Cohu (www.cohu.com) in Poway (San Diego) is seeking an Innovation Manager to lead a small group of highly talented multi-disciplinary engineers for dedicated R & D to develop new technologies and derive concepts for use in new or existing semi-conductor test and inspections products and thermal systems. This key position will manage the Innovation Technology Department (iLAB) at our Poway innovation center. MAIN OBJECTIVES * Provide disciplined and technical leadership for the Innovation Lab department * Analyze and structure new technologies and derive concepts for their use in new or existing products * Advance active thermal control technologies (T-Core) in terms of control technology and heat transport across the domains of software, electrical hardware, mechanics, and materials science * Conceive and evaluate new machines, systems and modular architectures * Design, drive and execute technology development projects in collaboration with product management and other engineering departments within development * Establish and maintain a culture of innovation * Clarify requirements and present concepts to customers at customers sites worldwide RESPONSIBILITIES * Inspire and develop emerging talent to grow technical expertise, innovation skills and soft skills * Resource planning, cost responsibility, and deadline control * Identification and selection of suitable technology development projects * Technical control of technology development projects * Make decisions in the event of conflicting development goals in machines and modules * Patent management and protection of newly developed intellectual property ESSENTIAL QUALITY EXPECTATIONS * Proactively identify and improve structural weaknesses in processes, technical expertise, and mindset within the Innovation Lab department * Proactively identify opportunities for machine and system improvements * Provide structured and clear reports on department status and projects * Team spirit to evolve in an innovation team * Open mind for new ideas and multi-technology investigations AUTHORITY: Leader of the iLab technology department in US Poway under the Senior Manager Innovation Lab REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS * A BS and MS degree that includes a major or minor or focus field of study in least two or more of the following engineering disciplines: mechanical, electrical, electro-mechanical, robotics/automation, mechatronics, thermal, systems, computer science or computer engineering. * At least 10 years of progressive experience in the engineering that includes design and development of complex mechanical capital equipment * At least 3 years of leadership experience * Ideally, knowledge of the following areas: Embedded development, CAE, MATLAB/Octave, statistics, reliability engineering. * Experience with concept and product development processes * In-depth knowledge of control technology of mechatronic systems (ideally thermal systems) and experience in the design of thermal systems and refrigeration technology * Experience in project management and in leading and motivating departments and project teams * Strong verbal, written and presentation with MS Office Suite. * Creativity, flexibility, team skills, and assertiveness * Customer-oriented thinking and acting * Language skills: Fluent English negotiation skills, (ideally: German and/or French) * Position based in CA Poway with travel time up to 20% (Worldwide) PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS PhD is in an engineering field is preferred. Experience with ERP systems such as Oracle, SAP, etc.