Lead Engineer, Engineering

The team you will be a part of

This role in summary

Whirlpool is looking for a qualified candidate for the role of Aesthetics Engineer (Senior Analyst) for the Laundry System team at Pondicherry.

Your responsibilities will include

• Lead the aesthetic development of product exteriors and user touchpoints — including fascia, lid, control panels, knobs, trims, and decorative components.

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  Ensure design feasibility, manufacturability, and appearance quality through collaboration with Industrial Design, Tooling, and Manufacturing teams.

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  Define and validate appearance standards such as gloss, texture, color harmony, gap/flush, and visual alignment.

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  Conduct fit & finish reviews, evaluate visual defects (sink marks, warpage, flow lines), and drive closure through design or process actions.

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  Support design reviews, tool kick-off, and first article inspections (FAI) for aesthetic components.

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  Manage part surface classification, master samples, and color master approvals with suppliers.

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  Perform competitive benchmarking for style, ergonomics, and visual differentiation.

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  Partner with Material, Paint, and Process experts to identify new finishes, coatings, and decorative technologies.

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  Create and maintain FMEA, DVPR, and aesthetic validation plans aligned with the Whirlpool Product Development (WPD) methodology.

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  Support cost, quality, and complexity improvement projects for decorative and visual parts.

Minimum requirements

Preferred skills and experiences

This role will be responsible for driving the design, fit, finish, and appearance quality of Laundry products including Semi-Automatic, Fully Automatic (Top Load & Front Load), and Dryers.
The engineer will lead cross-functional collaboration between Design, Product Engineering, and Manufacturing to ensure that all consumer-facing components meet Whirlpool’s global standards for appearance, surface quality, and robustness.

The Aesthetics Engineer will play a key role in translating the Voice of the Customer (VOC) into Voice of Design (VOD) and Voice of Engineering (VOE) to ensure that the visual and tactile quality of the product reflects Whirlpool’s premium image across all brands and segments.

Additional information

• Strong understanding of plastic and painted part design, tool aesthetics, and surface quality principles.

• Experience in fit, finish, and appearance validation for consumer products.

• Knowledge of appearance standards – gloss, color, texture, and surface uniformity.

• Hands-on experience with 3D CAD tools (Creo/ CATIA / NX) for part design and interface studies.

• Familiarity with appearance measurement tools (gloss meter, colorimeter, spectrophotometer).

• Understanding of manufacturing processes – injection molding, painting, IMD, hydrographic, chrome plating, and texture etching.

• Experience in tool feasibility reviews, DFM/A, and vendor tooling assessments.

• Ability to conduct visual defect analysis and recommend corrective actions.

• Knowledge of Whirlpool Product Development (WPD) or equivalent product lifecycle processes.

• Exposure to supplier development and qualification processes for decorative parts.