Manager - Materials Specialist Lab - Husqvarna Group

Husqvarna AB; Jönköpings kommun; On-site; SEK 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

Husqvarna AB is looking for a Lead to manage the Materials Specialists Lab, their Center of Excellence. This role focuses on driving strategies and ensuring efficient lab operations, with substantial responsibilities including managing a team of specialists and leading product development initiatives.

The ideal candidate will have a strong leadership background in technology-intensive environments, alongside expertise in materials engineering. The company promotes a hybrid working environment, balancing onsite and remote work.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of proven leadership experience within engineering.
• Solid experience (8–10 years) from technology-intensive environments.
• Fluency in Swedish and English, both written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Drive the department’s strategy and goals within product and technology development.
• Lead and develop a team of specialists.
• Build strong relationships to ensure material specialists' involvement.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Collaboration

Communication

Problem-solving

Data analysis

Education

University degree in materials engineering or related field

Job description

Lead Husqvarna Group's Center of Excellence in Materials

Are you a confident leader who wants to shape how a global engineering company understands, selects, and masters its materials? The Materials Specialists Lab is more than a laboratory, it is our Center of Excellence for materials, a strategic capability that impacts product innovation, sustainability, sourcing, compliance, and quality across all divisions. We are now looking for a manager to lead the department within Shared R&D and play a key role in shaping the future of materials at Husqvarna Group.

Shared R&D is Husqvarna Group’s centralized engineering function with around 100 specialists across multiple disciplines. Within this, the Materials Specialists Lab supports all product categories with advanced analysis, characterization, and investigation across metals, polymers, and material-related technologies. The team is a key contributor to our global Material Management process, ensuring high‑quality data, strong knowledge, and reuse of materials to drive innovation speed, cost efficiency, and sustainable product development.

About the role

In this role, you will be responsible for driving the department’s strategy and goals within product, technology, and business development, while ensuring an efficient day‑to‑day operation of the lab and its deliveries. A key part of the role is to continuously strengthen how and when the team contributes to product development, increasing early involvement and impact across the organization.

Key responsibilities

• Collaborating with the Shared R&D leadership team to define the vision and objectives for the department
• Translating strategy into concrete plans and leading their successful execution
• Leading and developing a team of 12 specialists, including prioritizing and allocating incoming assignments and ensuring high‑quality deliveries
• Building strong relationships across Husqvarna to ensure best involvement of material specialists in product development projects
• Leading selected cross-functional R&D initiatives and external research collaborations, as well as driving investment planning and prioritization for the lab
• Managing team leadership, performance, and budget responsibility

About you

• You are a proactive and motivating leader who builds trust and collaborates effectively. With a strategic mindset and strong customer focus, you drive change and deliver results with structure and persistence. You are self‑aware and continuously develop through feedback and reflection.
• 5–7 years of proven leadership experience within engineering, with responsibility for leading and developing teams
• Solid experience (8–10 years) from technology‑intensive environments, preferably within R&D, product development, or laboratory operations
• University degree in materials engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or a related field
• Fluency in Swedish and English, both written and spoken

Additional interests

• A clear, confident, and grounded leadership style, with knowledge of team and organizational development
• A structured approach, with the ability to balance agile and traditional development methodologies while maintaining a solution‑oriented mindset
• A solid understanding of laboratory and development operations
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build effective networks across the organization

Location

This position will be placed in our of our main sites in Huskvarna.

But, with our hybrid working environment, you’ll have the flexibility to work both onsite and remotely, promoting work‑life balance for all team members, but as laboratory function the majority of the time is spent onsite. We meet in the office at least 4 days a week (80%).