R&D Manager

Ever wanted to own the whole engineering story?

Not just a slice of a product. Not one subsystem buried in a 500-person org chart. The whole thing: the strategy, the team, the roadmap, and the products that come out the other end.

My client designs and manufactures IoT-enabled smart lighting systems here in the UK, combining wireless connectivity, sensing and embedded tech to power the next generation of intelligent buildings. They’re looking for an R&D Manager to take the technical lead across the business. You’ll report straight into the Managing Director, which means your ideas don’t disappear into committees. If you can make the case, you can make it happen.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll set the R&D direction and then actually deliver it. That means building the technology roadmap, leading a multidisciplinary team across electronics, firmware, hardware and mechanical, and deciding what gets built next and how.

You’ll take products all the way from first sketch to the production line: feasibility, proof of concept, component selection, prototyping, testing, certification and NPI handover. You’ll be the technical authority in the room, running design reviews, solving the gnarly problems, and making sure DfM and DfT are baked in from day one rather than bolted on at the end.

You’ll also stay close to the market. Wireless, sensing, energy efficiency, human-centric lighting and smart building controls are all moving fast, and you’ll be the person who spots what’s coming and turns it into product. You’ll work hand in hand with Sales, Operations, Manufacturing and Quality, own compliance (EMC, safety, RoHS and lighting standards), and work with external test houses and certification bodies.

Why this one’s worth a look

• Genuine ownership: you shape the strategy, not just execute someone else’s
• Direct line to the MD and real influence over where the business goes
• A role that mixes leadership with hands‑on engineering, so you won’t lose your technical edge
• Smart, connected products you can actually point at in buildings and say "my team built that"
• The pace and variety of an SME, without the bureaucracy

What you’ll bring

• Proven R&D leadership in electronics product development, ideally lighting, controls, IoT or similar
• Strong analogue and digital electronics, embedded systems and microcontroller know‑how
• Hands‑on knowledge of comms protocols such as DALI, Bluetooth, Zigbee, DMX or Ethernet
• A track record of taking products from concept through to volume production
• Solid understanding of compliance and regulatory requirements for electronic products
• Confident with Altium and embedded development environments
• A degree in Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Embedded Systems or similar
• Lighting control systems, sensors, power electronics or human‑centric lighting
• Agile ways of working across hardware and firmware
• SME experience where you’ve happily rolled your sleeves up

If you’re an engineering leader who wants to build the products, build the team and build the roadmap, I’d love to hear from you.

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