Head of Research & Development - Water Technologies

Description

The Global Head of R&D is responsible for building and leading a high-impact, global research, development, and technical innovation organization focused on non-chemical water technologies, metal-based media systems, and industrial process applications.

As a key member of the leadership team, this role defines and executes the global innovation strategy to deliver differentiated technologies, strengthen the company’s intellectual property position, and accelerate commercialization. The role ensures strong alignment between R&D, commercial priorities, and operational execution to drive sustainable growth across global industrial water markets.   

 Strategy & Business Impact

• Define and execute the global R&D and innovation strategy aligned with business growth objectives, market needs, and competitive differentiation.
• Deliver a robust innovation pipeline driving measurable business outcomes, including revenue growth from new products, improved margins, and expanded market applications.
• Establish clear performance metrics for innovation, including time-to-market, commercialization success rates, and return on R&D investment.
• Partner closely with commercial leadership to integrate voice-of-customer insights into product development and ensure successful market adoption.

Leadership & Organizational Development

• Build, lead, and scale a high-performing global R&D organization, including laboratory, pilot, and technical application teams.
• Develop a strong talent pipeline through recruitment, capability building, succession planning, and leadership development.
• Foster a high-performance, collaborative, and inclusive culture that promotes innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead cross-regional teams effectively, ensuring alignment, communication, and execution across diverse global operations.

Innovation & Technology Development

• Drive innovation programs focused on product performance, application expansion, operational reliability, manufacturability, and cost competitiveness.
• Oversee laboratory development, pilot testing, scale-up, and validation activities to ensure successful commercialization of new technologies.
• Implement and continuously improve stage-gate processes, technical standards, and product validation protocols to enhance R&D efficiency and effectiveness.

Intellectual Property & Competitive Positioning

• Define and execute a comprehensive global IP strategy, including patent development, trade secret protection, and competitive technology positioning.
• Partner with external patent counsel and internal stakeholders to identify, protect, and expand strategic IP assets.
• Monitor competitive technologies and industry trends to maintain a strong and differentiated market position.

Financial & Operational Management

• Lead the global R&D budget and capital investment strategy, ensuring effective allocation of resources and strong ROI on innovation initiatives.
• Prioritize and balance multiple R&D programs, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and resource availability.
• Drive operational excellence in R&D processes, infrastructure, and tools.

External Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

• Establish and manage strategic partnerships with universities, research institutions, industry organizations, and technology providers.
• Leverage external innovation networks to accelerate technology development and access emerging capabilities.
• Support technical due diligence for strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or M&A activities.

Customer & Market Engagement

• Provide executive-level technical leadership in key customer engagements and strategic projects.
• Collaborate with customers to develop tailored solutions and strengthen the company’s position as a technology partner.
• Represent the company in industry forums, conferences, and technical associations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Water Technology, Environmental Engineering, or related technical discipline. 
• Significant experience in industrial water treatment technologies, or industrial process technologies. 
• Proven experience leading R&D, product development, or technical innovation teams within industrial manufacturing, or water technology environments. 
• Demonstrated success building technical organizations, laboratory capabilities, innovation processes, and commercialization pipelines. 
• Experience developing and managing intellectual property strategies including patents, trade secrets, technical documentation, and technology protection initiatives. 
• Familiarity with global environmental, industrial, and regulatory standards related to water treatment and industrial process technologies. 

Skills and Abilities

• Strategic leadership with the ability to align innovation with business growth objectives.
• Deep technical expertise in industrial water treatment and/or industrial process technologies.
• Strong commercial acumen and ability to translate market needs into differentiated solutions.
• Expertise in applied research, product development, pilot testing, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Advanced understanding of IP strategy, innovation governance, and competitive positioning.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate across executive leadership, commercial, operations, and regulatory teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities applied to complex technical and business challenges.
• Experience managing global teams, multiple programs, and complex resource allocation decisions.
• Effective communicator with the ability to engage stakeholders at all levels, including executive leadership and customers.
• Strong change leadership and organizational transformation capabilities.