VP Research & Development Engineering EMEA

Key Responsibilities

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.

Qualification & Requirements

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.

Benefits

No information available.