R&D Strategy & Governance Lead

Roads and Transport Authority; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 420,000 - 660,000; Full time

Job summary

Roads and Transport Authority in Abu Dhabi seeks an experienced leader to govern research programs, partnerships, and IP enablement, aligning outcomes with RTA strategy. You will steer R&D centers, awards, and PoCs to deliver high-quality studies.

The role focuses on developing policies, governance for centers, and strategic partnerships with universities, while mentoring researchers and ensuring compliance with data standards and publication workflows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or Science.
• Experience: 9+ years with Master’s, 11+ years with Bachelor’s.
• Preferred certifications: PMP/PRINCE2 (or equivalent), research ethics (e.g., CITI).

Responsibilities

• Develop and update research policies, processes, systems, annual plans and KPIs.
• Promote research culture; define publishing frameworks, authorship rules and review cycles.
• Govern R&D centers; align portfolios and KPIs with future directions.
• Define PoC governance: selection criteria, test protocols, evaluation gates, reporting cadence.
• Lead the RTA Scientific Research Award framework, rubrics and calendar.
• Plan strategic research partnerships with universities and centers; define scopes and IP terms.
• Supervise corporate research projects from concept to delivery; ensure scope, schedule, budget, quality gates.
• Coordinate with Dubai Future Foundation; integrate deliverables into plans.
• Govern the central database for research outputs; enforce data standards and workflows.
• Prepare policy/strategy docs, leadership presentations and periodic KPI reports.
• Mentor early-career researchers; provide linkages to IP/legal teams for protection.
• Draft and review MoUs and collaboration agreements; monitor partner obligations and benefits.
• Review PoC outcomes; drive adoption, iteration or closure; capture reusable methods.
• Update R&D sources, frameworks, tools; improve collaboration and study quality.
• Analyze performance trends; propose corrective actions; update policies and KPIs.

Education

Bachelor's/Master's degree in Engineering/Science

Job description

Roads and Transport Authority in Abu Dhabi seeks an experienced leader to govern research programs, partnerships, and IP enablement, aligning outcomes with RTA strategy. You will steer R&D centers, awards, and PoCs to deliver high-quality studies.

The role focuses on developing policies, governance for centers, and strategic partnerships with universities, while mentoring researchers and ensuring compliance with data standards and publication workflows.