Director of New Product R&D

R2 Global; Lowell (MA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consumer product manufacturer is seeking a Director of New Product Research & Development to oversee new product introduction focusing on connected and data-enabled products. This hybrid role involves leading cross-functional teams and ensuring successful product delivery through robust integration of hardware, firmware, and cloud capabilities. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in product development and a strong background in embedded technology and IoT transformation.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading new product introduction and mechanical product development.
• Strong expertise in design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA).
• Hands-on experience with embedded firmware and cloud platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop product and engineering teams across multiple disciplines.
• Define and own product development processes for NPI and manufacturing.
• Drive integrated roadmaps for hardware, firmware, and cloud services.

Skills

NPI leadership

Mechanical product development

Embedded firmware

IoT and connectivity

Job description

Director of New Product Research & Development - Lowell, MA - Hybrid

R2 are working with a large consumer manufacturer who are seeking a senior leader to own new product introduction, with increasing focus on connected and data-enabled products. This role leads products from concept through manufacturing scale, integrating firmware, connectivity, and cloud capabilities into hardware-led platforms.

You will build and lead cross-functional product teams and act as the primary link between Engineering, Software, Operations, Supply Chain, and Leadership to ensure delivery against business, quality, and customer objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop multidisciplinary product and engineering teams across mechanical, embedded/firmware, software, and IoT.
• Define and own product development processes across NPI, manufacturing, and software lifecycles.
• Drive integrated roadmaps covering hardware, firmware, connectivity, applications, cloud services, and analytics.
• Own mechanical execution.
• Own product specifications and end-to-end design quality.
• Partner with Operations to embed firmware, provisioning, calibration, and configuration into production processes.
• Lead the development of a scalable IoT ecosystem across devices, connectivity, cloud, and data platforms.

Experience & Skills

• Extensive experience leading NPI and mechanical product development.
• Strong expertise in DFM/DFA, PFMEA, SPC, design transfer, and manufacturing engineering.
• Hands‑on experience with embedded firmware, connectivity, cloud platforms, and application ecosystems.
• Proven track record leading hardware‑centric teams through digital and IoT transformation.