Product Planning Manager

This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

About the role

Shape the future of Samsung Digital Appliances product line-up by translating U.S. consumer, market, technology, and design insights into innovative, human-centered product concepts. Lead new concept development and strategic execution in partnership with global and regional teams to deliver differentiated solutions that drive growth.

The Product Planning Manager plays a crucial role in shaping the future product line-up for the Samsung Digital Appliances (DA) division. The primary objective is to drive innovation and strategic growth.

Responsibilities

• Market and trend analysis
  • Monitoring and analyzing American consumer, market, technology, design, and industry trends to derive actionable insights.
  • Conducting competitive benchmarking and investigating other market references to identify opportunities and areas for differentiation.
  • Capturing and leveraging feedback from product reviews to drive continuous improvement in new product development.
• New concept development
  • Identifying consumer pain points and needs to define unmet market demands.
  • Generating innovative product, feature, service, and use case ideas based on strong consumer insights.
  • Developing and refining concepts, ensuring they are rooted in a clear understanding of consumer benefits, available technology, and market feasibility.
  • Exploring Multi-Device Experience (MDE) scenarios leveraging Samsung SmartThings connectivity across various appliances.
• Strategy development and execution
  • Managing the ideation workshop process, including offline brainstorming sessions (in collaboration with the SEA CSMI team) and online idea market bulletins.
  • Developing comprehensive strategies for new concepts, including market sizing, pricing, sales revenue and quantity forecasting, and go-to-market plans (in collaboration with Product Marketing).
  • Collaborating with Samsung DA Korea HQ to assess technical feasibility, align product line-ups, and calculate Return on Investment (ROI).
  • Partnering with the North America RHQ and subsidiary teams to gather regional insights, understand business landscapes and competition, and align with regional marketing and sales strategies.
  • Investigating and collaborating with external companies to explore potential partnerships for new concept development.
  • Presenting new concepts and their strategic rationale to Samsung DA Korea HQ to secure alignment and investment.

Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications:
  • 6 years of full-time experience in Product Planning or Product Management.
  • Strong understanding of both business and technology.
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
  • Proven ability to apply systems thinking and bring ideas to market (e.g., creating new solutions, launching products).
  • Strong business acumen with broad exposure to strategy, marketing, finance, operations, and product development.
  • Highly creative, innovative, and consumer-focused mindset.
  • Excellent presentation skills.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel).
  • Experience with consumer data analysis (e.g., review crawling, Sprinklr usability) a plus.
  • Comfortable working with ambiguity and adapting to last-minute changes.
  • Team-oriented, prioritizing team success over individual recognition.
  • Willingness to travel as needed.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • MBA or Master’s in Business, Statistics, Marketing, or related field.
  • Bilingual in Korean and English, enabling clear communication with global stakeholders.
  • Ability to lead and actively participate in creative workshops and ideation sessions.
  • Hands-on, flexible, and collaborative working style; comfortable experimenting with new approaches.
  • Strong relationship-building skills with internal partners, fostering collaboration and identifying growth opportunities.
  • Experience managing projects and agencies.
  • Knowledge of the appliance market.
  • Experience with the full New Concept Development (NCD) process.

Benefits

Regular full-time employees (salaried or hourly) have access to benefits including:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance
• 401(k)
• Employee Purchase Program
• Tuition Assistance (after 12 months)
• Paid Time Off
• Student Loan Program (after 12 months)
• Wellness Incentives

In addition, regular full-time employees (salaried or hourly) are eligible for MBO bonus compensation, based on company, division, and individual performance.