Senior Director of R&D
Glasgow OR Luxemburg (Hybrid)

At EVONA we are looking for a Senior Director of R&D to join our client. You will be responsible for the strategic R&D developments across the whole technical stack. Specifically, this role will drive long-term technology development, enabling future success and competitive advantages.
The role is targeted mainly towards upstream technology developments (i.e. new spacecraft sensors, technologies, Earth observation techniques, etc.). We are looking for an experienced technology leader who is part technologist and part manager, to develop, own and drive the company’s long-term technology roadmap.

Responsibilities of your role

• Own the company’s long-term technology roadmap and drive the internal innovation cycle.
• Manage the spin up of technology-specific teams, execution of projects, and spin down or spinout/productization of said teams.
• Manage the funnel of new technologies entering the company, and work with senior leadership and business owners to down select the right technologies to pursue based on the business roadmaps.
• Maintain a map of the industry detailing which cutting edge technologies in the fields the company is active in might be relevant in the next 5 years.
• Explore, evaluate and set up collaborations with external partners to develop and source technologies (e.g. academia, public organizations, startups etc.).
• Help secure internal and external funding for valuable projects.
• Contribute to the technical aspects of proposals for bids, grants, tenders etc.
• Be an internal advisor on technology aspects, strategically supporting other areas of the business where needed.
• Be an external technical point of contact for the company, representing at conferences, events, etc. evangelising the company’s technology prowess.
• Maintain the budget of this R&D group.

Basic Qualifications/Experience

• 10+ years of work experience in complex engineering projects
• 5+ years of experience managing complex engineering projects, major changes and initiatives.
• 5+ years of experience with “hard tech”/“deep tech”, including electromechanical systems (e.g. space, defense, vehicles, aircraft/drones, medical equipment, consumer electronics), measurement and sensors, software, algorithms, and AI/ML
• Experience recruiting, coaching and retaining high-performance and specialist technical teams.
• A history with hands-on experience developing systems (e.g. systems design, CAD design, PCB design, software development etc.) at one point during the career.
• Experience with project management of large interdisciplinary, multi-year projects.
• Experience working with customers and external stakeholders (e.g. academia, public organizations, startups etc.)
• Experience with system architecture and systems engineering.
• Comfortable with public speaking.
• Comfortable with travel to visit Spire offices, partners, conferences, trade shows etc.
• Experience working with SMEs outside of their own field of expertise.
• Can design from first principles, supports open-minded thinking.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and strategic thinking abilities with a problem-solving aptitude.

Preferred qualifications

• Previous experience as R&D director, VP Engineering, CTO or other senior leadership roles.
• Experience in the aerospace sector, particularly in earth observation and satellite subsystem and sensor development.
• Experience in geospatial data science and analysis (e.g. Earth observation systems, weather forecasting etc.).
• Experience with high-reliability systems in extreme environments (e.g. space, deep sea, desert, etc.).
• Experience with manufacturing of electromechanical systems, including supply chain management.
• Background in radio communications, remote sensing, data science etc.
• Significant international and cross-cultural experience.