Vice President, Research & Development

It’s a great time to join Velcro Companies!
** Summary of Position Responsibility:
** This role will lead the company’s Research & Development initiatives, reporting directly to the Chief Innovation and Technology Officer. The successful candidate will oversee and grow the R&D functions focused on Technology and Equipment Platforms, managing a global team of over 10 professionals. Responsibilities include driving R&D and product development strategies aligned with customer needs, and collaborating cross-functionally with business, commercial, and marketing leaders to advance innovation efforts.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in plastics injection molding, nonwovens manufacturing, and the Personal Care industry, with a proven ability to lead global teams and deliver impactful innovation.
** Essential Duties and Responsibilities
** include the following:
* Develop an R&D agenda that supports the strategic business growth agenda, including continued growth in B2B and accelerated growth for the Consumer business.
* Build a strong innovation pipeline in partnership with the commercial and business leaders.  Ensure that the pipeline is set up for profitable growth.
* Drive innovation efforts and investment, monetarizing the investment.  Bring to market a pipeline that will be broadly adapted and provide the company with a competitive advantage.
* Implement a fully integrated concept to commercialization process across the organization.  This should include the right milestones, timelines, and metrics, with the goal of improving discipline and speed to market.
* Further drive the stage gate process, ensuring adoption across the organization and improving efficiency and effectiveness.
* Define and develop KPI’s to measure the progress of the function, driving the function toward a metrics-driven, results-oriented group.
* Lead efforts in open innovation.  Drive co-customer development as needed.
* Continually collaborate across the organization to develop and refine the R&D strategy.
* Retain and develop a best-in-class team.  Assess capability gaps and address accordingly by adding talent to the organization.
** Knowledge & Experience (Minimum Job Qualifications)**:
* PHD in relevant technical field.
* 10 years’ experience leading global R&D organization for a similar size and scale business with a team of 35+; leadership of complex, distributed R&D team.
* Relevant B2B technology experience (e.g., specialty materials/process industries including plastics injection molding, adhesives, non-woven, etc.) and Consumer products experience.
* Experience in mid-sized, agile businesses.
* History of metrics-driven R&D leadership with financially profitable outcomes
* Track record of open innovation/customer co-development.
* Proven history of driving the product pipeline, including new product development and disruptive innovation in alignment with the business leaders.
* Ability to rollout processes and systems across an organization cross-functionally to enable growth.
* Ability to inspire, retain, and develop a high performing team.
* Strong communicator and trusted advisor for technology
* Ability to be successful in flexible, less structure environments
* Ability to create followership and drive positive sustained change.
* Highly collaborative, building relationships across the organization and with the team.
* Strong business acumen with evidence of bringing business-led perspective to technology
* MS Office Suite (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word).
* Ability to travel up to 25%, both domestically and internationally.
** Key

Competencies:

**** Results Oriented:
** Drive for improvement of business results and higher levels of performance, to include all key metrics.  Drive top line, bottom line and other key measures both within R&D and across the company more broadly.  Demonstrate an ability to establish a high-performance ethic and culture that is committed to growth, creativity, innovation, change and consistent achievement of clear and challenging objectives.  

Demonstrate a track record of creating unique value for business and customers and satisfying their needs while delivering superior financial results…