Job Title

Project Leader – Front-End Innovation (Philips Avent, Shenzhen, China)

Job Description

In this role, you have the opportunity to

• Lead to deliver projects for the Philips Avent R&D teams in Eindhoven, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen — translating early functional concepts into actionable development and supplier activities.

• Plan, coordinate, and deliver front-end innovation projects executed with regional suppliers, ensuring timelines, budgets, and deliverables are aligned with overall project goals.

• Collaborate closely with engineering leads in the Netherlands and industrialization specialists in Shenzhen to ensure technical intent, design feasibility, and manufacturability are maintained.

• Facilitate prototype builds, material sourcing, and feasibility testing with suppliers, driving learning loops and fast iterations.

• Lead the team to methodically identify the risks of early-stage innovations and define counter-measures by organizing and following up on technical trials and proto-tool evaluations

• Identify and engage with new suppliers and technology partners in Asia to scout for innovative materials, processes, or technologies relevant to our category.

• Serve as a communication hub between technical, project, and supplier teams — ensuring alignment and proactive issue resolution.

• Prepare project overviews and decision-ready summaries for global stakeholders, balancing technical details with clear business perspectives.

• Lead the front-end innovation projects to proof of principles results and seamlessly hand it over for the next phase to the product development team towards market introduction.

4. You’re the right fit if you have

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or Industrial Design Engineering, or similar.

• 5+ years of experience in project management or product development within consumer, medical, or lifestyle products.

• Strong understanding of new product development processes — from concept and prototyping to early supplier engagement up to market introduction.

• Solid experience in mold design and construction for plastic/silicone and metal forming is a strong plus.

• Experience working with cross-functional, cross-site teams, ideally within a multinational setting.

• The ability to balance technical depth with organizational overview — understanding engineering challenges while driving planning, coordination, and communication.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to work independently within a global matrix.

• Fluent in English and Mandarin or Cantonese (required).

• Willingness to travel within the region (mainland China, Hong Kong, occasionally Southeast Asia).

5. You are part of

The Philips Avent Research & Advanced Development (R&AD) team — a global group driving the early creation of meaningful innovations for parents and babies.

You’ll be based in Shenzhen, working in close collaboration with:

• The Front-End Innovation team in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, who explore and develop new product functions and technologies,

• The Philips Hong Kong and Shenzhen teams, who bring design, engineering, and supplier collaboration expertise,

• And a network of suppliers and technology partners across Asia.

Together, you’ll help transform consumer insights and early technical ideas into validated, feasible solutions ready for product development.

How we work together
We believe that we are better together than apart. For our office-based teams, this means working in-person at least 4 days per week.
Onsite roles require full-time presence in the company’s facilities.
Field roles are most effectively done outside of the company’s main facilities, generally at the customers’ or suppliers’ locations.
Indicate if this role is an office/field/onsite role.
About Philips
We are a health technology company. We built our entire company around the belief that every human matters, and we won't stop until everybody everywhere has access to the quality healthcare that we all deserve. Do the work of your life to help the lives of others.
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• Discover our rich and exciting history.
• Learn more about our purpose.
If you’re interested in this role and have many, but not all, of the experiences needed, we encourage you to apply. You may still be the right candidate for this or other opportunities at Philips. Learn more about our culture of impact with care here.