Manager - Engineering
Work Mode: Onsite
Location: Onsite, four days per week - Kohler, WI
Opportunity
Kohler is transforming everyday routines into restorative wellness rituals. We are seeking a visionary Engineering Manager to lead the development of next-generation wellness products that deliver measurable physical, mental, and sensory benefits.
In this role, you will lead a team of engineers responsible for designing innovative, high-performance products that elevate Kohler Wellness experiences. You will drive the integration of engineering excellence with user-centered wellness outcomes—balancing speed, quality, and innovation to deliver category-defining solutions.
This hands-on leader will guide teams through Kohler’s New Product Development process, owning product integrity from concept through launch and lifecycle. Success requires a blend of technical mastery, talent development, and the ability to translate emerging wellness insights into differentiated product experiences.
HOW YOU’LL CONTRIBUTE
Lead & Inspire Wellness Innovation
- Build and mentor a high-performing, diverse engineering team focused on delivering products that enhance physical recovery, relaxation, and overall wellbeing
- Foster a culture of ownership, experimentation, and continuous learning to unlock new wellness-driven solutions.
Advance Engineering Excellence for Wellbeing
- Lead by doing and example. Champion robust design practices that ensure safety, performance, and consistent delivery of intended wellness benefits
- Apply engineering rigor to validate indeded outcomes
- Proactively identify and mitigate technical risks
Deliver Transformational Wellness Products
- Drive execution within the stage-gate development process, ensuring speed to market without compromising quality
- Translate complex wellness needs into clear engineering requirements and product specifications
- Enable confident, data-driven decision making across the development lifecycle
Optimize the Product Experience Across Its Lifecycle
- Continuously improve products to enhance performance, reliability, cost, and user experience
- Ensure post-launch insights are captured and translated into meaningful product evolution
Stay Ahead of the Wellness Landscape
- Maintain deep awareness of emerging wellness trends, recovery science, and competitive innovations
- Act as the technical authority for the wellness product portfolio, identifying opportunities for differentiation
Think Strategically
- Enable scalable design strategies for global deployment
Build Cross-Functional Alignment
- Collaborate closely with Marketing, Industrial Design, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program Management to deliver cohesive, high-impact solutions
- Ensure the customer and user experience remain central to all engineering decisions
Champion Sustainable Wellbeing
- Design with intention—minimizing environmental impact while maximizing human benefit
- Advance water, energy, and material efficiency without compromising product performance or experience
SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS
- Manage a dynamic portfolio of engineering work aligned to wellness innovation priorities
- Balance resources and assign work based on business impact and team capability
- Establish clear objectives that align engineering performance with broader business and wellness goals
- Lead performance management and development planning for team members
- Define and validate product requirements spanning customer needs, regulatory standards, and engineering performance
- Review and approve key technical deliverables with a focus on functional integrity and user outcomes
- Drive continuous improvement across tools, processes, and product designs
Lead cost optimization initiatives while preserving product experience and quality - Collaborate globally to support product launches and lifecycle management across regions
- Communicate technical insights clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Travel as needed to engage with suppliers, customers, and global teams
Skills/Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (ABET accredited)
- 7+ years of product design engineering experience and 3+ years of experience coaching and developing engineering talent
- Proven ability to lead complex product development programs from concept to launch
- Passion for wellness innovation, human-centered design, and experiential product development
IDEAL PROFILE
- Systems thinker with the ability to connect engineering performance to human outcomes
- Strong bias for action balanced with disciplined execution
- Comfortable operating in ambiguity while driving clarity for the team
- Deep curiosity for how water, heat, steam, and sensory elements can improve wellbeing
#LI-Onsite
#LI-SC2
Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.
We believe in supporting you from the moment you join us, which is why Kohler offers day 1 benefits. This means you’ll have access to your applicable benefit programs from your first day on the job, with no waiting period. The salary range for this position is $135,600 - $211,000. The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including the candidate’s experience, their education, and the work location. In addition, this position is eligible for a performance bonus/variable incentive compensation.
Why Choose Kohler?
We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support your health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we’re driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.
About Us
It is Kohler’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact kohlerjobs@kohler.com. Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
