Research And Development Officer

Job Description

Job Description: Head of Research & Development (R&D) Location: Pune, India Company: Star Engineers Pvt. Ltd. Position- Head - Research & Development (R&D) Location- Pune, India Experience- 20+ years in R&D, with at least 10 years in a leadership role in automotive electronics Reporting To - Managing Director / CTO / CEO Industry Preference - Automotive, Electronics Manufacturing, or Related Industries Educational Qualification - B.E./B.Tech (Electronics/Electrical/Embedded Systems) + M.Tech/Ph.D preferred Travel - Automotive Electronics, APQP, or Mechatronics Employment Type - Full-time, Permanent Travel - Occasional (Domestic and International, for customer/partner collaboration) Role Purpose: Objective Description Strategic Leadership To lead the R&D function with a focus on product innovation , technology advancement , and design validation to support Star Engineers position as a global leader in automotive electronics. End-to-end ownership Manage the complete product development lifecycle from concept to prototype to validation and final handover to manufacturing. Technology foresight Drive the development of next-gen automotive electronics aligned with EV, hybrid , and BS-VI/Euro VI emission trends, and ensure regulatory compliance. Collaboration Work cross-functionally with Production, Quality, Supply Chain, and Marketing , as well as OEM customers , to develop reliable, high-performance, and cost-effective products. Team development Build and lead a multidisciplinary engineering team , foster a culture of innovation, speed, and IP creation , and mentor future leaders in the organization. Key Responsibilities: Key Result Areas (KRAs)Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)Target/Measurement Metric1. New Product Development (NPD) Timely launch of new products aligned with customer and market needs Product roadmap implementation. Minimum 3- 5 new products launched per year 100% execution of NPD roadmap as per plan 2. Innovation & Technology Leadership Adoption of new technologies (e.g., IoT, EV platforms, smart sensors). Patent/IP generation Minimum 2 technology innovation projects annually 1-2 patents or IP filings per year 3. Product Design & Validation Robustness of design, endurance testing, and compliance Cost-effective design & manufacturability Zero test failures during validation for homologation 95% design acceptance by manufacturing & QA teams 4. Quality & Compliance Adherence to standards (IATF 16949, ISO 14000, AIS, ARAI norms, etc.). Customer satisfaction in product quality 100% compliance in audits and approvals 100 PPM defects in new product batches 5. Project Management On-time delivery of design milestones Resource utilization 90% projects delivered within timeline & cost Maintain 85% efficiency in engineering resource deployment 6. Team Development Training, mentoring, and talent retention Competency development. 100% team training completion & 5% attrition 2 - 3 team members promoted or moved into critical roles/year 7. Cross-Functional Collaboration Engagement with production, QA, SCM, and OEM customers Product feasibility and DFMEA/PFMEA effectiveness. Weekly or bi-weekly cross-functional review meetings. 95% closure of design issues before SOP 8. Cost & Value Engineering Design-to-cost performance Localization and alternate sourcing support Achieve 5 - 10% cost reduction per product line 30% localization in BOM with equivalent performance 9. Process Improvement Implementation of R&D best practices (APQP, V-Model, etc.). Reduction in product development cycle time Continuous improvement projects minimum 6 per year 15- 20% reduction in development lead time YoY 10. Strategic Alliances & Technology Partnerships Engagement with academia, startups, and tech partners 2- 3 active partnerships or collaborative projects annually Skills & Competencies Required: Technical CompetencyDetailsTechnical Expertise Strong foundation in embedded systems, sensors, control systems , EMI/EMC Innovation Mindset. Experience in new tech scouting, IP creation , and future mobility trends Product Lifecycle Knowledge Expertise in full product lifecycle from concept to SOP Project Management Strong in stage-gate, APQP , and project budgeting Leadership Ability to inspire, mentor, and grow a diverse R&D team. Cross-functional Collaboration Proven ability to collaborate with Manufacturing, QA, SCM, and Customers Compliance & Certification Deep knowledge of regulatory & homologation processes in automotive Tool Proficiency Hands-on with tools like Altium, Matlab, Simulink, DFMEA, PFMEA , etc. Preferred Background: Criteria Details Industry Experience - Automotive electronics, embedded control systems, EV systems. Certifications - Hands-on experience managing global and multi-location supply chains. Certifications (Preferred) Design Thinking, PMP, Six Sigma (preferred) Global Exposure Experience working with or for global OEMs/Tier-1 suppliers Languages - English (mandatory), Hindi, Marathi (preferred)