Associate Director, Program Portfolio - Research

About this role

At Bose Corporation, we believe sound is the most powerful force on earth — and for over 60 years, we have been a company built on innovation, excellence, and independence. Privately owned, fiercely customer-focused, and driven by our values, we continue to lead industries and transform lives through sound.     Today, Bose Corporation is entering an exciting new era. Across multiple global Business Units and Global Functions, we are shaping the future of audio technology, automotive, luxury, and premium experiences. We invite you to join us in this transformation. 

Job Description

Role Summary

The Associate Director, Program Portfolio Lead – Research Programs is responsible for designing, managing, and governing the portfolio of advanced research and technology programs that translate Bose Research discoveries into scalable platform capabilities.

Bose is building a new generation of intelligent edge technologies spanning perception, sensing, environmental modeling, orchestration, and trusted intelligent systems. These technologies are developed through long-horizon research franchises and must ultimately evolve into deployable platform capabilities that power Bose products, enterprise platforms, and new technology businesses. Within this model, the Program Portfolio Leader ensures that research programs are well-defined, strategically aligned, and executed with discipline across the discovery-to-platform pipeline.

Working closely with the Franchise Architects, Bose Research leadership, Corporate Strategy, and the Bose-X team, this role governs the lifecycle of research programs — from initial concept and chartering through technical validation, portfolio prioritization, and transition into platform development.

This role is responsible for:

• structuring the research and technology program portfolio • translating franchise science arcs into executable research programs • managing phased investment decisions and program milestones • ensuring alignment between research initiatives and enterprise platform priorities • enabling the disciplined translation of research breakthroughs into platform capabilities The Program Portfolio Leader operates at the intersection of research management, technology strategy, and portfolio governance, ensuring that innovation investment produces durable capabilities rather than fragmented experimentation.

Key Responsibilities:

Research Program Portfolio Governance Design and manage the portfolio of research and technology programs that support Bose’s long-term capability franchises. Ensure that program investments align with enterprise technology priorities, franchise science arcs, and growth opportunities. Maintain clear visibility into the portfolio, including program scope, milestones, resource allocation, and expected outcomes. Balance exploration and focus by managing a diversified portfolio of early discovery, technical validation, and capability development programs.

Program Structuring & Charter Development Partner with Franchise Architects and research leaders to translate long-term science arcs into clearly defined research programs. Develop structured program charters that define: • research objectives • technical hypotheses • success criteria • milestones and decision gates • required capabilities and partnerships Ensure programs are scoped to produce durable capability layers rather than isolated technical results.

Phased Investment & Portfolio Prioritization Implement a disciplined, phased funding model for research initiatives. Define program milestones that support staged investment decisions and resource allocation. Regularly review portfolio performance and recommend continuation, expansion, pivot, or termination of programs based on progress and strategic relevance. Provide executive leadership with clear portfolio insights to guide investment decisions.

Research to Platform Transition Work closely with Bose-X and engineering teams to ensure successful transition of validated research capabilities into scalable platform components. Support the development of: • deployable primitives • reusable algorithm modules • reference implementations • platform-ready technology building blocks Help ensure that research outputs evolve into enterprise technology platforms, licensable IP, or product capabilities.

Cross-Franchise Program Coordination Coordinate programs across multiple research franchises to ensure collaboration and avoid duplication. Identify opportunities where research efforts can converge into shared system capabilities across perception, sensing, orchestration, and trusted systems. Facilitate communication and alignment across technical leaders and research teams.

Portfolio Transparency & Executive Communication Provide clear visibility into program status, risks, and opportunities for senior leadership. Develop portfolio reviews and strategic assessments that inform enterprise technology investment decisions. Communicate complex technical programs in a structured, strategic format suitable for executive stakeholders.

Qualifications 10+ years of experience managing complex technical programs, research portfolios, or advanced technology initiatives. Experience working in environments involving advanced research, deep technology development, or platform engineering. Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous technical ideas into well-defined programs with measurable outcomes. Strong strategic thinking and portfolio management capabilities. Experience coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams across research, engineering, and product organizations. Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain technical programs to senior leadership. Comfort operating in highly exploratory environments with evolving priorities and uncertain outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications Experience managing portfolios of research or advanced technology programs within corporate research labs, advanced technology groups, or platform

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