Mass Spectrometry Segment Lead, Global Research in Wilmslow

The Global Research team is responsible for delivering a strategically aligned portfolio of breakthrough innovations sourced by both internal inventions and external collaborations and partnerships. Researchers collaborate with customers, academic institutions, and industry partners to leverage expertise, share knowledge, and develop solutions that meet evolving and difficult customer challenges. Ultimately team members are charged with developing compelling proof of concepts in a lead application that justifies transition of an innovation to development strongly influenced by voice of customer research.

The Global Research team is also responsible for technological advancements to support next generation and novel instrument, informatics and consumables platforms. The scope of Global Research spans all of Waters across all divisions, which will include any acquisitions, as negotiated with division heads. It includes fields of sample preparation, separations, mass spectrometry and detection within Waters with a focus in market segments of chemistry and lab automation, testing and lab services, discovery and development, QA/QC, clinical and connected sciences.

As the Segment Lead - Mass Spectrometry in the Global Research team you are responsible for owning and shaping a portfolio of Global Research innovations and driving projects through the pipeline stage gates. You own the Global Research budget for projects within your segment and sponsor project teams to pursue the successful Proof of Concept experiments that create opportunities to graduate projects from Research to Development. You will guide preparation of the Research to Development transition documents and assemble voice of customer, unmet need, PoC, preliminary business case and an initial application.

As a member of the Global Research leadership team reporting to SVP, Global Research, Portfolio & Strategy, you will collaborate to build a world class innovation engine leading team(s) of scientists and engineers in the development of new science, technologies, methods, practices, and ways of working. The level of this role can be flexible depending on the level of experience of the preferred candidate.

• Ensures innovation pipeline for next generation MS platforms, new technology platforms and non-platform innovations within agreed scope.
• Owns portfolio of Global Research projects in the segment, sponsoring teams at all stages of the pipeline.
• Delivers robust, high quality and complete Research to Development evaluation package to Development at transition, integrating customer insights into unmet need, PoC and business case.
• Drives progress of the Global Research pipeline through stage gates.
• Manages research budget for segment.
• Participates broadly in our innovation system, connecting internal and external resources, while helping teams outside your own.
• Advises senior staff, Executive Committee, and Innovation Board on prospective innovations.

• Collaborates with key Development internal customers to understand their needs and those of the customer.
• Solves critical problems related to broad design issues impacting success of future products and the wider business.
• Independently analyses and interprets data outside areas of scientific expertise.
• Identifies key experiments and works with Fellows and scientists and engineers to define a Proof of Concept to make major decisions with significant scientific and financial/business impacts.

• Collaborates across segment leadership team to deliver Global Research goals.
• Works with Group Leads to staff effective project teams.
• Provides leadership and mentorship to project teams.
• Creates networks internally and externally.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; interacts frequently with Vice President level, Executive Committee, Innovation Board, possibly Board of Directors and strategic partners.

• Identifies and aids in the development of research proposals resulting in new products, solutions, and business opportunities.
• Identifies opportunities which are ground-breaking/transformative or disruptive technologies.
• Provides technology assessment/guidance for licensing, acquisition, OEM.

• Develops independent perspective on VoC and unmet needs.
• Ensures quality of Research to Development package.

• Identifies and catalyses change.
• Solves significant problems.
• Identifies, develops, and champions new ideas or fields of research.

• Maintains the effectiveness of the Quality system at the sites via adherence to applicable policies and procedures.
• Completes Quality System related actions in a timely manner according to procedures e.g. CAPA, NCR.
• Adheres to Environmental, Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Typically requires an advanced scientific or engineering degree alongside extensive experience.

• Significant proven experience in an innovative scientific environment.
• Recognized expert (internally and externally) in relevant scientific field.
• Thorough understanding of principles and techniques of analytical science.
• Outstanding scientific reasoning skills.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be able to work independently and communicate with all levels of the organization.
• Business acumen and desire to learn science-adjacent skills in strategy, finance and commercial.