R&D Director

About the Role

Axios Lifesciences is looking for an accomplished R&D leader to define and steer the company’s research and development agenda. In this role, you will help turn innovative ideas into products, technologies, and solutions that contribute to long-term business growth. You will guide research programs, product development work, engineering partnership, and technology innovation while keeping everything aligned with broader business goals.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone who has led multi-disciplinary R&D teams, handled complex development initiatives, and built a strong culture of innovation, quality, and ongoing improvement. You will work closely with executive leadership and cross-functional partners to shape the innovation roadmap and deliver measurable impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and roll out the organization’s R&D strategy so it supports corporate priorities and long-term business direction.
• Lead, coach, and develop multi-disciplinary R&D teams while encouraging collaboration, ownership, innovation, and technical rigor.
• Manage the entire product development journey, from research and concept work through design, validation, and launch.
• Work in close coordination with Product, Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Marketing, and executive teams to keep innovation efforts tied to business needs.
• Track emerging technologies, market movements, and industry developments to inform future products and technical solutions.
• Set R&D priorities, project timelines, resource plans, and success measures to drive effective execution.
• Improve research methods, product development workflows, engineering standards, and innovation systems on an ongoing basis.
• Assess technical viability, development risks, and milestones while helping ensure delivery stays on time and at a high quality.
• Encourage strong collaboration between technical and business functions to speed up innovation and improve overall effectiveness.
• Supervise technical documentation, product specifications, design standards, and engineering best practices.
• Share innovation plans, progress updates, and technology recommendations with executive leaders and other key stakeholders.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, or a closely related technical field is required; a master’s degree or Ph.D. is preferred.
• At least 8 years of progressive leadership experience in R&D, engineering, product development, or innovation management.
• Demonstrated ability to lead R&D teams and bring products, technologies, or technical solutions from concept to commercialization.
• Strong understanding of product development practices, engineering fundamentals, research workflows, and project management methods.
• Experience guiding cross-functional technical teams in complex or fast-growing organizations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, presentation, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with a data-informed approach to problem-solving and decision-making.
• Hands-on experience with PLM tools, project management systems, engineering collaboration platforms, and technical documentation software.
• Ability to manage several strategic efforts at once while balancing innovation priorities against business goals.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in technology, software, manufacturing, healthcare, medical devices, biotechnology, consumer products, industrial equipment, or similar innovation-led sectors.
• Exposure to new product introduction, technology commercialization, or product innovation programs.
• Experience leading R&D teams across multiple locations or globally distributed teams.
• Proven ability to build scalable innovation processes that support long-term organizational growth.

Work Arrangement

This is a fully remote role within the United States.

What We Offer

• A leadership role with meaningful influence over innovation strategy and future product direction.
• The chance to lead advanced R&D efforts that create real business value.
• A collaborative, innovative, and performance-focused environment.
• Competitive pay along with comprehensive benefits.

Who Should Apply

We welcome applications from strategic R&D leaders who are passionate about building exceptional technical teams, advancing innovation, and turning ideas into impactful products and technologies.