Director R&D Strategy and Portfolio Management

Company Description
Vattenfall is a European energy company with approximately 21 000 employees. For more than 100 years we have electrified industries, supplied energy to people’s homes and modernized our way of living through innovation and cooperation. We now want to enable the fossil freedom that drives society forward. To be able to reach this ambitious goal we are looking for talented individuals who, in addition to their passion for their own role, also have strong team spirit and want to contribute to supporting a meaningful corporate mission.
The Staff Function Research & Development (R&D) counts a team of ca 150 people working to accelerate the way to fossil freedom through the development of competitive solutions. From its central position at group level, R&D supports different business units in Vattenfall with deployment of new solutions in the field, while leveraging the synergies across the various businesses.
To cope with higher demands for innovation and the increased complexity of the future energy system, we are revising our organizational setup in R&D to simplify the structure and clarify roles and responsibilities, while building further on our strong competence base. The revised structure comprises two large execution departments of about 70 employees each, located in the two locations Solna and Älvkarleby, responsible for execution of the R&D activities in the respective areas. A third. smaller, department focusing on Strategy and Portfolio Management is responsible for the long-term planning of R&D activities in line with the business strategies.
Job Description
We are now looking for Director of R&D Strategy and Portfolio Management
As the leader of Vattenfall's R&D department for Strategy and Portfolio Management, you will report to the Head of R&D and be part of the R&D management team. This newly established unit aims to foster a more structured and consistent approach to R&D Portfolio Management. The department has a small but strong team of R&D Portfolio Managers, who are experienced, senior, and business-savvy, and who connect the business units and R&D. The Portfolio Managers identify and prioritize the business needs, formulate development plans in different time horizons, negotiate the related budget and resources, and prepare an execution plan, in cooperation with the line management.
Main tasks and responsibilities
Your role as the head of the R&D Portfolio Management team will be to guide the creation and revision of the R&D strategy for Vattenfall, ensure the effective operation of the processes for R&D Portfolio Management, and supervise the team of R&D Portfolio Managers. Each Portfolio Manager is in charge of creating and funding the own portfolio’s annual business plan, and securing the needed budget and staff, while you will coordinate and oversee the whole process – which includes business planning and budget and resource negotiations, and resolve (or escalate) any issues due to competing priorities between portfolios. You are also in charge of resolving issues caused by conflicting priorities between portfolios, and of reviewing the portfolios periodically and suggesting changes in scope to align with the strategic business goals.
Qualifications
We are looking for:
You have experience in managing teams, at least 5 years, and navigating complex organisations. You have experience and in-depth understanding of the energy business and the global challenges with the energy transition. You have a strong customer orientation, high-level stakeholder management skills and ability to drive change. You have a demonstrated ability to work independently with motivation and drive, to take action proactively and follow up. You are structured and organized but not inflexible, able to adjust to changes in the business situation, and have a good balance of process and people orientation.
Furthermore you have the following experiences and qualities:
Strategic Leadership: Experience in developing strategies with a strong technology content and managing a diverse portfolio, with a focus on aligning with overarching business goals. Own experience in developing roadmaps and business / product plans is highly valuable.
Business and R&D Integration: A track record of bridging business operations with R&D efforts, ensuring that projects support business objectives. Experience of Product Management is valuable in this respect.
Team Management and Development: Proven ability to lead a team of professionals, fostering an environment of growth and collaboration.
Negotiation and Resource Allocation: Skilled in negotiating budgets and resources, with experience in optimizing the allocation to meet strategic needs.
Adaptability and Problem-Solving: Ability to adapt strategies based on business trends and resolve conflicts between competing priorities. Strong communication, problem solving and collaboration skills ensuring effective collaboration with stakeholders.
Language skills: Perfect command of both Swedish and English languages. Additional language skills are valuable, particularly in Vattenfall’s key countries (NL, DK, DE).

Examples of experiences of value for this role may include: having led cross-functional teams, experience of Product Management, in strategy and management consulting, managing large-scale projects with multiple stakeholders, or successfully negotiating resources for high-impact R&D initiatives.
Additional Information
At Vattenfall, we are convinced that striving for diversity helps building a more profitable efficient and attractive company. Therefore we seek a harmonious balance of employees in terms of gender, age, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Location: Solna or Älvkarleby, Sweden.


For more information about the position you are welcome to contact hiring manager Ambra Sannino, ambra.sannino@vattenfall.com. For more information about the recruitment process please contact recruiter Peter Blixter, peter.blixter@vattenfall.com

We welcome your application in English, including CV and motivational letter at latest August 31st.
Selections and Interviews will be held continuously throughout the application period, so please do not wait until the last day before sending in your application.