Head of Product Development (Railways Rubber to Metal Bonded Components)

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced and visionary Product Development Head with deep expertise in Rubber to Metal Bonded Components for the Railway Industry. The role involves spearheading new product development (NPD), driving innovation, ensuring compliance with RDSO/Indian Railways standards, and leading a cross-functional team to deliver high-quality, cost-effective, and reliable products for railway applications.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end product development cycle for rubber-to-metal bonded components, specifically for railway applications.
• Handle Rubber to Metal Bonded related to mechanical product development and take full responsibility to initiate and execute design-related tasks/projects
• Develop and implement product development strategy aligned with railway industry trends and future requirements.
• Drive design, prototyping, testing, and validation of new components in collaboration with R&D, Quality, and Manufacturing teams.
• Ensure strict compliance with RDSO, IRIS, ISO/TS 22163 and other relevant railway standards.
• Interface with Indian Railways, RDSO, OEMs for approvals, technical discussions, and product validations.
• Co-ordinate with rubber compound expert of company to give all technical, mechanical, physical properties for end product development.
• Interact with customers to analyze and finalize design requirements
• Conduct failure analysis, root cause identification, and corrective actions for field/warranty issues.
• Guide adoption of new technologies, materials, and manufacturing processes to enhance product performance and cost competitiveness.
• Collaborate with operations, sourcing, and supply chain for smooth industrialization and commercialization of products.
• Manage project timelines, budgets, and resource allocation for multiple development programs.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong expertise in bonding techniques, and elastomer behavior under dynamic loads.
• Proven track record in developing and commercializing rubber-to-metal bonded products for Railways.
• Deep knowledge of railway standards, testing protocols, and approval processes (RDSO/IRIS) including Fatigue testing using multi axis testing machines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills for product failure and fatigue life analysis.
• Excellent project management and leadership capabilities.
• Strong communication skills for liaison with Railway authorities, OEMs, and internal teams for approval & inspection of the new product.

Qualification

• B.Tech / M.Tech in Mechanical, or related engineering discipline.

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of experience in Rubber to Metal bonded new product development components.
• Industry preferred:- Railways