Research & Development Manager

Lawson Fuses Limited (LFL) is seeking a Engineering Manager for R&D department for its headquarters located in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. This is a key role for the business, and the role holder will be part of LFL global leadership team and will manage all aspects of stage gate process for new products from project initiation, concept design through to final design, testing and launch.

The additional aspects of the role will include technical support, research and development.

Main purpose of the role is to strategically align Lawson Fuses in the Low Voltage fuse gear electrical marketplace by creating product roadmaps and accelerating new product development through innovation and adopting cutting edge materials.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate, as you will influence and help shape the profile, reputation, and growth of Lawson Fuses. This role also gives an opportunity to develop and train a robust product development team.

Job Context

Incorporated in 1938, LFL is an established British and global brand that operates in the fuse gear market with a focus on design, development and manufacture of low voltage High Rupture Capacity (HRC) fuse-links and associated fuse holders. LFL’s products are ASTA certified and comply with IEC/BS/ENA standards and accepted throughout the world. With manufacturing facilities based in UK and India, LFL’s global clientele is spread across several countries including (not limited to) UK, Middle East, Africa, India, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea and Hong Kong.

With ISO 17025 ASTA certified R&D lab and ASTA certified manufacturing plants, LFL is keen on safety, quality and speed of product delivery. From 2018, LFL is part of Lucy Group which is a diversified international group head quartered in Oxford, UK and operates in multiple sectors including Power Distribution, Smart Lighting, Fuse Gear and Real Estate.

Lawson Fuses under the banner of Lucy Group is focusing on accelerated growth of its product line and subsequently the share of the market. The role of PDM will be directly influencing the vision of the business.

This job vacancy has arisen due to potential retirement of the incumbent manager.

Job Dimensions

This is a full-time role based in our Newcastle upon Tyne plant. This role reports to General Manager of the business and will work closely with sales and operations teams to implement product roadmap strategies. There are four dimensions to this role: (1) develop and implement product roadmaps; (2) designing product for manufacture and optimized cost; (3) product / lab qualification and certification and (4) technical support

This role requires an outstanding technical leader, communicator and exceptional team player with good project management skills who can lead and inspire the wider team. We are looking for some from electrical / mechanical / material science background with a successful track record of product development and launch.

Key activities of this role will include the following:

Strategic product roadmap for the business – Development and Implementation

Tactical technical execution plan for the business – Development and Implementation

Drive product development and other technical activities in line with monthly targets

Product verification testing in line with compliance required

Technical support for existing product lines

R&D lab qualification and certification in line with compliance required

Collaboration with sales and operations team across sites to address any compliance and/or quality issues.

Key Accountabilities

These will include:

Research:

Identifying and researching on technical market trends and gaps in close collaboration with sales and marketing teams

Researching on new materials and compositions required for improving products to meet cost, compliance, sustainability and customer needs

Design:

Designing the concept to meet technical, legal and commercial requirements

Adopting design for manufacture, value engineering and design-to-cost concepts

Creating intellectual property as part of fuse gear design and enabling product differentiation

Product bills of material development, drawings office control and design change…