Director, Research & Development, Controlled Temperature Technologies

Job Description

As part of the Thermo Fisher Scientific team, you'll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life every single day to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our global teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while helping to take science a step beyond by developing solutions for some of the world's toughest challenges, like protecting the environment, making sure our food is safe or helping find cures for cancer.

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Office

The Controlled Temperature Technologies (CTT) Business Unit is a portfolio business consisting of two primary product segments: the Cold Storage and Temperature Control. The cold storage segment includes Ultra‑Low Temperature Freezers, Laboratory Refrigerators and Freezers, Cryogenic and ELED. The Temperature Control segment includes Chillers, Bath Circulators and Heat Exchangers.

As the Director of Research & Development CTT, you will be responsible for leading and managing our research and development initiatives, driving innovation, and ensuring the successful delivery of exciting new products to market. You will oversee a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians, fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement. You will lead and influence through direct and matrix management relationships within a diverse organization.

This position reports directly to the Vice President CTT and is a key member of the BU leadership team.

• Develop and enact the strategic direction for the R&D function, ensuring alignment with overall business growth objectives, market needs, and P&L priorities to improve competitiveness, profitability, and long‑term value creation.
• Lead end‑to‑end development of innovative technologies and solutions, applying advanced design principles, sustainability practices, and digital capabilities to deliver differentiated, high‑quality products that meet evolving customer and market needs.
• Partner with Product Management to define multi‑year product and technology roadmaps, incorporating regulatory, environmental, and market insights.
• Build strong partnerships with Engineering, Operations, and Quality teams to ensure manufacturability, reliability, and cost effectiveness.
• Establish and lead the technical collaboration framework with OEM partners, ensuring product design integrity, quality, and performance while protecting Thermo Fisher's intellectual property and technical leadership.
• Foster strong cross‑functional collaboration across Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Commercial teams, ensuring seamless integration of R&D priorities throughout the product lifecycle – from concept and development to launch and sustaining support.
• Drive strategic alignment and innovation across external partnerships, leveraging complementary capabilities to accelerate product development, enhance technical differentiation, and support long‑term business growth.
• Mentor and develop a high‑performing R&D organization, fostering a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Manage R&D budgets, resource allocation, and project priorities to achieve business targets. Drive adoption of best practices in systems engineering, design controls, and compliance.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, global standards, and industry norms for safety, quality, and environmental sustainability requirements.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific or engineering field. A master's or Ph.D. is preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of progressive R&D leadership experience in complex engineered systems or technology‑driven product environments, preferably within regulated, high‑reliability, or performance‑critical industries.
• Strong technical background and expertise in scientific research methodologies, experimental design, and data analysis.
• Experience managing OEM development partnerships and technology transfers.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully driving innovation, delivering new products to market, and leading cross‑functional teams in a fast‑paced environment.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate, and foster a culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements and industry standards related to environmental and process gas analysis is desirable.

Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 25% of the time.