R&D Director

Our client is a global technology company with a software engineering operation in Brazil and a direct reporting line into an international structure. The organization is currently consolidating its operation, with a focus on maturity, efficiency and increased capacity.

We are looking for an R&D Director to lead the software engineering operation in Brazil, connecting global strategy, local execution, leadership development and the evolution of delivery processes. This role will play a central part in organizing priorities, integrating technical teams and building greater predictability and efficiency across the operation.

The position requires an important combination of leadership and technical depth: on one side, a senior team with strong product knowledge and long tenure within the organization; on the other, an operation under pressure from multiple demands, delivery commitments and the need to increase productivity with the same structure.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the R&D operation in Brazil in an integrated way, connecting the different engineering teams and ensuring stronger alignment between priorities, capacity and delivery commitments;
• Build credibility and proximity with a senior technical team, bringing an accessible and collaborative leadership style, while being able to sustain technical discussions with specialists;
• Structure and strengthen the operating management routines, bringing greater clarity to priorities, capacity, delivery tracking and integration across teams;
• Lead the local AI adoption agenda within the engineering workflow, translating a global direction into practical initiatives focused on efficiency and productivity gains;
• Develop coordinators and team leaders, strengthening performance management, career development, retention and succession;
• Act as the interface with internal areas responsible for projects, delivery, support and customer relationships, balancing commitments made with the actual delivery capacity of R&D;
• Increase the maturity of governance, documentation and knowledge sharing;
• Manage budget, vendors, outsourcing partners and other resources related to the engineering operation;
• Represent the Brazilian R&D operation in global forums, with a direct reporting line to international leadership.

Requirements

• Solid experience leading Engineering, Technology or R&D organizations, with direct responsibility for hiring, performance management and career development of teams;
• Background and career experience in Software Engineering or Systems Architecture, with technical knowledge current enough to sustain discussions with senior specialists;
• Leadership track record in technology companies, software product environments or development organizations;
• Experience increasing productivity and delivery capacity through process improvement, governance and operational optimization;
• Fluent English, with previous experience reporting to leadership based outside Brazil;
• Experience with agile delivery at scale, capacity and priority management, budget ownership, vendors and outsourcing partners;
• Availability to work on site in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, including genuine willingness to relocate to the region when applicable.

Benefits

• Annual bonus;
• Medical insurance;
• Dental insurance;
• Life insurance;
• Meal and food allowance.

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