Research and Development Manager

Would you like to be instrumental in enabling the next generation of semi-conductors? As a Research and Development Manager at Infinitesima, you’re leading the team that de-risks cutting-edge semiconductor metrology. You’re shaping how new ideas turn into real, product-ready solutions that push technology forward, from AI to autonomous systems. You’re combining people leadership with technical depth to guide direction and make sure the work lands commercially. If this sounds like you, read on…. Reward and Benefits: £52,275 – £77,987 (depending on experience) 25 days annual leave Death in service and private health care benefits, personal pension contributions of 4% with salary sacrifice and a generous EMI Share scheme Based in Abingdon, Oxford, UK, we are a high calibre team of 100 plus people and we are growing fast. We are backed by global financial and industry investors including Applied Ventures, the strategic venture arm of the industry leading equipment company. About the role: As Research and Development Manager, you’re leading and developing a multidisciplinary research team spanning hardware, software, modelling and applications. You’re owning the intake of feasibility-study requests, prioritising and resourcing them against business goals, and making sure the team delivers fast, evidence-based answers. You’re setting how the team operates — building strong ways of working, embedding best practices, and making sure outputs are robust before feeding into product decisions. You’re balancing leadership with enough technical depth to challenge thinking, guide direction, and connect research outcomes to the future of the semiconductor industry. A typical day for a Research and Development Manager could look like this: Running the daily team meeting and keeping a dynamic operating rhythm with clear prioritisation Setting up and embedding ways of working – logs, report formats and review routines – and coaching the team to follow best practices Checking that results are robust and stand up to scrutiny before informing decisions Line-managing, mentoring and developing a multidisciplinary team of engineers and scientists Prioritising and resourcing feasibility studies and exploratory projects against business goals Owning the quality and pace of solution assessments, proof-of-concept work and recommendations Connecting R&D outputs to the product roadmap and supporting smooth hand-offs into product Managing stakeholders across engineering, manufacturing, applications, service and leadership teams Who we are looking for: To succeed as a Research and Development Manager, we do need you to have experience of: Leading and developing a technical or scientific team, ideally in instrumentation, metrology, semiconductor or deep-tech environments Bringing strong technical breadth across hardware, software, modelling or applications Turning exploratory or research work into real product impact Establishing ways of working and coaching teams to follow best practices Prioritising and resourcing competing work in fast, ambiguous environments Communicating clearly and managing stakeholders across technical and non-technical audiences Nice to have: Familiarity with nano-characterisation techniques (e.g. AFM, SEM, FIB, profilometry) Experience working with semiconductor customers or equipment businesses Education / Qualifications: Either a degree, Masters or PhD in Physics, Engineering or similar, or a clear equivalent path through relevant experience. Significant experience including people leadership (typically around 8–10 years). We look for the five Cs from our colleagues: Customer Focused – Staying close to customer needs and consistently delivering value that builds trust. Caring – Creating a supportive environment where people look out for each other and can thrive. Collaborative – Sharing ideas openly, communicating clearly, and working together to solve problems. Commitment – Taking ownership, following through on promises, and acting with integrity. Continuous Improvement – Always learning, challenging the status quo, and improving how we work and deliver. A bit about us: Infinitesima is a privately owned company founded in 2001, as a spin-out of the University of Bristol, by CTO Professor Andrew Humphris. Our dynamic team of scientists and engineers is focussed on enabling the next generation of semiconductor devices through delivery of innovative products to customers around the world. Our strength lies in the varied perspectives that come from different cultures, experiences, and identities. We believe that true innovation is fuelled by collaboration, locally and globally. We strive to foster an environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully and thrive. If you require adjustments to take part in the recruitment process, please let us know, we’ll do our best to support you. Note to recruitment agencies: Infinitesima Ltd only works with approved agencies and does not accept unsolicited agency CVs. Please do not submit candidate details in response to this advert, or to any Infinitesima Ltd employees. Infinitesima Ltd is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs. A note on how we run interviews: We use AI only to transcribe our interviews so we can focus fully on you instead of scribbling notes. The AI does not take part in any decision making at any stage. All hiring decisions are made by real humans based on the conversation we have with you. Location and work pattern: All of our new UK team members are asked to work on site here at Abingdon during their first three months with us. We offer flexible, hybrid working where possible upon completion of probation.