Add expected salary to your profile for insights
The Research and Development (R&D) Operations Manager drives operational excellence across research, engineering, and product development by optimising workflows, resources, and compliance. Reporting to the CTO, this role ensures that R&D projects are delivered efficiently on time, and within budget, while fostering collaboration and aligning innovation with business goals.
What you'll be doing:
As the R&D Operations Manager, you will focus on project coordination and resource management, technical enablement, team support and line operations, interdepartmental coordination, process improvement and governance, risk and contingency planning, administrative oversight, and technology roadmap support.
Your specific duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
Maintaining oversight of all R&D projects, anticipating, identifying and resolving resource and schedule bottlenecks, and ensuring alignment with operational and strategic goals.
Engaging in day-to-day liaison between R&D and Production, QA, Logistics, Commercial, and Product teams across domestic and international business units.
Supporting the CTO in the development and execution of the long-term research strategy and innovation pipeline.
Tracking and reporting on Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) against project milestones, escalating delays or risks early.
Supporting the handover of commercial prototypes into production or field testing by ensuring readiness of documentation, designs, and support resources.
Coordinating procurement and commissioning of tools, consumables, prototyping supplies, and other R&D materials and facilities.
Maintaining and improving internal R&D processes for documentation, version control, testing, and design review.
Facilitating sprint planning, stand-ups, and post-mortems as needed to ensure alignment and momentum, and monitoring and reporting on KPIs related to project velocity, resource utilisation, and team satisfaction.
Monitoring project risks, including technical, supply chain, or personnel factors, and ensuring projects adhere to defined standards, industry regulations, safety protocols, quality expectations, and intellectual property policies.
Maintaining contingency plans for critical-path activities (e.g. supply-chain resilience, cross-trained staff).
Managing or contributing to R&D budgeting, resources allocation, timesheets, contractor agreements, NDAs, IP management, R&D claims and tracking of financial performance.
Supporting the recruitment, onboarding, and professional growth of R&D team members.
What we're looking for:
We're seeking a highly organised, technically skilled R&D Operations Manager to lead the execution of R&D projects from concept to delivery. You'll coordinate cross-functional teams, manage resources, streamline processes, and ensure milestones, timelines, and budgets are met. With strong project management expertise and a deep understanding of R&D, you'll support product scale-up, oversee documentation and SOPs, and drive innovation through efficient operations. Success in this fast-paced role requires excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to balance priorities while aligning projects with strategic goals.
Experience:
Bachelor's or higher degree in Engineering, Robotics, Project Management or a related field.
5+ years of experience in R&D operations, project management, or a similar leadership role within the technology or engineering sectors.
Strong knowledge of technology development processes, communications systems, autonomous systems, prototyping, manufacturing, quality assurance and quality control.
Experience with agile project management, lean development, and innovation frameworks and ISO 9001 Quality Management System.
Excellent leadership, organisational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-tech environment with cross-disciplinary teams.
Additional requirements:
Ability to meet Defence Security Clearance requirements
Experience within defence sector advantageous
What we offer:
RAIDER is a dynamic and innovative company that thrives in a fast-paced environment, embracing cutting-edge technology to drive success. Our workplace is exciting, collaborative, and forward-thinking, where your contributions will make a real impact. We prioritise employee wellbeing, fostering a supportive and inclusive culture that values work-life balance, professional growth, and a positive team environment. With flexible work options, we empower our team to work in ways that best suit their needs while staying engaged, supported by our Employee Wellbeing program and regular team social activities that strengthen connection and motivation.
About us:
RAIDER designs and manufactures live fire training systems for Defence globally. Our innovative range of scalable and deployable autonomous robotic platforms are designed to meet the unique training and evaluation needs of Defence. Versatile, realistic, and reliable, our products and services augment training programs, improve combat readiness, and enhance effectiveness in contested environments.
We are proud to be a Veteran Employment Supporter and encourage veterans to apply. We value the unique skills, experience, and perspective that veterans bring to the workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees can thrive.
*Please note due to immediate start requirement, selection process will commence straight away so we encourage you to put your application in quickly
Unlock job insights
Salary match Number of applicants Skills match
Your application will include the following questions:Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Australia?
To help fast track investigation, please include here any other relevant details that prompted you to report this job ad as fraudulent / misleading / discriminatory.
What can I earn as an Operations Manager
#J-18808-Ljbffr