Head of R&D - medtech
Make a difference for children who rely on assistive med. Lead an R&D team across Europe. ar, user-friendly medtech for kids - shape strategy, empower teams, and deliver market-ready innovations.
Etac is a global leader in innovative assistive devices, dedicated to enabling people to live active and independent lives. Within our Paediatrics Business Unit (R82), we develop highly configurable solutions for children with complex needs. To further strengthen our organization, we're now hiring a Head of R&D: a leader who challenges our engineers, sharpens our products, and helps children and caregivers feel the difference faster.
You will step into a well-functioning R&D organisation with strong capabilities and experienced team members already in place. Your mandate is to take it to the next level across three specific frontiers. First, tighten the bridge between launch and commercial traction, so products land in the market sales-ready, not just engineering-ready. Second, simplify the user experience without sacrificing capability: our products are powerful, but adjustment should feel intuitive for caregivers, not technical. Third, advance our modular design and design-formanufacturing maturity.
This is a key leadership role with responsibility for end-to-end R&D activities, from early concept development and product architecture to final product validation and lifecycle support, within a dynamic and growing international business.
The role
As Head of R&D, you will lead a team of 18 skilled professionals, including a Product Care Manager, with full functional responsibility for new product development and market-driven adaptations.
The role is primarily people leadership, complemented by sharp technical sparring with the engineering team. You will challenge, inspire, and elevate the team’s technical decisions, ensuring that all solutions meet Etac’s high standards for quality, compliance, cost, and user impact.
You will report directly to Claus Bisgaard, SVP Paediatrics EU & RoW, and play a key role in the broader leadership team.
Your key responsibilities
Leadership & Team Development - Provide clear direction, coaching, and development to a multidisciplinary R&D team, fostering a high-performance and collaborative culture.
R&D Strategy & Execution - Deliver on the innovation roadmap, balancing long-term platform development with short-term customer and market needs.
Project & Resource Management - Ensure effective prioritisation and execution of projects, delivering on time, within budget, and to agreed specifications.
Technical Leadership - Contribute actively to development work and key design decisions, ensuring strong integration across mechanics, electronics, and user-centric design.
Compliance & Quality - Ensure full adherence to relevant standards and regulatory requirements, including documentation and collaboration with external certification bodies.
Cross-functional & External Collaboration - Work closely with PM, Supply Chain functions, QA, and international in- and external partners to ensure strong alignment and customer value.
Your profile
You bring strong leadership experience from R&D. Experience from medtech or assistive devices is not a requirement - we are equally interested in candidates from other complex, regulated, or highly configurable product environments.
We expect that you:
Hold a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical discipline
Bring at least 5 years of leadership experience in R&D within an international environment
Have strong experience with project and portfolio management
Have experience working with regulated or safety-critical products
Are proficient in CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks / Inventor) and familiar with ERP systems
Speak Danish and English fluently
As a leader, you are pragmatic, structured, and collaborative, with the ability to navigate across functions and organisational levels.
Why Etac?
At Etac, your leadership directly supports children and families who rely on our solutions every day. You’ll join a global organisation with a strong heritage and ambitious growth plans, where your impact will be visible across the entire value chain.
Interested?
We're looking forward to receiving your resume. Please submit it by 5th of June 2026 at the latest. For more information about the role, the location or our company? Please visit www.etac.com
- Department
- R&D, Engineering & Product Development
- Locations
- Gedved
- Employment type
- Full-time
Gedved
About Etac
Etac is a world-leading developer of innovative assistive devices and patient handling equipment. Since 1973, we have been committed to improving quality of life for the individual, family members and caregivers.
Through our specialised product brands, we offer state-of-the-art solutions for a wide range of daily needs and care settings, for people at all stages of life. Headquartered in Sweden, Etac is a global company with around 1 500 employees, sales in over 80 countries and a revenue of approximately EUR 500 million.