Head of Emerging Technology Scouting & Incubation

EMD Electronics; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 241,000 - 361,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PTO

Retirement contributions

Other perquisites

Job summary

EMD Electronics in the United States seeks a Head of Emerging Technology Scouting & Incubation to expand the innovation space, identify high-potential opportunity areas, and incubate them into validated business cases for BU transition. You will lead frontier technology scouting across materials and beyond-materials, manage POCs and external partnerships, and translate insights into new revenue streams.

The role requires 8+ years with a Master’s or 6+ years with a PhD, and it may involve

Qualifications

• 8+ years in technology scouting, R&D leadership, and/or corporate development with incubations/POCs/M&A due diligence.
• Deep understanding of electronics, optoelectronics, packaging, advanced materials or related frontier tech.
• Strong business acumen; capable of translating insights into ROI.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage complex programs.

Responsibilities

• Identify emerging opportunity areas in electronics and related tech roadmaps.
• Validate opportunities via external/internal POCs, JDAs, and incubators with clear criteria.
• Lead technical due diligence for potential M&A targets with structured assessments.
• Align scouting outputs with BU goals and drive technology roadmaps for investment decisions.
• Drive cross-domain opportunities and partnerships to create new revenue streams.
• Oversee Frontier Technology Board activities and ecosystem collaboration.
• Assess R&D capabilities and champion rapid experimentation and responsible innovation.

Education

Master degree in Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or similar discipline

PhD in Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or similar discipline

Job description

Work Your Magic with us! Start your next chapter and join EMD Electronics. Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

Everything we do in EMD Electronics is to help us deliver on our purpose of being the company behind the companies, advancing digital living. We are dedicated to being the trusted supplier of high-tech materials, services and specialty chemicals for the electronics, automotive and cosmetics industries. We foster a global collaborative organization made up of individuals who have the passion to win, obsess about the customer, are relentlessly curious and act with urgency. Together, we push the boundaries of science to make more possible for our customers.

This role does not offer sponsorship for work authority. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US.

Location

The Head of Emerging Technology Scouting & Incubation is an on-site position located at one of the EMD Electronics US sites, remote may be considered. Domestic and international travel is required to meet business needs.

Your Role

As Head of Emerging Technology Scouting & Incubation (ETSI), you will expand Electronics’ innovation space by understanding emerging technology needs, identifying high-potential opportunity areas, and incubating them into validated business cases ready for Business Unit transition. You will lead frontier technology scouting across materials and beyond-materials domains, manage internal and external proof-of-concepts (POCs), and own technical due diligence for strategic M&A targets. Your leadership will drive impactful external partnerships/research collaborations (JDAs), incubators that translate into new product introductions (NPI), and a strong early-stage pipeline. You will architect technology roadmaps, drive the Frontier Technology Board, and partner with internal stakeholders to translate emerging technology insights into new revenue streams and competitive advantage. You will use a clear process with defined priorities, milestones, and responsibilities to move ideas from technology scouting and POCs to validated business cases and successful handover to the relevant Business Units.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify emerging opportunity areas in industry technology roadmaps: map technology inflection points, materials opportunities, and risks across Electronics markets; monitor external signals (startups, academia, suppliers, consortia, patent trends) to spot high-potential emerging technologies poised for impact.
• Validate opportunity areas through best-fit external / internal proof-of-concepts (e.g. JDAs, incubators): define success criteria, metrics, and go/no-go decision thresholds; oversee early-stage incubators/POCs leveraging internal resources, external collaborations, and incubators.
• Identify frontier tech M&A targets & own technical due diligence (thought partner to M-Ventures and M&A team): assess targets operating in BU-adjacent spaces or outside existing BU businesses; deliver structured technical assessments and integration readiness plans to inform investment decisions.
• Tech steering for Electronics BU Business Development teams (e.g., Future Optical Technologies, Advanced Packaging): align scouting outputs with BU strategic goals, technology roadmaps, and innovation horizons; provide technology foresight to guide BU investment decisions.
• Drive Business Development for emerging technology that goes beyond Business Unit horizons/scope: identify cross-domain opportunities, new market adjacencies, and potential revenue streams outside current BU portfolios; partner with M-Ventures and business stakeholders to explore build/partner/buy options.
• Drive operations and impact of the Frontier Technology Board, shaping and driving its objectives, agenda, engagement model and participants.
• Foster ecosystem building by liaising with internal groups (R&D and M-Ventures) and external partners to advance emerging technology pathfinding.
• Assess R&D capabilities, identify gaps, and define actions to realize EL’s long-term technology vision while championing science-driven decision making, rapid experimentation, and responsible innovation.

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications

• Master degree in Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or similar discipline with 8+ years of experience in technology scouting, R&D leadership, and/or corporate development with a track record of leading successful incubations, POCs, or M&A technical due diligence

Or

• PhD in Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or similar discipline with 6+ years of experience in technology scouting, R&D leadership, and/or corporate development with a track record of leading successful incubations, POCs, or M&A technical due diligence
• Deep understanding of electronics, optoelectronics, packaging, advanced materials, semiconductor processes, or related frontier technologies.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to translate insights into tangible business value and clear ROI.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, influence at the executive level, and manage complex programs with multiple stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in technology scouting, R&D leadership, in the electronics industry.
• Track record of conducting rigorous technical assessments of emerging technologies, evaluating IP quality, competitive differentiation, and feasibility for acquisition or partnership.
• Experience designing and managing early-stage technology incubation programs, including setting success criteria, managing rapid learning cycles, and making disciplined go/no-go decisions.
• Proven experience leading technical due diligence for corporate acquisitions or partnerships, assessing technology risk, integration complexity, and value creation potential.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams spanning technical, business development, and strategic functions to advance frontier technology initiatives.
• Comfort using market data, technical metrics, and portfolio analytics to prioritize opportunity areas and make investments in emerging technology exploration.
• Strong understanding of how emerging technologies translate to business value, market opportunity, and revenue potential; ability to build business cases for frontier exploration investments.

Pay Range for this position: $240,600 - $361,000

The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance-based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites.

What we offer:

We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!