VP, Chief Innovation Officer

Job Summary

The Senior Director, Research & Development is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and leading the organization’s R&D strategy to drive innovation, product development, and technology advancement in support of business growth and competitive differentiation. This role provides enterprise‑wide leadership for research, product development, and innovation pipelines.

Job Description

Role Overview
The Senior Director, R&D owns the enterprise R&D strategy, governance, and performance across innovation, product development, and technology exploration. The role balances strategic direction with execution oversight to ensure resources are focused on high‑value opportunities and that development programs deliver timely, high‑quality outcomes.
This position leads directors, managers, and senior technical leaders and serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on innovation priorities, technology roadmaps, and portfolio investment decisions.

Key Responsibilities
R&D Strategy & Innovation Leadership

Define and own the enterprise R&D and innovation strategy aligned with business objectives
Establish multi‑year technology and product development roadmaps
Ensure R&D priorities balance near‑term delivery with long‑term innovation

Product & Technology Development

Oversee development of new products, platforms, and technologies
Ensure disciplined execution of development programs from concept through launch
Promote design for quality, scalability, manufacturability, and sustainability

Portfolio Management & Investment Prioritization

Lead governance of the R&D portfolio, including prioritization and resource allocation
Evaluate technical feasibility, market potential, risk, and ROI of initiatives
Ensure effective decision‑making across stage‑gate or development lifecycle processes

Innovation Pipeline & Market Alignment

Foster ideation, experimentation, and exploration of emerging technologies
Partner with Marketing and Business Development to align innovation with customer needs
Monitor market and technology trends to inform innovation direction

Technical Excellence & Standards

Establish R&D standards, methodologies, and best practices
Ensure rigorous technical reviews, validation, and verification processes
Promote knowledge sharing and reuse of platforms and technologies

Cross‑Functional Product Realization

Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Regulatory, and Operations
Ensure smooth transition of designs from R&D to manufacturing and commercialization
Support product launches and post‑launch performance monitoring

People Leadership & Capability Development

Lead and develop a high‑performing R&D organization
Build capability in research, product development, and innovation leadership
Establish organizational structures, performance expectations, and succession plans

External Collaboration & Ecosystem Engagement

Build relationships with universities, research institutions, suppliers, and partners
Support open innovation, partnerships, and external research initiatives as appropriate
Evaluate opportunities for collaboration to accelerate innovation

Senior Leadership Collaboration & Communication

Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on innovation strategy and technology risk
Communicate R&D performance, progress, and roadmap to senior leadership forums
Provide thought leadership on innovation culture and long‑term technical direction


Qualifications
Education & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Science, or related technical field required
Master’s degree or PhD (or MBA with strong technical background) strongly preferred
Typically 12–15+ years of progressive experience in R&D, engineering, or product development roles
Demonstrated experience leading enterprise‑level R&D or innovation organizations

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Deep technical expertise and understanding of product and technology development
Strong strategic planning, portfolio management, and innovation leadership skills
Proven senior leadership and people development capability
Ability to influence and align cross‑functional and geographically dispersed leaders
Strong analytical, decision‑making, and risk‑management skills
Clear communication, judgment, and change‑leadership capability

Additional Job Details

Management – M5

Organizational Impact
• Establishes operational initiatives that significantly influence the mid- to long-term success and performance of the overall business unit, department and/or job family group
• Leads the implementation of strategies set forth by executive leadership, ensuring alignment with functional or business unit objectives
• Develops and oversees strategic operational plans for the department and/or job family group, focusing on mid-term outcomes (e.g., ~3 years)
• Has a substantial level of accountability for organizational resources and influences high-level business decisions made by executive leadership
• Typically accountable for significant revenue generation and/or expenditures across major organizational areas, with a high degree of autonomy and decision-making authority
Communication & Influence
• Communicates regularly with parties within and outside of job family group, department, or business unit, may include external clients or vendors
• Works to drive influence and consensus among diverse groups, advocating for the organization’s vision and strategic initiatives while communicating complex concepts and practices to executive leadership on matters of critical importance to the organization
• Regularly conducts briefings and presentations with executive leadership, and is sometimes required to negotiate and resolve operational challenges that impact strategic direction
Innovation & Complexity
• Responsible for improving upon entire processes, systems or products to enhance performance of business unit and/or job family group
• Addresses a wide array of complex and ambiguous challenges, often involving multifaceted issues where information is scarce and difficult to ascertain
• Problems are frequently complex and impact multiple business units and/or job family groups
• Solutions are developed through leveraging expertise, strategic analysis, and innovative thinking, drawing on a deep understanding of industry trends and organizational dynamics

Leadership & Talent Management
• Oversees multiple departments or job families, managing a large, diverse team of leaders who supervise various sub-teams
• Responsible for developing and implementing strategic workforce and talent management plans to ensure alignment with business objectives and the availability of high-caliber talent
• Typically has hiring, firing, promotion and reward authority within own area, in accordance with Corporate Guidelines
Knowledge & Experience
• Requires proficient management and leadership acumen to spearhead complex, cross-functional project teams and drive initiatives across multiple departments and job family groups
• Exhibits a high level of mastery in a specialized technical domain or possesses extensive expertise across a wide range of interrelated disciplines, enabling strategic decision-making and innovation
• Typically requires an advanced degree or equivalent professional certification, along with a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience