Senior Manager - R&D Casting

Job Description Roles & Responsibilities Strategic Leadership: Set and drive the R&D strategy for Alloy & Process Development, defining the innovation roadmap and ensuring a healthy pipeline of alloy programmes at every stage of development — from early concept exploration through to customer-ready validated solutions. Alloy Development: Oversee the earliest stages of alloy design — using computational tools and small-scale laboratory trials to identify, screen, and validate promising compositions before committing to larger-scale development. Ensure only alloys that meet defined performance, practicality, and sustainability gates are advanced to the next stage. Process Development: Take alloys proven at lab scale and ensure they are successfully translated into robust, repeatable industrial processes across casting, forming, and heat treatment. Drive the transition from controlled pilot conditions to full production readiness, closing the gap between what works in the lab and what works on the shop floor. Material Characterization & Lab: Provide the evidential backbone for all development decisions — delivering accurate, traceable testing and validation data at every stage of maturity, from early microstructural screening through to full mechanical, corrosion, and durability qualification in compliance with ISO/ASTM standards. Application & Customer Engineering: Own the final stages of the development journey — validating alloys and processes against real-world customer requirements, running application-specific simulations and part-level tests, and delivering the qualification packages needed for Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) approval and commercial release. People & Capability: Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing multidisciplinary team capable of operating effectively across the full development spectrum. Build a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and structured stage-gate thinking. Knowledge Management: Ensure all outputs at every stage of development — simulations, trial data, recipes, datasheets, and validation reports — are systematically documented in a shared digital knowledge base, enabling informed go/no-go decisions and institutional learning. Financial Management: Own and manage the Alloy & Process Development function’s operating and capital budget. Prepare and present budget proposals, monitor spend, and take corrective action on variances. Ensure investment is appropriately staged — with early-phase programmes resourced efficiently and increased commitment reserved for alloys that have cleared defined development gates. Approve purchase orders and supplier contracts within delegated authority and support business cases for significant capital investments. Intellectual Property Management: Oversee identification, protection, and management of all intellectual property generated across Alloy & Process Development — alloy compositions, process innovations, computational models, and application methods. Establish a systematic review process to capture and assess patentable developments as they emerge through the pipeline. Work with legal counsel on filings, ensure all staff understand intellectual property obligations, manage intellectual property risk in collaborative programmes, and maintain a live register of the centre’s patent portfolio. Development of UAE Nationals: Champion Emiratisation by identifying suitable roles across the full range of functions — from lab technician and characterization roles through to engineering and specialist positions. Partner with HR on graduate and early-career programmes, mentor and coach UAE National employees, and set measurable Emiratisation targets reported to senior leadership. Build relationships with UAE universities and government talent initiatives to develop a sustainable pipeline of Emirati R&D professionals. AUTHORITY/ DECISION MAKING: Direct R&D programmes, set priorities, and allocate resources across all four functions. Approve progression of alloys from early laboratory exploration through to pilot scale, billet casting, and production trials — acting as the principal gate-keeper at each development stage. Approve process changes, equipment trials, and external technical partnerships. Sign off validation packages, qualification reports, and datasheets before external release to customers or Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Approve capex and opex within delegated budget limits. Escalate significant commercial commitments or cross-functional strategy decisions to the relevant personnel. Desired Candidate Profile Minimum Qualifications: Degree in Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Mechanical Engineering. Postgraduate qualification (MSc/PhD) strongly preferred. 10+ years in aluminium R&D or metallurgical process engineering, with 3–5 years in a leadership role and demonstrable experience taking alloys from early research through to industrial qualification and customer validation. Technical Skills: Strong knowledge of aluminium metallurgy across casting, extrusion, and heat treatment. Familiarity with CALPHAD tools (Thermo-Calc, JMatPro), process simulation (Finite element method, Computational fluid dynamics, digital twins), and characterization techniques (Optical emission spectrometry, scanning electron microscope, X-Ray diffraction). Solid understanding of application validation including forming, joining, crash, and fatigue — and what it takes to prove an alloy in a real part under real conditions. Leadership and Management: Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary technical teams across the full development lifecycle. Strategic thinker with experience managing structured, stage-gated R&D programmes and strong stakeholder management across customers, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), suppliers, and senior leadership. Personal Attributes: Collaborative and inclusive with high technical integrity. Clear communicator across technical and non-technical audiences. Practical and results-oriented, with the judgement to know when an alloy is ready to progress and when it is not. Committed to sustainability and knowledge sharing. Employment Type Full Time Company Industry MetalsSteelIronAluminiumFabrication Department / Functional Area Engineering Keywords Casting ProcessesHead Of Casting ResearchMaterials ScienceChief Casting ScientistTeam LeadershipSimulation SoftwareFailure AnalysisProduct DevelopmentPrincipal Metallurgist - CastingSenior Technical Manager - Casting Get real-time job updates only on our App