Specialist, Research Metallurgist III

Ma’aden; Saudi Arabia; On-site; SAR 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mineral resources company is seeking a professional to drive innovation through strategic partnerships and effectively manage innovation portfolios. The ideal candidate will take charge of evaluating initiatives, leading pilots, and embedding innovations into operational landscapes, requiring strong expertise in innovation management and partnerships. A Bachelor's or Master's degree is preferred, alongside 5-8 years of relevant experience in large-scale environments. This role is vital to ensure successful translation of innovations into production-ready solutions.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years’ experience managing innovation portfolios within large-scale industrial or digital environments.
• Proven success in translating pilots into scaled, production-ready solutions with measurable outcomes.
• Strong network across industry, startups, academia, and R&D ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and prioritize initiatives based on maturity, value potential, and ability to scale.
• Build partnerships with industry leaders and technology providers.
• Lead design and execution of pilots and proofs of concept across applications.
• Partner with technology and business units to embed validated innovations.

Skills

Innovation management

Partnership development

Technology scouting

Program management

Strategic communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering, Business, or Innovation Management

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Drive Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships

• Evaluate and prioritize initiatives based on maturity, value potential, and ability to scale into operational or commercial deployment
• Build partnerships with industry leaders, technology providers, research institutions, and startups to identify, test, and accelerate high-impact innovations
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration between internal teams (Data, OT, AI, and Operations) and external partners to co-develop deployable solutions

Enable Experimentation and Proof of Value

• Lead design and execution of pilots, proofs of concept, and field demonstrations across industrial and digital applications
• Adopt a “proof of value” approach — ensuring that pilots generate business cases, performance baselines, and readiness criteria for scale-up
• Define frameworks for evaluating maturity, optionality, and scalability of innovation opportunities

Scale and Institutionalize Innovation Outcomes

• Partner with technology and business units (Aluminum, Phosphate, Gold) to embed validated innovations into Maaden’s technology and operational landscape
• Develop mechanisms for tracking performance, adoption, and realized business value across the innovation portfolio

Core Competencies

• Innovation management and portfolio governance
• Partnership development and stakeholder engagement
• Technology scouting and R&D collaboration
• Program management and pilot-to-scale execution
• Strategic communication and influence

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering, Business, or Innovation Management (advanced degree preferred)
• 5–8 years’ experience managing innovation portfolios within large-scale industrial or digital environments
• Proven success in translating pilots into scaled, production-ready solutions with measurable outcomes
• Strong network across industry, startups, academia, and R&D ecosystems
• Ability to link emerging technologies with Maaden’s strategic and operational priorities