International Strategy and Business Development Manager

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading home appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home. As the only major U.S.-based manufacturer of kitchen and laundry appliances, the company drives meaningful innovation through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2024, the company reported approximately $17 billion in annual sales, 44,000 employees, and 40 manufacturing and technology research centers.

About the team

The Sales Strategy and Business Operations team is responsible for planning all sales activities. The team researches and analyzes the organization’s existing and targeted customers to develop a knowledge base of sales trends, and plans and coordinates projects to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the sales force.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning and Market Intelligence
  • Global Strategy: Lead the annual international strategic planning cycle, translating global macro-trends and local market opportunities into actionable business cases. Conduct ROI assessments, prioritize growth programs, and recommend top investment opportunities.
  • Performance Metrics: Build comprehensive performance scorecards to track the success of key programs.
  • Competitive Analysis: Monitor global competitor movements, market share shifts, and export behavior to refine InSinkErator’s competitive positioning.
  • Market Insights: Lead all international market research, including consumer path-to-purchase, brand and category awareness, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and customer pain-point assessments.
  • Knowledge Sharing: Identify and share cross-regional best practices and growth opportunities that can be scaled globally.
• Business Development
  • Product Strategy: Develop long-term international product roadmaps from a comprehensive international business strategy. Support international teams to align product strategy to market need, support business case analysis for new product development approval, and accelerate new product development and market introductions.
  • Growth Programs: Support international teams to accelerate investments in key growth programs.
  • Market Expansion: Perform new market and territory expansion research and determine go-to-market strategy to expand global reach.
  • Regulatory & Governmental Affairs: Support government relations, pilot programs, and other opportunities to accelerate acceptance and adoption of food waste disposers.
• Operational Excellence and Execution
  • Business Performance: Drive monthly reviews of regional business performance, key performance indicators, and macro-economic indicators.
  • Executive Alignment: Manage end-to-end coordination and facilitation of the annual Global GMs Strategy Meeting and other key leadership forums to ensure seamless execution.
  • Process Development & Continuous Improvement: Identify and introduce continuous improvement initiatives to streamline the strategic planning cycle, business analysis, and enhance overall execution across teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, International Business, or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional experience in Corporate Strategy, New Business Development, Management Consulting, or Product Planning within a global business.

Skills

• MBA or Master’s degree is highly preferred.
• Proven track record of building multi-year investment models and business cases for new program development, market entry, or product launches.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with familiarity in translating raw data and research into consumer insights and action.
• Experience in consumer durable goods, manufacturing, or the appliance industry is a plus.
• Experience using AI tools for automating data into charts and presentations.

Benefits

• Generous benefits package.
• Whirlpool employee discount.
• Fitness and educational reimbursement programs.
• Always On Flexibility: Autonomy to manage personal, family, and outside-of-work commitments as needed.
• Two-Week Work from Anywhere: Minimum of one-week increments for a total of two weeks per year.
• Sabbatical: Four weeks paid leave after every five years of service.

Location

This role is located in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, at a modern corporate HQ facility opened in 2018. The facility features an on-site fitness center, a state-of-the-art engineering lab, and is accessible to communities like Milwaukee, Racine, Oak Creek, and surrounding areas. This role is fully onsite, Monday through Friday, and includes roughly 10% international travel. A comprehensive relocation package is available for eligible candidates.