The Client
My client is a leading international technology manufacturer headquartered in County Durham and is looking for a people-driven Head of R&D to lead best-in-class NPD delivery. This is a highly hands-on role, focused on execution, product lifecycle excellence and compliance - not strategic R&D oversight or architectural ownership
About the Role
Reporting to the Global Head of R&D, the Head of R&D will drive high-quality, on-time product development and sustaining engineering across the business unit portfolio, with full accountability for product compliance to all relevant standards and regulations.
Leading UK-based engineering and product compliance teams, the role works closely with European R&D leadership to align priorities, accelerate execution, and deliver consistently strong performance across sites.
Main Responsibilities
Engineering Delivery & Execution
* Own delivery of UK-based engineering projects (scope, timeline, quality)
* Drive predictable execution through structured planning, tracking, and accountability
* Align engineering capacity with project priorities and business needs
* Establish and manage delivery KPIs (cycle time, on-time delivery, throughput)
Product Lifecycle & Sustaining Engineering
1. Own engineering support for the existing product portfo...