Head of Product Development (w/m/d)

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc.; Wien; On-site; EUR 81,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Public transport subsidy

Flexible hours

Remote work up to 60%

Holiday on holidays (Christmas & New\'

Employee discounts

Training opportunities

International environment

Job summary

Hitachi Rail Austria GmbH is seeking a Head of Product Development for Railway Technology to lead a multidisciplinary team across Austria, Hungary and the Balkan region. You will drive safety-critical software and hardware development, cloud platforms, and system integration while aligning with railway standards and cybersecurity requirements.

The role requires strategic leadership, strong stakeholder management, and the ability to unite diverse teams in a fast-paced, international environment.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in a large engineering organization.
• Ability to lead leaders and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong people leadership and talent development.
• Experience managing organizational change and growth.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute product development and engineering strategy for Austria, Hungary and the Balkan region.
• Lead a multicultural engineering organization of 100+ engineers and experts.
• Ensure safety-critical and non-safety critical SW and hardware development aligns with standards.
• Oversee budgeting, resource planning and talent management.
• Collaborate with product management, customers and international teams.

Job description

Location: Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Job ID: R0146598

Date Posted: 2026-10-15

Company Name: Hitachi Rail Austria GmbH

Profession (Job Category): Engineering & Science

Job Schedule: Full time

Remote: No

About Us

A career at Hitachi Rail will help create a legacy. With operations in every corner of the world, our work goes to the cutting-edge of digital transformation and technology. From the multi-cultural strength of our global organisation to the sustainable and innovative ways we work to bring people together, there’s something for everyone to get stuck into. And that’s where you come in.

HEAD OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY (F/M/D)

Hitachi in Austria is a full system provider and global supplier of train control technology and traffic management systems (e.g. European Train Control System (ETCS), Electronic interlockings, Operation Control Centers and dispatching systems, field elements). Shape the Future of Railway Signaling and Digital Rail Solutions We are looking for an experienced and inspiring Head of Product Development to lead our multidisciplinary engineering organization across Austria, Hungary, and the Balkan region. In this key leadership role, you will be responsible for more than 100 highly skilled engineers and experts, driving the development, maintenance, and evolution of safety-critical railway technologies ranging from established signaling systems to modern cloud-native platforms. You will lead a diverse organization that combines deep railway domain expertise, software, hardware, cybersecurity and systems engineering to deliver innovative and reliable solutions for rail operators.

YOUR RESONSIBILITIES

As Head of Product Development, you will have end to end leadership responsibility for the following departments:

• Product Design and Requirements Management
• SW Development (safety critical and non-safety critical)
• Cloud Platform Development
• Engineering Tools & Toolchain Development
• Hardware Development
• Solution Integration & End-to-End System Integration
• Cybersecurity Engineering

YOU WILL

Define and execute the product development and engineering strategy for the region. Lead, inspire, and develop a multicultural organization. Establish a high-performance engineering culture focused on innovation, quality, accountability, and collaboration. Balance long-term product evolution with operational delivery commitments. Drive modernization initiatives across a broad technology landscape, from legacy railway interfaces and long-life-cycle systems to cloud-native architectures, and modern software engineering practices. Ensure compliance with railway industry standards, safety regulations, and cybersecurity requirements. Oversee resource planning, organizational development, budgeting, and talent management. Foster close collaboration with product management, operations, certification bodies, customers, and international engineering teams. Lead the maintenance and continuous improvement of a mature product portfolio, including systems built upon a 30-year engineering heritage.

WHAT YOU BRING

Leadership:

• Several years of successful leadership experience in a large engineering organization.
• Proven ability to lead leaders, managers, and multidisciplinary teams within an international environment.
• Strong people leadership skills with a passion for coaching, mentoring, and developing talent.
• Experience managing organizational change, transformation, and growth.

Technical Expertise:

• You combine leadership excellence with strong technical credibility.
• Broad engineering background covering software, hardware, systems engineering, or safety-critical product development.
• Experience working with complex product ecosystems spanning both legacy and modern technologies.
• Understanding of safety-critical development environments, ideally within railway, aerospace, automotive, industrial automation, or similar regulated industries.
• Knowledge of cloud technologies, modern software architectures, cybersecurity principles, and large-scale system integration.

Personal Skills:

• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Ability to build trust across cultures, disciplines, and organizational boundaries.
• Strategic thinker with strong execution capabilities.
• High degree of ownership, resilience, and decision-making ability.
• Comfortable navigating both executive-level discussions and deep technical challenges.

The ideal candidate is not only an outstanding engineering leader but also an exceptional people leader who can unite diverse teams, modernize technology landscapes, and drive innovation while maintaining the highest levels of safety, quality, and customer focus.

WE OFFER

The salary for this position starts at € 95.000 gross p.a. Actual compensation is based on experience and qualification.

• Very good accessibility by public transport (Vienna Handelskai) & subsidies for public transport
• Flexible working hours and, depending on the position, up to 60% home office
• Hitachi Rail gives you holidays on Christmas (24.12) and New Year's Eve (31.12)
• Discounts for employees (canteen, shops, corporate benefits, tickets, etc.)
• Various training opportunities - online, internal and external training courses
• A stable employer in a collegial and international environment

We welcome and value differences in background, age, gender, sexuality, family status, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, and world view. It is our commitment to create an inclusive environment - we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

WHO WE ARE

A career at Hitachi Rail will help create a legacy. With operations in every corner of the world, our work goes to the cutting-edge of digital transformation and technology. From the multi-cultural strength of our global organisation to the sustainable and innovative ways we work to bring people together, there's no challenge too great for our pioneers. And there’s no shortage of opportunities for you to make a difference. Come and experience the dynamic, collaborative and creative environments where your ideas are welcome and new discoveries are waiting. To help you grow to your full potential, we strive to support our employees in their career aspirations and promote the freedom to explore new horizons.

Thank you for your interest in Hitachi Rail. If your application is of interest, we will be in contact. Please do not hesitate to discover more about us and our latest jobs at https://www.hitachirail.com/careers. At Hitachi Rail, there is a place for everyone. We would be delighted if you would be one of our followers at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachirail

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