & Delivery is responsible for leading technical efforts to serve the Duracell Asia Business, its retailers and consumers. This role has significant interaction with multifunctional areas within R&D while fostering and developing retailer relationships in support of sales and business development. Part product manager, part innovation strategist, part user researcher, and always a creative integrator, they design, develop, and execute product innovations that better serve the end consumer and the business. The Product Insights & Innovation Manager – Asia Design & Delivery will leverage the brand, performance, and quality of our products along with our market presence and technical capabilities to further strengthen Duracell’s brand equity in line with the company’s strategy and guidelines.
Based in Aarschot, Belgium, this role supports the Duracell Asia business and works a schedule shifted earlier to maintain daily overlap with the India and East Asia teams, plants, and partners. The expectation is a shifted schedule — typically early morning to early afternoon CET — with regular early-morning calls with India and East Asia as a routine part of the role.
Be the voice of R&D and of the consumer towards commercial team to ensure consumer-relevant product & communication development.
Act as a bridge between the Global Technical Organization (R&D, Manufacturing plants, Global Supply Org.) and Commercial Partners (Regional leadership, Marketing, Product Supply, Finance) and influence decisions to be in line with Global strategies.
Critically analyze complex data and integrate a broad range of results to form robust conclusions, and anticipate issues or patterns based on limited data.
Understand and apply battery, device, and technology trends via external market calibration.
Develop & publish technical materials & reports to communicate and compare various product benchmarking results to the leadership team.
Integrate a broad range of results, draw together complex data to form robust conclusions, and anticipate issues based on limited data. Link technical results to business/consumer priorities, driving overall project direction and setting up a vision for the programs.
Compile technical data and communicate in a simple and concise manner during formal and informal communication, and 'right size' communication for the target audience.
Develop claims substantiation strategy and materials in support of all product claims across product platforms and different media outlets. Develop technical materials to communicate new battery designs and improvements to retail customers.
Bachelors in Chemical, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering preferred, but other Engineering and Science degrees may be considered.
Experience with electronics and their interaction with batteries is preferred but not required.
Excellent technical written and verbal communication. Ability to communicate & understand battery technology and device trends.
Must be highly motivated, a self-starter, creative, organized, polished, positive, with excellent interpersonal skills and possess the ability to manage with minimal oversight.
Experience of working as part of a multi-cultural and geographically dispersed team.
Willingness to travel up to 20% of the time, including periodic travel to Asia sites
Strategic Thinking – Proven ability to analyze complex data and draw articulate, action-oriented conclusions in succinct summaries and strategies which will meet customer, consumer and business needs.
Strong collaboration skills are essential, as the role involves working closely with cross-functional teams across global Duracell sites and external suppliers, including Product Development, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Marketing, Finance, and Sales.
Able to work effectively across time zones — strong asynchronous communication and the autonomy to deliver with limited real-time overlap with global R&D leadership (based in the US).
Fluency in English language is a must with Flemish as a preference.