Honeywell Aerospace’s Advanced Cryogenic Platforms (ACP) team is seeking a Research Director for our Louisville, CO or Plymouth, MN locations. This role reports to the ACP General Manager. In this role, you will have a significant impact on the research and delivery of innovative solutions directly supporting ACP’s technical and business roadmap. Your leadership and expertise will contribute to the overall productivity and effectiveness of the research function, ensuring that your team enables advancing low technology readiness level know-how and applied research for future ACP technology and service offerings.
ResponsibilitiesKEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead and manage a team of leaders, scientists, and researchers to develop and deliver advanced technology for ACP products and services
- Translate enterprise priorities into a coherent technology and innovation portfolio
- Drive accountability for achieving ACP’s technology portfolio and deliverables
- Align with:
- The Chief Technology Officer, who sets broad technology direction
- The Customer Business Leader, who represents customer and business needs
- The Line of Business (LOB) Leaders who define the “What and When” of their businesses
- Provide the technical “Who and How” to enable the LOBs’ “What and When” and ensure successful execution of ACP initiatives and projects
- Drive effective collaboration with the ACP’s Development and Shared Services teams
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance team effectiveness
- Hire and develop ACP’s technical talent
- Promote clear communication and technical guidance
- Lead your team in managing their project estimates, timelines, budgets, and resources
- Ensure your team’s proper process, documentation, and sign-offs for various research, development, and production phase gates
- Drive the research team to successfully complete Technology Readiness Assessments (TRAs) with associated TRL and MRL crossings
- Through this forward-looking process directly enable future Integrated Product Delivery and Support (IPDS) first-time gate passing
- Directly support ACP technology co-development and integration efforts with new customers, partners, and industry leaders
YOU MUST HAVE:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in a technical discipline such as the sciences, technology, engineering, or mathematics
- 8+ years’ experience leading technical teams
- Executive-level communication and relationship-building skills
WE VALUE:
We value candidates who may have one or more of the following skills:
- 10+ years of experience in research or development
- Master’s or PhD in science or engineering fields
- Strong leadership and team management skills
- Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities
- Innovative mindset and a passion for technology and their team members
- Ability to drive results and meet project deadlines
- Experience with the TRA and IPDS processes
- The ability to engage credibly with senior business and technology leaders, translate complex concepts into clear decisions, and build alignment across diverse stakeholders
US PERSONS REQUIREMENT
- Due to contractual requirements and compliance with US export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a US Person, a US citizen, or a US permanent resident.
The annual base salary range for this position in Minnesota and Colorado is $213,000-266,000. Please note that this salary information serves as a general guideline. Honeywell Aerospace considers various factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education and training, key skills, as well as market and business considerations.
About us:
Join a company that's reintroducing itself to the aviation community we've helped advance for more than a century. At Honeywell Aerospace (NASDAQ: HONA), we're launching as an independent, publicly traded aerospace and defense company built on a legacy of operational excellence and mission-focused execution.
Our new brand identity pairs that heritage with real momentum, as we build technology that helps pilots navigate with confidence, aircraft operate more efficiently, and operators stay ahead of change. With our systems on board 90% of the world's aircraft, your work here has reach that's rare to find anywhere else.
Focusing on our customers, investing in innovation, and building a culture of accountability and performance is how we're shaping what comes next.
Every horizon. Every mission. Every day.
Benefits:
Beyond a performance-driven salary, you'll work alongside dedicated experts on technology that's advancing aviation. As a Honeywell Aerospace employee, you're eligible for a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
- Employer-subsidized medical, dental, vision and life insurance
- Short-term and long-term disability coverage
- 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts
- Employee assistance program and educational assistance
- Parental leave and 12 paid holidays
- Paid time off for vacation, personal and sick time
Explore your benefits: https://honeywellaerospacebenefits.com/
POSTING TIMELINE
The application period for the job is estimated to be 40 days from the job posting date; however, this may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in a technical discipline such as science, technology, engineering, or mathematics
- 8+ years of experience leading technical teams
- Executive-level communication and relationship-building skills
- 10+ years of experience in research or development
- Master's or PhD in a science or engineering field
- Strong leadership and team management skills
- Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities
- Innovative mindset and passion for technology and team members
- Ability to drive results and meet project deadlines
- Experience with Technology Readiness Assessment and Integrated Product Delivery and Support processes
- Ability to engage credibly with senior business and technology leaders, translate complex concepts into clear decisions, and build alignment across diverse stakeholders
- Must be a US Person, US citizen, or US permanent resident due to export-control and contractual requirements
The Aerospace Corporation Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about The Aerospace Corporation and has not been reviewed or approved by The Aerospace Corporation.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) plan provides a company‑paid contribution of 8–12% based on years of service with immediate eligibility and vesting, and eligible employees can access retiree medical benefits.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off includes 15 vacation days (rising to 20 after five years), nine paid holidays, and unlimited sick time for exempt employees with accruals for non‑exempt staff.
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Flexible Benefits — Flexible work models include a 9/80 schedule with alternating Fridays off, supported by backup care services, an EAP, relocation assistance, and home‑office stipends where applicable.
The Aerospace Corporation Insights
What We Do
The space enterprise has been transformed by rapid change and growth. New vehicles for national security space, a more rapid launch cadence, proliferated satellite constellations, the pursuit of interplanetary exploration, and thriving commercial ventures are changing the nature of the space industry. The Aerospace Corporation (Aerospace) is a leading architect for U.S. space programs, shaping efforts to outpace threats to our national security while cultivating the technologies needed to further this new era of space commercialization and exploration. Aerospace works across the space enterprise in service of the public interest. In addition to supporting the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community, our customers include NASA, NOAA, numerous federal agencies, and commercial space — all of whom benefit from our deep technical knowledge. We only pursue business related to the space mission and complementary fields, operating as the nation’s trusted partner to solve the toughest challenges and develop reliable and innovative technologies. Innovation in space occurs when people have the freedom to imagine and do. At Aerospace, we take pride in our readiness to solve some of the most complex challenges in the space enterprise.
Why Work With Us
We are a non-profit corporation chartered by the government to work on the hardest problems in space. We employ technical experts in every discipline of space-related science and engineering who touch every part of the US space program. Come join us as we make an impact bigger than ourselves.
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