Oetiker provides customers with the peace of mind that their mission-critical components are reliably connected. We are a global leader in high-end connecting solutions for the vehicle industry and for high-value applications in industrial segments. Our expertise in high-quality connectors and high-performance assembly tools ranges from powertrain and drivetrain applications to medical applications. We offer engineering, prototyping and testing support to quickly create comprehensive solutions for overcoming clamping and connecting challenges. With 1800+ employees in more than 30 countries and over 75 years of experience, we are the trusted, global, long-term partner for the world’s leading OEMs.

This role establishes a new R&D Team in India from scratch and takes responsibility for the R&D Center of Competence Digital Products (CoC DP) and the RnD Global Services team. The role leads and drives all activities required to build an efficient and effective R&D team capable of delivering innovative products, processes and services. This is an end-to-end responsibility from ideation to product launch to in-life activities with the task to fulfill ambitious time-to-market, quality and cost deliverables. The role demands a high degree of competence and confidence in the ability to partner with relevant internal stakeholders, suppliers and customers with the ultimate goal to maximize business success.

Essential Functions

• Heads CoC Digital Products and R&D Global Services, represents Global R&D in India
• Establishes and skills-up R&D team, optimizes organizational setup and fosters talent
• Drives state-of-the-art R&D based on analytical and hands-on engineering
• Builds connections to global R&D team and establishes collaboration to internal and external partners
• Oversees execution of development and in-life projects (products and processes) while meeting quality, cost and time (QCT) deliverables.
• Responsible for overall R&D team performance, capability, budget (PEX, OPEX, CAPEX) and continuous improvement activities

Skills

• Proven drive (energy, determination, motivation) and a can-do mentality in the area of digital product development
• Excellent leadership and communication skills paired with strong innovative thinking and a high degree of intellectual curiosity
• Strong task management skills with relevant experience in new product development
• Precise and analytical working style with a high commitment to quality
• Experience in software architecture, software development, change management, troubleshooting and new software technologies
• Good understanding of how software, firmware and hardware interact, including technical and commercial aspects
• Experience in C, C++ or C# and any scripting languages, e.g., PowerShell, Python
• Experience in Quality Systems such as ISO 9001 and TISAX
• Good interpersonal skills with ability to communicate and negotiate effectively across all levels and all functions of the organization
• Inspires and motivates team members through leadership and empowerment

Qualification

• 5+ years experience in a R&D managerial role in a global company
• 10+ years R&D experience in Software Architecture and Development, preferably in Automotive or in a global OEM environment
• Degree (BSc or MSc) in Computer Science / Software Engineering or similar