Head of NIR, LIBS, and Vision Technology in R&D

Foss Analytical A/S; Hillerød; On-site; DKK 1,200,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Job summary

FOSS seeks a Head of NIR, LIBS, and Vision technology in R&D to lead a team of scientists and engineers developing core technologies behind FOSS’ solutions.

You will guide early-stage development and instrument development projects, manage roadmaps, and collaborate with academia and industry while ensuring staff growth and cross-functional impact.

Qualifications

• Strong people management skills and experience in leading, developing and building a team of scientists or engineers.
• A technical background in optics, spectroscopy, vision or related area - most likely a PhD.
• Experience with product development from early stage to market introduction.
• Technology and innovation management experience and the ability to set direction across several technical domains while remaining credible with PhD level specialists.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills — you can translate deep technical work into terms that make sense to sales, product management and other stakeholders.
• A structured, analytical mindset and you are comfortable navigating a complex organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of scientists and engineers across NIR, LIBS and vision technologies.
• Representing your team’s technologies to stakeholders across the FOSS organization including clear communication on roadmaps and priorities across three technology areas.
• Follow technology development and trends within the technology areas and build the early-stage technology pipeline aligned with R&D strategy.
• Collaborate with universities, suppliers and external partners to advance technologies.
• Implement competency and personal development plans for team members.

Skills

People management

PhD in optics/spectroscopy/vision

Product development leadership

Technology & innovation management

Stakeholder management

Analytical mindset

Education

PhD in optics/spectroscopy/vision

Job description

Department

R&D
Nils Foss Allé 1
3400 Hillerød

Country

Denmark

At FOSS, innovation is the foundation of everything we do. Each year, we reinvest 10% of our revenue into R&D, driving our mission to enable the sustainable use of the planet’s food resources. Through advanced food analytics, we help secure food quality, reduce waste, and optimize production. Our dedication to innovation has delivered numerous industry-first technologies in our 70-year history. This relentless pursuit is deeply embedded in our values and shared by more than 350 dedicated R&D professionals working from two global innovation hubs.

What you will be doing

Do you want to lead the people behind FOSS’ next generation of optical and spectroscopic technologies?

As our Head of NIR, LIBS, and Vision technology team in R&D, you will manage a team of highly skilled and motivated scientists and engineers developing core technologies behind FOSS’ solutions – spanning from Near Infrared and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to computer vision hardware.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and develop a team of scientists and engineers across NIR, LIBS and vision technologies.
• Representing your team’s technologies to stakeholders across the FOSS organization incl. clear communication on technology roadmaps and priorities across the three technology areas.
• Follow technology development and trends within the technology areas and continuously build the early-stage technology pipeline, aligned with FOSS' overall R&D strategy and in close collaboration with our Business Innovation team. This includes collaborations with universities, suppliers and other external partners.
• Implement relevant competency and personal development plans for team members.
• Balance resources and focus between early-stage development and instrument development projects.

What we hope to see you bring

At FOSS, we value collaboration, accountability, and curiosity. The competencies below outline the personal and professional qualities that support success in this position.

We hope to see you bring:

• Strong people management skills and experience in leading, developing and building a team of scientists or engineers.
• A technical background in optics, spectroscopy, vision or related area - most likely a PhD.
• Experience with product development from early stage to market introduction.
• Technology and innovation management experience and the ability to set direction across several technical domains while remaining credible with PhD level specialists.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills — you can translate deep technical work into terms that make sense to sales, product management and other stakeholders.
• A structured, analytical mindset and you are comfortable navigating a complex organization. Balancing customer satisfaction, employee engagement and operational efficiency.

Why choose FOSS?

We offer a motivating job in an international, dynamic, and innovative organization. We are market leaders within our field and very proud of the results we deliver. Innovation is the foundation for FOSS' success, and R&D is a strategic priority for us. FOSS is small enough for you to have real influence, and big enough to offer strong career development. You will lead a team working in an informal, cross-disciplinary culture with exciting technical challenges and the possibility to learn something new every day.

FOSS is committed to maintaining an inclusive and diverse culture. You can help us sustain an unbiased recruitment process by not including photo and age in your application.

About FOSS

Today, more than 8 billion people around the world are dependent on nutritional food. Tons of food being produced in a million different ways and under varying conditions, creating challenges all the way from field to fork. One of them, obviously, is the effect it has on climate change.

FOSS helps the world’s 100 biggest food companies, and more than 40,000 others around the world navigate exactly that with intelligent, data-driven and innovative analytical solutions. We are making sustainability a better business, and we’re doing so as the global market leader in our field – improving food quality, minimizing food waste, ensuring food safety, and securing fair payment.

Join a pioneering and innovative company in the food and agriculture industry. A company on a mission, with offices all around the world and 1,750 talented colleagues across 34 different countries.