R and D Manager

Research and Development Manager

Suffolk

We are recruiting for a Product Development Manager to join a growing engineering business in Suffolk, taking responsibility for the development and continuous improvement of its technical product portfolio.

This is a senior role for someone who can combine strong engineering and product development experience with commercial judgement and leadership. The Product Development Manager will have considerable influence over future products, technical direction and how the product development function itself evolves.

Rather than simply inheriting an established department, you will have the opportunity to shape the technical capability of the business, develop the existing team and identify the additional skills and resources required as the company grows.

The role

As Product Development Manager, you will:

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Lead new product development alongside the improvement and evolution of existing products.

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Take responsibility for product performance, reliability, technical integrity and manufacturability.

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Provide technical direction and make pragmatic engineering decisions based on commercial as well as technical requirements.

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Use feedback from customers, projects, commissioning and technical support to identify and deliver product improvements.

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Develop greater standardisation and continuous improvement across the product portfolio.

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Lead and develop a technical team currently covering R&D, software and applications engineering.

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Help determine the future structure of the Product Development function, including identifying additional engineering capability required.

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Work closely with Operations, Projects and the senior leadership team to ensure development priorities support wider business objectives.

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Ensure technical information and product documentation remain controlled and accurate.

About you

We are looking for a Product Development Manager who can demonstrate:

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Strong product development, R&D or engineering leadership experience within a technical environment.

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Hands on design and development mindset

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Experience developing, improving and taking ownership of engineered products.

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The ability to lead engineers and provide credible technical direction across different engineering disciplines.

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A practical understanding of taking products from concept and development through to reliable, manufacturable solutions.

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Commercial awareness and the confidence to prioritise development activity rather than pursuing engineering solutions in isolation.

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Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively across engineering, operational and commercial teams.

Experience gained within HVAC, industrial products, engineering or technically complex manufacturing would be particularly relevant.

This position would suit an experienced Product Development Manager, Engineering Manager, R&D Manager or Technical Manager who wants greater ownership of product strategy and the opportunity to build and develop a technical function.

The Product Development Manager will form part of the senior leadership team and will have genuine input into the future direction of the business. It is a role with significant autonomy and would particularly appeal to someone who enjoys developing both products and people rather than simply maintaining an established engineering function