Director, New Business Creation
SharkNinja
About Us
SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company, with a diversified portfolio of 5-star rated lifestyle solutions that positively impact people’s lives in homes around the world. Powered by two trusted, global brands, Shark and Ninja, the company has a proven track record of bringing disruptive innovation to market and developing one consumer product after another has allowed SharkNinja to enter multiple product categories, driving significant growth and market share gains. Headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts with more than 4,100 associates, the company’s products are sold at key retailers, online and offline, and through distributors around the world.
AI at SharkNinja
At SharkNinja, we’re building an AI-native culture. We’re not waiting for the future; we’re creating it. Our people are expected to experiment boldly, adopt new tools, and continuously raise what’s possible to create meaningful impact for our consumers. If you believe the best way to do your job hasn’t been invented yet, you’ll fit right in.
Director, New Business Creation
SharkNinja | Product Incubation | Reports to: SVP, Product Incubation
Purpose
This is a future-oriented role that requires skills in creating brand-new categories for SharkNinja, operating at the fuzzy front end of the innovation development process. No single role today carries the full cross-functional capability needed to take a category from a blank sheet to a fundable, roadmap-ready opportunity - this role fills that gap. It combines capabilities in product development, technical program management, and consumer insights, and finance in one leader who can identify, evaluate, recommend, and develop categories SharkNinja does not compete in today.
The role serves four purposes:
- Leadership. Set the vision for a new category and drive the decisions that move it forward.
- Business model development. Shape raw market trends and ideas into sustainable, high-growth, high-margin businesses and products, backed by financial and quantitative analysis.
- New product development. Identify, define, and develop the product concepts that establish SharkNinja's entry into the category.
- Partnership development. Find and lead the external product and technology partnerships that accelerate category entry.
Key Responsibilities
Category leadership and vision
- Own selected new-category initiatives end-to-end at the front end: business and product vision, product definition, and portfolio strategy.
- Act as the connective enabler across PD, ACE, consumer insight, finance, and external partners.
- Drive timely decisions so early initiatives make rapid progress and do not stall.
Market and business case development
- Run market and consumer research to size categories, assess trends, and synthesize insights.
- Map the competitive landscape and define where SharkNinja can win.
- Build the financial models that test revenue and margin potential and go-to-market scenarios.
- Present a balanced view of risk and opportunity, with the few metrics that matter most.
Product concept development
- Ideate product concepts for SharkNinja's entry into the category.
- Screen opportunities on Desirability, Viability, and Feasibility (DVF).
- Work with ACE to start development and inject concepts onto the SharkNinja product roadmap.
- Build the final business case and present it to executive leadership for a go decision.
Partnerships
- Initiate and build relationships with external category and technology experts.
- Identify new partner opportunities that support category and product strategy.
- Connect internal teams and external partners to share information and move faster.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or engineering. MBA preferred.
- 8 to 10 years of experience, including category creation, new business development, or a combined strategy and execution role.
Required Skills
- Exemplary leadership: inspire, motivate, guide, and drive individuals from broad functional backgrounds to deliver significant business results.
- Exercises high judgment in early-stage, ambiguous work.
- Passion for creating game-changing products that solve major consumer problems.
- Strong business evaluation, analysis, and problem-solving to assess and develop new opportunities.
- Excellent critical thinking and thought leadership.
- Manage multiple initiatives at once, each at a different stage of development and across very different consumer categories.
- Develop and manage productive relationships with external partners and SMEs to find opportunities and create complementary products.
- Strong team orientation, with the ability to coach and mentor regardless of reporting relationships.
- Self-starter who works with minimal direction and keeps information flowing openly.
- Communicate complex ideas simply and present persuasively to executive leadership.
- Influence across the organization at all levels, including outside your span of control or authority.
- Guide and steer engineering and design direction.
- Creative, adaptive, and comfortable operating in a high ambiguity environment
- Balances business acumen with technical capability; thinks strategically, acts tactically.
Salary and Other Compensation: The annual salary range for this position is displayed below. Factors which may affect starting pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements: medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts (HSA) with company contribution, 401(k) retirement plan with matching, employee stock purchase program, life insurance, AD&D, short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance, generous paid time off, company holidays, parental leave, identity theft protection, pet insurance, pre-paid legal insurance, back-up child and eldercare days, product discounts, referral bonus program, and more.
Pay Range
$200,000—$240,000 USD
Our Culture
At SharkNinja, we don’t just raise the bar-we push past it every single day. Our Outrageously Extraordinary mindset drives us to tackle the impossible, push boundaries, and deliver results that others only dream of. If you thrive on breaking out of your swim lane, you’ll be right at home.
What We Offer
We offer competitive health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, employee stock purchase options, wellness programs, SharkNinja product discounts, and more. We empower your personal and professional growth with high impact Learning Programs featuring bold voices redefining what’s possible. When you join, you’re not just part of a company-you’re part of an outrageously extraordinary community. Together, we won’t just launch products-we’ll disrupt entire markets.
At SharkNinja, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vital to our global success. Valuing each unique voice and blending all of our diverse skills strengthens SharkNinja’s innovation every day. We support ALL associates in bringing their authentic selves to work, making an impact, and having the opportunity for career acceleration. With help from our leadership, associates, and our community, we aim to have equity be a key component of the SharkNinja DNA.
Learn more about us:
SharkNinja Candidate Privacy Notice
For candidates based in all regions, please refer to this Candidate Privacy Notice.
For candidates based in China, please refer to this Candidate Privacy Notice.
For candidates based in Vietnam, please refer to this Candidate Privacy Notice.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other class protected by legislation, and local law. SharkNinja will consider reasonable accommodations consistent with legislation, and local law. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact SharkNinja People & Culture at [email protected]