R&D Manager

Main Purpose of the Job:

Lead key projects with R&D to support business goals.
Develop research programs incorporating current developments to improve existing products and study the potential of new products.
Understand customer expectations on to-be manufactured products.
Research, plan, and implement new protocols and programs into their organization.
Supervise research and the development of new knowledge-based products.

Main objectives and results:

Implementation of a R&D Programs into group business to drive innovation and product enhancement to market position
Develop an R&D Roadmap through Ideation to Production Ready and ensures complete validation of Roadmap (Financial, Tooling and Equipment, Validation and Circularity etc)
Key Focus Point for Customer contact and ensures the business Roadmap is aligned to customer trends and product development
Provides insight to internal and external stakeholder trends and aspirations to enhance develop of products and technologies
Lead Customer Roadshow and Engagement Sessions
Provide Operational Support and Guidance to ongoing issue management and corrective action planning for production issues
Builds the knowledge in our company for our industry and other influencing sectors
Implement robust FMEA Processes to support Production Approval

Preferred Skills and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent job related experience; MBA/ MS preferred
10 years related experience, preferably in the automotive industry
Proven track record of R&D, Product Innovation and Implementation
Prior experience in a management capacity; experience in employee development highly desirable
Possess high level of diplomacy for both internal and external customer contacts
Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, management and communication skills
Possess in-depth knowledge of job-related technical skills: GD&T, DFM, DFA, CAE/FEA, CAD
Good working knowledge / understanding industry standards & related procedures incl. APQP/ PPAP/ IATF16949
Sufficient verbal and written language skills associated to IAC and the programme / operational locations.
Adaptability in the location of work including business travel