We begin with dreams. Dreams drive our motivation. Dreams are our future. The world's dreams, people's dreams, our dreams. Our passion creates ideas that make dreams come alive. Technology and products that were only dreams become reality.
All for dreams. Dreams challenge and the Nidec-Group will continue to meet the challenge. For the world's and people's tomorrows; the world's first, the world's best technologies and products; we will continue our part in creating a better society.
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
Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Nidec
Nidec is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action Employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, genetic information, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. For more information regarding your (EEO) rights as an applicant, please visit the following website: http://www1.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf
Work Shift Schedule
No Soliciting
Nidec will not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third party recruiting agencies in response to Nidec job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers. Pre-approval from the Nidec Talent Acquisition team is required before any external candidate can be submitted and such candidate must be submitted to the Nidec Talent Acquisition team.
