Associate Director, Program Portfolio - Research
Role Summary
The Associate Director, Program Portfolio Lead – Research Programs is responsible for designing, managing, and governing the portfolio of advanced research and technology programs that translate Bose Research discoveries into scalable platform capabilities.
Key Responsibilities
Research Program Portfolio Governance - Design and manage the portfolio of research and technology programs that support Bose’s long-term capability franchises. Ensure that program investments align with enterprise technology priorities, franchise science arcs, and growth opportunities. Maintain clear visibility into the portfolio, including program scope, milestones, resource allocation, and expected outcomes.
Phased Investment & Portfolio Prioritization - Implement a disciplined, phased funding model for research initiatives. Define program milestones that support staged investment decisions and resource allocation. Regularly review portfolio performance and recommend continuation, expansion, pivot, or termination of programs based on progress and strategic relevance. Provide executive leadership with clear portfolio insights to guide investment decisions.
Research to Platform Transition - Work closely with Bose-X and engineering teams to ensure successful transition of validated research capabilities into scalable platform components. Support the development of deployable primitives, reusable algorithm modules, reference implementations, platform-ready technology building blocks. Help ensure that research outputs evolve into enterprise technology platforms, licensable IP, or product capabilities.
Cross-Franchise Program Coordination - Coordinate programs across multiple research franchises to ensure collaboration and avoid duplication. Identify opportunities where research efforts can converge into shared system capabilities across perception, sensing, orchestration, and trusted systems. Facilitate communication and alignment across technical leaders and research teams.
Portfolio Transparency & Executive Communication - Provide clear visibility into program status, risks, and opportunities for senior leadership. Develop portfolio reviews and strategic assessments that inform enterprise technology investment decisions. Communicate complex technical programs in a structured, strategic format suitable for executive stakeholders.
Qualifications
10+ years of experience managing complex technical programs, research portfolios, or advanced technology initiatives. Experience working in environments involving advanced research, deep technology development, or platform engineering.
Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous technical ideas into well-defined programs with measurable outcomes. Strong strategic thinking and portfolio management capabilities.
Experience coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams across research, engineering, and product organizations. Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain technical programs to senior leadership.
Comfort operating in highly exploratory environments with evolving priorities and uncertain outcomes.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Experience managing portfolios of research or advanced technology programs within corporate research labs, advanced technology groups, or platform organizations.
Familiarity with domains such as AI/ML, sensing systems, signal processing, distributed systems, or edge computing.
Experience implementing phased investment models or venture-style program governance.
Background in translating research prototypes into scalable platform capabilities.
Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in engineering, computer science, applied science, or related fields.