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‘To Bring the Enjoyment of Sports to All’
Descente LTD is establishing an Apparel R&D center in Japan and a Footwear R&D center in Korea. Descente is determined to improve the competitiveness of its products and to become a global leader in athletic footwear. The Footwear R&D Center is under construction in Busan, Korea. The state of the art facility will open its doors in September 2018. It will feature human performance, consumer research, product testing and material laboratories, design studio, product sample room, a 50-meter indoor track and an outdoor track.
The Footwear R&D Center aims at delivering game changing innovation through resolved world class research, development and design. If you value Creativity, Challenge, Integrity and Harmony, you are invited to apply to lead our Consumer Research Laboratory (CRL)
Mission of the CRL
To conduct the consumer research necessary to gather the insights that will lead to consumer relevant athletic footwear innovation. These insights will become the starting points of the innovation process. The CRL will also conduct the sensory evaluation research throughout the entire innovation process to insure finished products meet the subjective technical performance and fit preferences of our global consumer. The CRL will utilize surveys, focus groups, interviews, trained panels and other appropriate tools and methods to conduct its research.
Main Responsibilities
Initially, you will be responsible for the recruitment of your staff. In that capacity, you will work closely with Descente HR team, the facility manager and the head of the Footwear R&D Center. You will champion a working environment, implement processes and develop structures that are conducive to individual and team performance. You will create learning opportunities and assess the performance of your staff. With design and product line management, you will identify the target consumers for Descente footwear innovation. You will partner closely with members of the Advanced Innovation Team to formulate Descente footwear innovation agenda and to set the priorities for your organization. You will lead your team, possibly including external research groups, and manage the execution of a research program that supports the footwear innovation agenda from ideation to finished product. You will be responsible to develop, implement and manage tools and procedures that lead to reliable sensory evaluation at the Footwear R&D Center. You will also insure all projects meet high scientific and ethical standards. The later will require that you participate to the elaboration of a process by which all experimental protocols including data handling are approved by an independent Institutional Review Board. The testing results of the CRL coupled with those from the Human Performance and Material Testing Laboratories will allow for a holistic assessment of performance, comfort and safety that will drive decision making throughout the innovation cycle. You will also be an active member, a strong contributor to the Footwear R&D Center leadership team.
Qualifications
· Graduate degree in sensory evaluation, cognitive psychology, human factor science, or a related field with a minimum of 5 industrial work experience. Prior footwear industry experience is a plus.
· Strong understanding of sensory evaluation scientific process from study experimental protocol formulation to communication of research findings at scientific meetings.
· Demonstrated familiarity with the research tools and procedures used in sensory evaluation research (Survey, focus group, interview, … , trained panels). An advanced understanding of statistical procedures used in this field of research is an expected asset.
· Proven ability to develop new research tools and processes to improve the reliability of subjective evaluation.
· History of leading “outstanding” programs/teams involving people from different scientific fields and background.
· Minimum 2-year experience managing a diverse team of researchers and support personnel from goal setting through coaching to end of year performance evaluation.
· Have experience at teaching and developing team members.
· Demonstrated ability to collaborate with people across different disciplines and to work around obstacles.
· Proven ability at juggling multiple priorities, manage expectations and deliver results in a timely manner.
· Previous experience at managing the budget for a research team/program.
· Strong PR skills to represent the CRL, to work with internal/external groups and to communicate with the press.
· Strong passion for sports.
To apply, please send your application letter and resume (CV) to recruit@descente.co.kr. For more information about this position, please contact Mario Lafortune at Mlafortune99@gmail.com.
Mario A. Lafortune
VP, Descente
Head of Footwear R&D Center
Descente LTD is establishing an Apparel R&D center in Japan and a Footwear R&D center in Korea. Descente is determined to improve the competitiveness of its products and to become a global leader in athletic footwear. The Footwear R&D Center is under construction in Busan, Korea. The state of the art facility will open its doors in September 2018. It will feature human performance, consumer research, product testing and material laboratories, design studio, product sample room, a 50-meter indoor track and an outdoor track.
The Footwear R&D Center aims at delivering game changing innovation through resolved world class research, development and design. If you value Creativity, Challenge, Integrity and Harmony, you are invited to apply to lead our Consumer Research Laboratory (CRL)
Mission of the CRL
To conduct the consumer research necessary to gather the insights that will lead to consumer relevant athletic footwear innovation. These insights will become the starting points of the innovation process. The CRL will also conduct the sensory evaluation research throughout the entire innovation process to insure finished products meet the subjective technical performance and fit preferences of our global consumer. The CRL will utilize surveys, focus groups, interviews, trained panels and other appropriate tools and methods to conduct its research.
Main Responsibilities
Initially, you will be responsible for the recruitment of your staff. In that capacity, you will work closely with Descente HR team, the facility manager and the head of the Footwear R&D Center. You will champion a working environment, implement processes and develop structures that are conducive to individual and team performance. You will create learning opportunities and assess the performance of your staff. With design and product line management, you will identify the target consumers for Descente footwear innovation. You will partner closely with members of the Advanced Innovation Team to formulate Descente footwear innovation agenda and to set the priorities for your organization. You will lead your team, possibly including external research groups, and manage the execution of a research program that supports the footwear innovation agenda from ideation to finished product. You will be responsible to develop, implement and manage tools and procedures that lead to reliable sensory evaluation at the Footwear R&D Center. You will also insure all projects meet high scientific and ethical standards. The later will require that you participate to the elaboration of a process by which all experimental protocols including data handling are approved by an independent Institutional Review Board. The testing results of the CRL coupled with those from the Human Performance and Material Testing Laboratories will allow for a holistic assessment of performance, comfort and safety that will drive decision making throughout the innovation cycle. You will also be an active member, a strong contributor to the Footwear R&D Center leadership team.
Qualifications
· Graduate degree in sensory evaluation, cognitive psychology, human factor science, or a related field with a minimum of 5 industrial work experience. Prior footwear industry experience is a plus.
· Strong understanding of sensory evaluation scientific process from study experimental protocol formulation to communication of research findings at scientific meetings.
· Demonstrated familiarity with the research tools and procedures used in sensory evaluation research (Survey, focus group, interview, … , trained panels). An advanced understanding of statistical procedures used in this field of research is an expected asset.
· Proven ability to develop new research tools and processes to improve the reliability of subjective evaluation.
· History of leading “outstanding” programs/teams involving people from different scientific fields and background.
· Minimum 2-year experience managing a diverse team of researchers and support personnel from goal setting through coaching to end of year performance evaluation.
· Have experience at teaching and developing team members.
· Demonstrated ability to collaborate with people across different disciplines and to work around obstacles.
· Proven ability at juggling multiple priorities, manage expectations and deliver results in a timely manner.
· Previous experience at managing the budget for a research team/program.
· Strong PR skills to represent the CRL, to work with internal/external groups and to communicate with the press.
· Strong passion for sports.
To apply, please send your application letter and resume (CV) to recruit@descente.co.kr. For more information about this position, please contact Mario Lafortune at Mlafortune99@gmail.com.
Mario A. Lafortune
VP, Descente
Head of Footwear R&D Center