Spark Grills - Head of Product

I was the Lead Engineer and Head of Product for the original Spark Grills Smart Barbecue. Hired to build and lead the team, I put together an interdisciplinary team of engineers to bring the product from Industrial Design concepts to mass production in SE Asia. As part of this I was directly involved in all aspects of the mechanical and electrical design, leading design reviews and approving all mechanical drawings.

The Spark Grill is programmed to a set point between 200-950F by the user either from the dial, or through a BLE-connected smartphone App. The grill then ignites the user-inserted charcoal and uses forced air to control the charcoal burn in order to hold the user’s set temperature. Operating over such a large temperature range with onboard electronics brought interesting technical challenges, as did releasing a new product right as Covid struck.

Industrial Design

I directly managed outside ID contractors to ensure that design concepts were manufacturable and brought the desired customer experience. In addition I led internal efforts to scope out Gen 2 alterations to speed up subsequent ID iterations.

Solid Fuel Development

In addition to leading the grill development, I took an active part in development, qualification, and production of Spark’s custom Briq®. As part of this I took a hands-on approach to improving yields, throughput, and end function.

Manufacturing

Spark is a complex high temperature outdoor product that utilizes deep drawn, enamelled, welded, bent, stamped, and injection molded components. From a handful of vendors spanning SE Asia. Though I did not spearhead the manufacturing process, I worked directly with and in our factories.