R&D Manager & Product Owner, Hardware

R&D Manager, Hardware – Access Devices

ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions – VingCard 

Position Summary

The R&D Manager, Hardware is responsible for leading the hardware development within the Access Devices organization. This role manages a unified HW development team covering electronics and mechanics design, product verification and compliance. The manager ensures the delivery of robust, reliable, secure, and cost‑effective hardware solutions that support our global access control product portfolio.

In addition to people and technical leadership, the R&D Manager serves as the Product Owner for HW, maintaining the HW backlog, prioritizing work, and ensuring the team focuses on what matters most for product, platform, and business success. The role reports to the Senior Director & Head of Access Devices and is located at the Ski, Norway office.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop the unified HW development team while fostering a strong engineering and quality culture.
• Own and prioritize the HW backlog to ensure focus on the most valuable and time‑critical tasks, and clearly communicate priorities, progress, and trade‑offs across stakeholders.
• Take responsibility for hardware throughout its full lifecycle — from early concepts and development through industrialization, verification, compliance, release, continuous improvement, and long‑term support.
• Support and drive root‑cause analysis and quality improvements as needed
• Deliver validated, production‑ready hardware designs with strong DFM/DFA/DFT practices, including test strategies and documentation
• Support NPI, pilot builds, and ramp‑up efforts in operations dept.
• Contribute to technology and platform strategy, ensure alignment with global compliance standards, support M&A technical due‑diligence

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in Electronics design, Mechanical Design or Mechatronics
• 5+ years of experience in hardware product development
• Solid, hands‑on experience as a hardware designer is essential, ensuring a strong foundation in practical engineering and design decision‑making.
• Experience working with mass‑produced products, including manufacturability, cost, quality, supply chain, and long‑term product support considerations.
• Experience in technical leadership or people management is beneficial, but applicants with strong personal suitability and leadership potential are also welcome to apply.
• Experience with lifecycle management and platform‑based development is an advantage.

Skills & Competencies

• Expertise in either mechanical or electronics development, combined with solid working knowledge of the other discipline.
• Knowledge of product compliance requirements and certification processes (EMC, radio, safety, environmental).
• Strong knowledge of Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles and production test methodologies.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder‑management capabilities.
• Structured, analytical, and decisive, with the ability to balance technical depth with strategic priorities.
• Collaborative mindset with proven effectiveness in cross‑functional environments.
• Strong problem‑solving abilities and a continuous‑improvement mindset.

We Offer

• A key leadership role shaping the future of hardware within a world‑leading access control portfolio.
• A global, innovative environment with multidisciplinary collaboration and cutting‑edge technology.
• Significant opportunities for growth and development within an international organization.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.

We are the ASSA ABLOY Group
Our people have made us the global leader in access solutions. In return, we open doors for them wherever they go. With nearly 63,000 colleagues in more than 70 different countries, we help billions of people experience a more open world. Our innovations make all sorts of spaces – physical and virtual – safer, more secure, and easier to access. 

As an employer, we value results – not titles, or backgrounds. We empower our people to build their career around their aspirations and our ambitions – supporting them with regular feedback, training, and development opportunities. Our colleagues think broadly about where they can make the most impact, and we encourage them to grow their role locally, regionally, or even internationally.

As we welcome new people on board, it’s important to us to have diverse, inclusive teams, and we value different perspectives and experiences.