Director, Strategic Innovation

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The Director of Strategic Innovation will lead strategic innovation initiatives that align with Molex's long‑term business and technology goals. This role is responsible for driving the development of cutting‑edge technologies, securing intellectual property through patents, and shaping the Copper Solutions Advanced Development technology roadmap to meet future customer needs. The Director will identify and evaluate emerging technologies, foster external partnerships, and guide cross‑functional collaboration to ensure seamless integration of R&D into product development.

This position requires a visionary leader with deep technical expertise in high‑speed connectivity products and a strong understanding of commercialization processes.

The ideal candidate will possess a proven track record in technology development, stakeholder engagement, and risk management, along with the ability to mentor engineering teams and represent Molex in technical forums and industry events. A high degree of initiative, creativity, and strategic thinking is essential to succeed in this role.

Are you looking to make a connection to your career? Come to Molex where we create connections for life. We use innovation, engineering excellence, commitment to quality and reliability, and superior customer experience to improve communication, elevate experiences, and engage and inspire people everywhere.

Molex's Copper Solutions Business Unit (CSBU) is a global team that works together to deliver exceptional products to worldwide telecommunications and data center customers. CSBU is one of the most highly technically advanced business units within Molex.

• Develop and implement innovation strategies that align with the company's overall business goals.
• Develop new technology ideas, patents, and patent strategies that protect the intellectual property of Molex.
• Help create, influence, and drive the CSBU Advanced Development technology roadmaps that align with future customer product needs.
• Help prioritize technology projects based on long‑term value, alignment with Molex strategies/goals, and anticipated future customer needs.
• Identify/evaluate new business opportunities, emerging technologies, and potential external partnerships that deliver differentiated capabilities that increase Molex's technical capabilities.
• Drive continuous innovation by staying updated with emerging technologies, market trends, competitive landscape, end user’s system architecture, industry standards, and general industry advancements.
• Encourage and facilitate research activities to develop new products, technologies, or processes.
• Foster collaboration between AD, R&D, product development, engineering, and other departments to ensure seamless integration of R&D initiatives into product development cycles.
• Identify potential risks and challenges in R&D projects and develop mitigation strategies to address them proactively.
• Develop strong relationships with both internal and external innovation leaders.
• Create and host technical presentations, discussions, white papers, etc. with customers and at industry conferences.
• Provide technical mentorship, training, and guidance to the engineering community within CSBU.
• Help establish partner agreements as needed to advance technology roadmap and coordinate any NDA's, JDA's, and IP sharing.
• Apply effective risk management to mitigate technical, schedule, and partnership‑related challenges.
• Present innovative concepts and technology development activities to both internal stakeholders and customers.

• Advanced engineering degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Electrical, Mechanical, Materials Science, or related discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant engineering experience, with a track record of successful technology development and transfer.
• Proven ability to develop, manage, and grow external partnerships across academia, research institutes, and industry.
• Direct experience in high‑speed connectivity products (connectors, cables, optical/electrical interconnects, or related).
• In‑depth knowledge of technology readiness levels and commercialization processes.
• Demonstrated ability to…