R&D MANAGER

About the role

We are an established furniture manufacturing company serving international markets. We are looking for an experienced R&D Manager to lead our R&D function and ensure that new product development is delivered on time, at the right quality, and with commercially viable and manufacturable designs. This role will lead a team responsible for product development, technical drawings, prototyping, costing, material selection, and coordination with Production, Purchasing, QC, and other departments. The R&D Manager is expected to be both a strong technical leader and an effective people manager — ensuring that the team consistently delivers accurate and practical results rather than personally doing all technical work.

Key responsibilities :

• Lead and manage the R&D team and establish clear priorities, responsibilities, and deadlines.
• Plan and monitor the development of new products from concept through prototype and production readiness.
• Ensure technical drawings, specifications, BOMs, and costing are accurate and completed according to agreed timelines.
• Review and approve product designs before moving to prototyping or production.
• Ensure products are design-efficient, manufacturable, cost-effective, and meet quality requirements.
• Develop and improve R&D processes, documentation, and working standards.
• Coordinate closely with Production, Purchasing, QC, PPIC, Sales, and Management during product development.
• Provide technical recommendations and clear status updates to Management.

Requirements :

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Product Design, Furniture Design, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in R&D, product development, engineering, or a similar function, preferably in furniture manufacturing.
• At least 3 years of experience in a supervisory or managerial position.
• Strong understanding of furniture construction, materials, manufacturing processes, and product development.
• Able to read and review technical drawings and product specifications.
• Experience using Autodesk Inventor, Fusion and Keyshot software is highly preferred.
• Strong project management and problem solving skills.
• Able to coordinate effectively with multiple departments.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to develop and hold team members accountable.
• Good communication skills in English, both written and spoken.