R&D Project Lead — Innovation & Patents

Hartalega; Sepang; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Hartalega invites an experienced R&D leader to guide small teams toward breakthrough innovation in product development and process improvements. You will own project execution and technical governance, translating customer inputs into concrete requirements and plans.

You will apply design of experiments and best-practice frameworks to uncover patentable innovations, while coaching teams and coordinating with external partners.

Qualifications

• PhD required in a related science field or equivalent.
• Minimum 6 years leading innovative R&D for new products/processes.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with patent registration (local and international).
• At least 2 successful projects commercialised.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage small teams or projects to drive breakthrough innovation, product development, and process improvements.
• Translate customer design inputs into clear technical requirements, development approaches, and project execution plans.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and translate priorities into actionable plans.
• Apply RND frameworks, experimental design principles, and best practices; identify patentable innovations and technical claims.
• Act as escalation point for technical issues and mitigate project-level risks.
• Develop team capabilities through coaching, mentoring, and recruitment support.
• Lead continuous improvement and innovation initiatives and coordinate external partner trials.
• Document experiments and provide technical feedback.
• Perform additional duties to meet objectives.

Skills

Team leadership

Project management

Innovation

Technical governance

Coaching/mentoring

Education

PhD in Chemistry/Polymer Science/Material Science/Polymer Engineering/Material Engineering/Applied Chemistry

Job description

Hartalega invites an experienced R&D leader to guide small teams toward breakthrough innovation in product development and process improvements. You will own project execution and technical governance, translating customer inputs into concrete requirements and plans.

You will apply design of experiments and best-practice frameworks to uncover patentable innovations, while coaching teams and coordinating with external partners.