Head of Research & Development (R&D)—Hardware & Embedded Systems

Job Title: Head of Research & Development (R&D)—Hardware & Embedded Systems

Location: Nacharam, Hyderabad (Work from Office)

Experience: 10+ Years

About the Role

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced R&D Head to lead our technology innovation hub in Nacharam. You will be the architect of our product development lifecycle, overseeing the design and development of cutting-edge Hardware Core Technologies, Embedded Systems, and IoT Firmware.

As a strategic leader, you will be responsible for coordinating internal working R&D teams, optimizing resource allocation, and ensuring seamless integration between hardware and firmware verticals. You will drive the technical roadmap, mentor engineering talent, and ensure the delivery of robust, scalable, and market-ready solutions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership & Technical Roadmap • Define and drive the long-term technology roadmap for hardware core tech, embedded platforms, and IoT connectivity. • Evaluate emerging technologies, tools, and components to ensure the company’s products remain competitive and innovative. • Translate business requirements into technical specifications and development plans.

2. R&D Team Coordination & Resource Management • Lead, mentor, and manage a multidisciplinary team of Hardware Engineers, Embedded Developers, and Firmware Architects. • Oversee resource allocation, capacity planning, and project prioritization across multiple concurrent R&D projects. • Foster a culture of innovation, disciplined execution, and continuous improvement. • Conduct regular performance reviews, identify skill gaps, and organize training/upskilling programs.

3. Hardware Core Technology Development • Oversee the entire hardware design lifecycle: schematic design, PCB layout, component selection (BOM optimization), and prototyping. • Ensure designs adhere to industry standards for signal integrity, power management, and thermal performance. • Drive design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for testing (DFT) principles to ensure smooth production transitions.

4. Embedded Systems & IoT Firmware • Guide the architecture and development of bare-metal, RTOS-based, and Linux-based embedded software. • Oversee the development of robust and secure IoT firmware, including Over-the-Air (OTA) update mechanisms, cloud connectivity (MQTT, HTTP, CoAP), and edge processing. • Ensure high coding standards, thorough documentation, and rigorous testing (unit testing, integration testing) of firmware.

5. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Act as the bridge between the R&D department and other internal stakeholders (Product Management, Operations, Quality Assurance). • Coordinate with the internal working R&D teams to ensure alignment on project milestones, technical challenges, and dependencies. • Work closely with the manufacturing team during New Product Introduction (NPI) phases to resolve technical issues.

6. Quality Assurance & Compliance • Establish and enforce best practices for version control (Git), code reviews, and hardware design reviews. • Ensure all products meet necessary regulatory certifications (CE, FCC, RoHS, etc.) and safety standards. • Troubleshoot critical technical issues and drive root cause analysis to implement permanent solutions.

Qualifications & Experience • Educational Background: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. • Total Experience: 10+ years of experience in product development, with at least 4+ years in a leadership/management role leading R&D or Engineering teams.

Technical Expertise Required • Hardware Core Tech: • Deep expertise in high-speed digital and analog circuit design. • Proficiency with EDA tools (e.g., Altium, OrCAD, KiCad). • Strong knowledge of microcontrollers, microprocessors (ARM Cortex, RISC-V), and power electronics. • Embedded & Firmware: • Expert-level proficiency in C/C++ for embedded systems. • Extensive experience with RTOS (FreeRTOS, Zephyr) and bare-metal firmware development. • Strong understanding of communication protocols: I2C, SPI, UART, CAN, USB, Ethernet. • IoT & Connectivity: • Experience with wireless protocols: Wi-Fi, BLE, Zigbee, LoRa, Cellular (4G/5G). • Knowledge of IoT security practices (secure boot, encryption, secure element integration). • Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS IoT, Azure IoT, Google Cloud IoT) is a plus.

Key Competencies & Soft Skills • Leadership & Mentoring: Proven ability to build, motivate, and retain high-performing engineering teams. • Strategic Thinking: Ability to foresee technical challenges and align R&D efforts with business goals. • Resource Management: Skilled in managing budgets, vendor relationships, and resource allocation. • Problem Solving: Excellent analytical skills with a hands-on approach to debugging complex hardware-firmware integration issues. • Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.