Director, R&D, Industrial & Transportation

It's a great time to join Velcro Companies!

This position is responsible for a team in execution of global and regional category specific projects and will partner with Marketing Category Directors to develop a global product strategy including a robust R&D project pipeline fulfilling market and customer needs with a competitive new product portfolio.

This role will work closely with the R&D leadership team, cross-functional leadership teams, the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), and across the Transportation & Industrial groups to drive and improve end-to-end innovation strategy, portfolio, execution, and timely product launches. The role will lead the R&D organization through mapping of the current Transportation & Industrial state, and the identification of opportunities and challenges while building an integrated roadmap to strengthen strategic alignment and improve executional effectiveness.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:

Leads R&D category teams:

• Oversee team of engineers, and technicians in execution of global and regional Transportation & Industrial projects following stage gate development process.
• Support team development, constantly assessing capabilities, managing performance outcomes and attracting the best talent.
• Lead all aspects of organizational talent development in critical execution skills (e.g. governance, project management and Design To Value) across all leadership and professional levels.

Drives strategic alignment:

• Partner with cross functional leadership teams and ELT to align to strategy, vision, mission, and innovation goals.
• Understand the global Transportation & Industrial category dynamics and key players as well as the key elements of the value creation chain.
• Ensure clarity of role in driving the future strategy.

Improves portfolio health and decision-making:

• Maintain a clear and realistic project pipeline having a revenue potential consistent with market growth objectives.
• Lead regular Project Review Board meetings to review projects and ensure alignment & support between R&D, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Engineering, Procurement, and Operations.
• Enhance front-end process and capabilities to identify and deliver new pipeline opportunities from both market driven and customer driven opportunities.
• Improves portfolio decision-making and trade-offs to ensure the company is collectively selecting and fully resourcing the most impactful opportunities in Transportation & Industrial.
• Responsible for driving process and approach for unmet need identification and value assessment.

Knowledge & Experience (Minimum Job Qualifications):

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Science or related field. Advanced degree preferred.
• 15 years of proven related leadership and progressive business experience.
• 7 years of experience in leading and managing others, preferably in a global capacity with a multi-cultural mindset.
• Experience in a premier multinational company known for R&D best practices as well as smaller company experience is desirable.
• B2C engineered materials innovation and product development experience in a sales and marketing driven company.
• Must possess strong knowledge of engineering fundamentals.
• Strong project management and change leadership skills are required.
• Solid collaboration skills, within complex environments is required.
• High attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.
• Strong time management skills and ability to prioritize responsibilities.
• Strong problem-solving skills, sound judgement, and ability to effectively influence decision-making.
• Strong business acumen with understanding of the financial implications of new product development.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both verbally and written).
• Collaborative, team-orientated, adept with key stakeholder management.
• MS Office Suite (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word).
• Ability to travel up to 20%, both domestically and internationally.

Increases Effectiveness of New Product Development for Transportation & Industrial projects:

• Map the current state New Product Innovation (NPI) process for Transportation & Industrial, governance, skills, and culture and identifies the most impactful opportunities to drive improvements to NPI effectiveness.
• Identify the most critical metrics to track NPI performance and measure improvement, resulting from change initiatives.
• Leads critical change initiatives to improve the agility and rigor of new product development leading to validated improvement in target metrics.

Drives a Culture of Innovation and Executional Excellence:

• Drive cultural change in partnership with ELT, Marketing, R&D leadership teams and cross functional teams to increase engagement and business results.
• Enhance transparency, connectivity, empowerment, and simplification across the organization.

OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING

Fostering a culture where people thrive-safely, purposefully, and with opportunity. At Velcro USA Inc., we are committed to creating a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow. We offer competitive pay, a comprehensive benefits package, and generous time-off to meet the diverse needs of our workforce. Our culture encourages advancement and provides opportunities for both personal and professional development.

Safetyis a core value at Velcro USA Inc. and an essential part of every role. We are dedicated to maintaining a safe, healthy work environment through strict adherence to our Global Safety Rules and our goal of achieving Zero Injuries of Any Kind (ZIAK). Employees are expected to complete required safety training, use personal protective equipment (PPE), report unsafe conditions, and follow protocols for fall protection, lockout/tagout (LOTO), hot work, and confined spaces. Together, we foster a culture of prevention, accountability, and care.

Health and Welfare Benefits:

Medical and Prescription Coverage (HSA and HRA Options)

Dental Coverage

Vision Coverage

Flexible Spending Accounts

Award Winning Wellness and Incentive Program

Life Insurance

Short- and Long-Term Disability

Business Travel Accident Insurance

Voluntary Accident & Critical Illness Insurance

EAP (Employee Assistance Program)

Retirement Savings Plan

401(k) Saving Plan with generous 5.5% Company match and Immediate Vesting

Time-Off Benefits

Paid Vacation Time

Paid Sick Time

Paid Parental Leave

13 Paid Company Holidays

Other Benefits and Programs

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Financial Wellness Benefit - Smart Dollar

Employee Recognition Programs

Employee Resource Groups

Charitable or Educational Matching Gift Program

Employee Referral Bonus Program

Velcro Companies provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.