Chief Specialist - Research & Development | UAE National

Job Purpose

Strategy

• Develop and update research policies, processes, systems, annual plans, and KPIs in alignment with RTA strategy and standards.
• Promote a research culture with publishing frameworks, authorship rules, and review cycles.
• Establish governance for R&D centers and align portfolios, KPIs, and annual plans with sector needs.
• Define proof-of-concept selection criteria, test protocols, evaluation gates, and reporting cadence.
• Direct the Scientific Research Award framework, rubrics, calendar, and improvement actions.
• Plan strategic partnerships with universities and research centers, including scopes, benefits, IP clauses, and performance indicators.

Operations

• Supervise corporate research projects from concept to delivery against scope, schedule, budget, and quality gates.
• Coordinate research initiatives with Dubai Future Foundation and integrate deliverables into departmental plans.
• Govern the central database for research outputs through data standards, metadata, access controls, and publication workflows.
• Prepare policy and strategy documents, leadership presentations, and reports on research indicators, initiatives, risks, and corrective actions.
• Scout internal researchers, deliver awareness programs, and mentor early-career researchers.
• Link researchers with legal and IP experts and guide IP registration and protection.

Partnerships and Improvement

• Draft and review MoUs and collaboration agreements and monitor partner obligations, deliverables, and realized benefits.
• Review research and proof-of-concept outcomes and determine adoption, iteration, or closure.
• Develop R&D sources, frameworks, tools, templates, and guidance to improve collaboration and study quality.
• Analyze performance trends, recommend corrective actions, and update research policies, processes, frameworks, and KPIs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or Science.
• At least 9 years of experience with a Master’s degree or at least 11 years with a Bachelor’s degree.
• Expertise in R&D project design and execution, academic partnerships, and research governance.
• PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent certification is preferred.
• Research ethics certification, such as CITI, is preferred.
• Expertise in applied or industrial research, data, or AI is preferred.