Associate Director, Program Portfolio - Research

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 organizations.

Familiarity with domains such as AI/ML, sensing systems, signal processing, distributed systems, or edge computing.

Experience implementing phased investment models or venture-style program governance.

Background in translating research prototypes into scalable platform capabilities.

Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in engineering, computer science, applied science, or related fields.

Early Measures of Success

Within the first 12 months, the Director of Program Portfolio will:

• Establish a structured portfolio of research programs aligned to franchise science arcs
• Implement a phased funding model with clear milestone-based governance
• Launch multiple new research programs supporting enterprise growth initiatives
• Create clear program charters linking research initiatives to platform outcomes
• Successfully transition at least one research capability into a deployable platform component

Success in this role will be measured by the clarity, discipline, and strategic impact of the research program portfolio.

At Bose, you're inspired to be and do your best and are rewarded for your unique talents! Our compensation is thoughtfully tailored to your skills, experience, education, and location, and goes beyond base salary. The hiring range for this position in the primary work location of Framingham, Massachusetts is: $228,600-$314,400.The hiring range for other Bose work locations may vary. In addition to competitive base pay we offer rewards including bonus programs, comprehensive health and welfare benefits, a 401(k) plan, plus exclusive perks designed to support your wellbeing, and a generous employee discount where you can immerse yourself in our products and experiences. We are a proudly independent company—driven by purpose, guided by our values, and united by a belief in the power of sound. As the world leader in audio experiences, we’re creating what’s next—pushing boundaries and delivering transformative sound experiences for people everywhere. Join us and make your next career move a mic-drop. Let’s Make Waves.

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Bose is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics. The EEOC’s “Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal” Poster is available here: https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf. Bose is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to [email protected]. Please include "Application Accommodation Request" in the subject of the email.

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Our goal is to create an atmosphere where every candidate feels supported and empowered in the interviewing process. Diversity and inclusion are integral to our success, and we believe that providing reasonable accommodation is not only a legal obligation but also a fundamental aspect of our commitment to being an employer of choice. We recognize that individuals may have different needs and requirements based on their abilities, and we provide reasonable accommodations to ensure ideal conditions are met during the application process.