Eaton’s Electrical Sector in EMEA is seeking a VP Research & Development Engineering EMEA, as the single point of accountability for R&D strategy, portfolio prioritisation, and capability building.

What you’ll do:

The Vice President ES Research & Development Engineering EMEA is the leader accountable for Research & Development Engineering (RDE) in Eaton’s Electrical Sector in the region. They are the single point of accountability for R&D strategy, portfolio prioritisation, and capability building – shaping products, platforms, architectures, and engineering capability across multiple Electrical Sector businesses.

Eaton spent $794m on research & development activities in 2024, with a goal to invest $3bn in sustainable R&D by 2030. This role leads an organization of 700+ engineers and technology professionals in direct or functional reporting. It is one of the most influential technical leadership roles in Eaton’s Electrical Sector, and business critical due to the complexity of scope, strategic impact, and enterprise visibility.

Position Overview

To lead, shape, and deliver the future of Electrical Sector research and development innovation in EMEA by combining excellence in innovation, operations, and leadership. Our strategy for growth is increasing technical, digital and regulatory complexity, with multiple, distinct businesses relying on shared RDE capability and architecture.

The role is accountable for:

Defining and executing a clear, trusted R&D strategy and portfolio logic
Building enduring R&D capability, with technology and platform coherence across divisions, and high confidence on R&D execution
Governing portfolio choices and driving trade-off discipline in R&D investments
Developing a strong and visible depth of leadership bench
Representing Eaton credibly with executive, customer, and ecosystem stakeholders

The Vice President holds overall accountability for ES RDE‑owned scope within the EMEA Engineering Innovation Center (EEIC) in Prague, encompassing RDE delivery, capability development, cost, and long‑term footprint decisions. The role is accountable for how EEIC Prague contributes to Electrical Sector innovation and future product development, as a multi‑tenant, enterprise‑integrated engineering hub.

Core Accountabilities:

Strategic Leadership & Innovation Excellence

Own future product creation, including New Product Introduction (NPI), Technology platforms and system architectures, and digital, AI‑enabled, and sustainability‑driven solutions
Translate customer, regulatory, market, and technology signals into clear priorities
Drive cross‑divisional innovation alignment, ensuring scale and reuse where value is created
Ensure clear product ownership via disciplined interfaces with Enterprise CoEs and ERL

Customer Focus & Business Acumen

Anchor RDE priorities to business outcomes, portfolio economics, and customer value
Act as a trusted partner to Divisional Presidents and Engineering Leaders
Lead portfolio‑level trade‑offs balancing speed, risk, investment, and technical ambition

Continuous Improvement & Execution Excellence

Own RDE execution health across EMEA: quality, delivery predictability, cost discipline, and scalability
Ensure strong engineering governance, reviews, and escalation mechanisms
Drive adoption of Lean, DFSS, and agile practices to improve speed and outcomes
Partner with Engineering Functional Excellence to continuously strengthen execution systems

Operational Leadership & Global Execution

Lead a geographically distributed RDE organization across EMEA, with direct and indirect reports, including:
- Business‑aligned RDE teams (PMCC, Life Safety, Energy Solutions & Services / Energy Transition, MVPD, Software)
- Central EMEA capabilities (Innovation, Technology & Platforms; Embedded Systems Engineering; Shared Services Engineering)
- ES RDE‑owned scope within EEIC (Prague)
Own the engineering footprint, sourcing strategy, and scalability, including collaboration with EIIC (India)
Maintain clear governance with Enterprise CoEs, ERL, and Industrial Sector engineering organizations

Talent, Culture & Organizational Strength

Own talent, succession, and capability strategy across EMEA
Ensure critical and pathway roles are intentionally filled and rigorously developed
Actively sponsor senior technical leaders and future engineering executives
Apply Eaton frameworks (Engineering Leader Success Profile, Development Matrix, Intentional Career Pathing) to build durable leadership pipelines
Lead multi‑cultural, multi‑generational, matrixed teams with empathy and clarity
Promote psychological safety, inclusion, and ethical leadership in line with Eaton values and Ethics framework
Build trust and influence across direct, indirect, and enterprise reporting relationships

External Stakeholder Engagement

Selective external leadership on behalf of Eaton Engineering, representing the Electrical Sector with key customers, partners, and industry or enterprise forums where senior technical influence is required to support strategy, portfolio direction, or regulatory alignment.

Qualifications:

Master’s degree in Engineering, or related engineering field, is desired
Minimum of 15 years related engineering experience (Advanced degree may be substituted for some experience)
Minimum of 7 years direct management experience

Senior engineering executive with true R&D / technology ownership and a track record of leading large, multidisciplinary product or platform organisations
Deep core engineering domain expertise (electrical, mechanical, software, or systems)
Proven experience leading and landing large‑scale, multidisciplinary product programs (concept to launch)
Demonstrated portfolio‑level leadership across multiple product lines or businesses. Comfortable making investment and prioritisation decisions to drive outcomes and urgency
Exposure to digital, software‑intensive, or AI‑enabled engineering
Experience operating in functions beyond engineering (e.g., manufacturing, supply chain, commercial, strategy)
Background in regulated or safety‑critical industries
Proven effectiveness in matrixed, enterprise‑governed environments
Track record of building and scaling agile, high‑performing, globally distributed R&D organizations

All positions may require participation in video and in-person interviews as part of the hiring process. All candidates will be evaluated based on job-related competencies, and all candidates’ privacy rights and data security will be protected in accordance with applicable laws.

We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for job applicants and employees. Our recruitment processes use balanced selection criteria and avoid unlawful discrimination against applicants on the basis of their age, colour, disability, marital status, national origin, gender, gender identity, genetic information, race or racial origin, religion, sexual orientation or any other status protected or required by law.

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VP Research & Development Engineering EMEA

Job Description