Lab Summary:

Samsung Research America’s Open Innovation Group identifies and incubates innovative external technologies that accelerate Samsung’s development and market position of its industry-leading consumer electronics. We proactively create partnership and investment opportunities with breakthrough technologies that have a direct impact on Samsung’s core product & services across smartphones, tablets, wearables, PCs, TVs, appliances, and more. In addition to driving both the technical and business processes to validate and commercialize new technologies in Samsung’s existing products, we maintain a strong pulse on the market to find the next big thing.

Position Summary:

The Sr. Manager, Open Innovation - AI is responsible for researching and developing collaborations with external innovations in AI and formulating strategies to deliver innovative solutions through Samsung’s device ecosystem.

The Open Innovation Group combines the best of Samsung product expertise with the latest advances in technology to create radically futuristic and innovative products, services and experiences to delight and improve the lifestyles of our customers. We research, identify, partner and promote new technologies that make the consumer experience better, faster, seamless, more powerful, and multi-dimensional across different product categories.

In this role, you will research the latest advances in the AI domain from startups, universities, and government to create new internal collaboration projects with R&D teams. With an aim towards advancing Samsung’s consumer products (Mobile, TV, Appliances, Networks, and Samsung Research), you will develop business cases, foster partnerships with startups & universities, and drive pivotal initiatives that lay the foundation for Samsung’s future.

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate domain expertise by paying attention to market trends, advances in core technology, and university research in AI that are relevant to Samsung’s Device eXperiences (DX) business to target partnership opportunities and identify new user experiences that can be delivered to consumers
• Navigate the constantly evolving field of AI and be able to thoroughly evaluate innovative potential across a range of disciplines, including but not limited to speech/language, knowledge representation & reasoning, computer vision, and more
• Foster relationships with external technology startups, VCs, and universities to find breakthrough innovations and effectively communicate their value proposition to Samsung R&D teams and executives globally
• Be the primary liaison between partners and Samsung by leading discussions, facilitating evaluations, and driving POCs with an eye towards partnership, commercialization, investment, and/or M&A. Be the internal champion for partner’s strategic goals and vision and advocate their needs to stakeholders ensuring awareness and understanding through effective communication
• Coordinate cross-functional and cross-geo team activities, setting project milestones, and motivating teams to meet project timelines and deliverables
• Proactively address ambiguity through strategic thinking followed by tactical execution
• Form a clear understanding of team priorities to balance urgent vs. daily activities
• Proactively build concepts and define new consumer experiences through partners

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in technology or engineering discipline required. Post-graduate (MS, PhD or MBA) degree or equivalent experience strongly preferred
• 7-10 years of experience in AI in a product development or product management capacity in a technology company, or as an analyst or investor in AI
• Effective interpersonal and relationship management skills
• Strong personal network within the industry, startup and ventures community
• Experience in leading complex, multi-team and cross-geographic projects to success
• Excellent written, verbal communications and presentation skills
• Ability to deal with ambiguity associated with working in a fast-paced and changing environment
• Must be willing to travel domestically and internationally (20%)

Special Attributes:

• Positive attitude and energy, persistence, and flexibility
• Great communication skills: clear, patient, and well adapted to the audience and situation
• Analytical skills to formulate and present structured, objective recommendations and respond to challenges and objections
• Personal skills to plan, organize, and prioritize multiple assignments and delivery on tight schedules
• Ability to position and sell technology to executive audiences