Total 2 programme director job vacancies in Science / R&D / Research category

Job Purpose

As the R&D Director, you will be the visionary leader driving the next generation of our gaming portfolio. You will oversee our core engineering, prototyping, and game design pipelines, transforming blue-sky ideas into market-ready hits. This role requires a unique blend of cutting-edge technical expertise, deep gaming intuition, and exceptional team-building skills to foster a culture of rapid innovation, high performance, and creative freedom.

Key Responsibilities

• Vision & Strategy: Define and execute Joytana’s technical and creative R&D roadmap, aligning game mechanics, engines, and emerging tech with long-term business goals.

• Rapid Prototyping & Innovation: Oversee the "Greenlight" pipeline, guiding teams from initial concept and paper designs to playable core-loop prototypes. Establish clear criteria for when to pivot, kill, or scale a project.

• Team Leadership & Culture: Lead, mentor, and scale a cross-functional team of game engineers, technical artists, and designers. Foster an inclusive, psychological-safe environment where creative risk-taking is celebrated.

• Tech Stack Optimization: Evaluate and implement next-gen tech (e.g., advanced AI for asset pipelines, procedural generation, cross-platform deployment, server architecture optimization) to keep Joytana ahead of the curve.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Product Management, LiveOps, User Acquisition, and Analytics teams to ensure R&D initiatives are informed by player data and market trends without suffocating creative instinct.

• Performance & Delivery: Establish KPIs for code quality, architectural scalability, and milestone delivery. Maintain an agile framework optimized for experimental development.

Requirements & Qualifications

Experience

• Lead by Example: 8+ years of experience in game development, with at least 3+ years in a senior leadership role (Director, Head of R&D, or Lead Producer/Architect) at a successful gaming studio.

• Proven Track Record: At least 2-3 successfully shipped commercial titles (Mobile, PC, or Console) where you played a pivotal role in architectural design or core game mechanics.

Technical Skills

• Deep proficiency in modern game engines (Unity)

• Strong understanding of modern software engineering practices, cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), and real-time multiplayer networking architectures.

• Experience integrating generative AI, machine learning, or advanced automated testing into development workflows is a major plus.

Soft Skills & Leadership

• The "Gamer" Instinct: A deep passion for gaming across multiple genres and an analytical understanding of what makes games fun, engaging, and monetizable.

• Ruthless Prioritization: Ability to manage multiple experimental threads simultaneously and make tough, data-backed decisions on project lifecycles.

• Communication Mastery: The ability to translate complex technical blockers into business impact for stakeholders, and translate business vision into actionable engineering goals.

Brief Summary:
We are seeking a dynamic leader to spearhead research and innovation strategies, aligning them with business goals. This role offers the opportunity to impact scientific validation and commercialization across various programs.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement the overall research and innovation strategy in alignment with business objectives.
• Identify and establish strategic research partnerships with universities and scientific collaborators across Asia.
• Design and oversee new research programmes, including in-vitro, in-vivo, and human clinical studies to validate ingredients and products.
• Lead negotiations with research partners on project scope, budgets, timelines, intellectual property ownership, and commercialization rights.
• Manage a portfolio of research projects to support current and future business opportunities.
• Provide leadership on research priorities and resource allocation to maximize scientific and commercial outcomes.
• Supervise external research projects to ensure quality and timely deliverables are achieved.
• Translate market opportunities and insights into actionable research directions and scientific programmes.
• Collaborate closely with product development and business teams to support product validation and commercialization efforts.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and scientific trends relevant to wellness and consumer health.
• Represent the organization to internal and external stakeholders, including research partners and corporate leadership.
• Report directly to the Chief Scientific Officer.

Requirements:

• Master’s Degree in Food Science, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Science, Nutrition, Biotechnology, or related fields.
• Minimum of 8–10 years of experience in R&D leadership and innovation management.
• Proven experience managing external research programmes and multidisciplinary scientific collaborations.
• Ability to source, evaluate, and manage research partners and scientific institutions.
• Experience in negotiating research contracts and commercialization agreements.
• Strong understanding of clinical and applied research methodologies.
• Background in FMCG, consumer health, wellness, or biotechnology is preferred.
• Demonstrated success in R&D project management and strategic planning.
• Proven capacity to connect scientific research with commercial opportunities.
• Experience managing stakeholders across scientific and operational functions.

EA License No.: 01C4394 (PERSOL SINGAPORE PTE LTD)

Registration No.: R23112488 (Julian Nerchan)

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