Head of Research

Job Title

Head of Research

Job Description

The Head of Research leads Philips' global early-stage innovation engine, identifying and advancing the breakthrough science and technologies that can create meaningful patient impact and shape Philips' future in HealthTech. Starting with unmet patient and clinical needs, the role combines deep scientific and technology leadership with commercial and venture judgement: determining where Philips should place its bets, building evidence quickly, and turning the strongest opportunities into scalable propositions. Beyond Research, this is an enterprise connector role, bringing together Philips' businesses, R&D leaders and external innovation ecosystem around the opportunities that matter most.

Reporting to the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, you will lead Philips Research, build and fund Philips' future big bets, run company-wide early-stage explorations through the Philips Venture Studio, and oversee global alliances. You will have direct accountability for Research and its resources, while delivering the broader enterprise mandate through influence, partnership and co-creation.

You will be an inspirational, entrepreneurial leader who combines deep technology and innovation leadership at the intersection of AI and health with strong commercial judgement and a venture-builder's mindset. You are a bridge builder and enterprise collaborator, comfortable sharing ownership and connecting people, ideas and capabilities across organizational boundaries. You bring the external world into Philips and can translate Philips' HealthTech ambition into focused, achievable priorities.

Your role:

• Strategy & Research Leadership:

• • Set and communicate a global research strategy and vision, aligned with Philips' 2026–2028 strategy and co-created with the ExCo, the businesses, the markets and the Innovation community, starting from unmet patient and clinical needs.
  • Elevate Philips Research into a connector and catalyst for the whole enterprise, acting for Philips end-to-end and creating mechanisms through which the best ideas from across Philips can be identified, funded and accelerated.
  • Own and steer the Breakthrough Innovation portfolio (Philips' future big bets), concentrating Research resources on opportunities with the greatest strategic, clinical and patient value. Build the enterprise sponsorship and investment needed to accelerate the strongest opportunities, with clear evidence-based decisions to invest, partner, transfer or stop.
  • Lead the global Research Management Team, deploying annual objectives and KPIs across the research sites, and represent Philips Research to the Executive Committee and Board.
  • Bring external insight on science, technology, clinical and market trends into Philips' technology and portfolio roadmaps, using a strong network across the external innovation and investment ecosystem to connect Philips with emerging opportunities in areas such as AI and clinical data, robotics and automation, digital biomarkers, personalized healthcare, hospital interoperability, analytics and imaging.

• Breakthrough Innovation & Venture Building:

• • Lead and grow the Philips Venture Studio as a disciplined incubator for company-wide early-stage explorations. Start with a clearly articulated unmet patient or clinical need, test ideas quickly against a robust business case, and make clear evidence-based go/no-go decisions as they mature.
  • Drive unique breakthrough programs, such as robotic procedural automation, clinical data intelligence and AI-enabled operational efficiency, from concept through clinical and commercial validation, building the sponsorship and investment required for successful programs to progress and scale.
  • Translate research into high-quality, validated value propositions and proven concepts, using common architectures and platforms (hardware, software, data and AI) that can be reused across systems, services and integrated solutions.
  • Ground programs in meaningful unmet patient, customer and consumer needs, connecting them to tangible business outcomes such as customer deals, product roadmap commitments, faster time to market, productivity gains and cost reductions.
  • Secure a strong IP position and other control points, partnering with Philips Ventures, Strategy & M&A and the businesses on partnering, licensing, spin-out or acquisition options.

• Alliances & External Ecosystem:

• • Build global alliances with academia, leading hospitals and academic medical centres, and clinical research partners.
  • Build and leverage a strong network across the innovation ecosystem, including start-ups, venture capital, universities, accelerators, suppliers and strategic customers. Use it to spot emerging science and technology early, assess its potential patient and commercial impact, bring the best opportunities into Philips and shorten time to market.
  • Represent Philips externally as a thought leader on HealthTech innovation, including at conferences, on advisory boards and in innovation prizes, strengthening Philips' position and connectivity across the innovation ecosystem.

• People, Culture & Capability Building:

• • Lead, develop and inspire a world-class global team of scientists, engineers and innovators, including a large community of senior engineering leaders.
  • Build an entrepreneurial, curious, business-savvy, data-driven culture that combines start-up speed with a Customer First and Enterprise mindset.
  • Lead the Philips R&D Leader Forum, convening R&D and innovation leaders across the businesses to tackle enterprise-level topics, co-create solutions where appropriate, and promote shared best practices and standard methods.
  • Break down silos between Research, the businesses and functions by building trust, sharing ownership, connecting people and capabilities, and creating coalitions around shared priorities.
  • Develop a long-term view of the competencies required (i.e., AI, robotics, data science, clinical science, engineering and consumer expertise), using it to attract and retain top talent.

• Operations & Governance:

• • Manage the Research budget, allocating Research resources across the portfolio based on value, evidence and strategic fit, with clear milestones and KPIs for every program, while working with the businesses and relevant functions to build commitment to the funding and resources required as programs mature.
  • Co-design & implement standardized cross-functional Idea-to-Market processes and governance for early-stage innovation, as defined globally, in collaboration with the businesses and functions that use them.
  • Ensure compliance with quality & regulatory, financial, governmental and corporate requirements, including the responsible, safe and ethical use of AI and patient data, working closely with relevant business and functional experts and championing the Philips General Business Principles.
    

What success looks like after two years:

• A focused, fully funded Breakthrough Innovation portfolio, with programs transferred into the businesses once validated with customers and patients and backed by demonstrable commercial outcomes, and clear stop decisions on the rest.
• Philips Research recognized across the company as a connector and catalyst, with R&D leaders working together across businesses, regions and functions, as well as fewer silos.
• A scaled Philips Venture Studio with a proven, repeatable model for early-stage explorations and a pipeline of ventures funded internally, with partners or externally.
• Strong partnerships with the businesses, markets and commercial organization.
• A growing number of established global alliances, and a recognized position for Philips in the HealthTech innovation ecosystem.
• Stronger AI, data and digital innovation capabilities in Philips Research, built in close collaboration with the Chief AI Office, and using Philips' platforms.
• Trusted, long-term clinical and data partnerships with leading hospitals and health systems that give Philips Research access to real-world clinical data, workflows and validation.
• An engaged, high-performing research organization, with a strong leadership bench and succession in place.

Key relationships:

Reports to: Laura Matz, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer

Direct reports: You will lead a team of senior leaders, and an organization that includes a large community of VP level engineering leaders.

Other key relationships: Other members of the ExCo; Chief AI Officer, Strategy and M&A, Philips Ventures, Design, Engineering Solutions, Chief Medical Office, external partners.

You're the right fit if you have a:

• Advanced degree (MSc/PhD/MD) in engineering, physics, computer science, data science, medicine, life sciences or a related field, with strong scientific, engineering or quantitative credibility; an MBA is an advantage.
• 15+ years of senior leadership in R&D, innovation, technology, engineering, AI or data in medtech, healthcare, health IT or health systems, leading multidisciplinary, international teams.
• Strong commercial and venture judgement, demonstrated through venture building, corporate venturing, venture capital, or building and funding new businesses.
• Experience taking breakthrough technologies from early exploration to validated propositions and commercial impact, ideally across AI, data, software, robotics or integrated technologies.
• Deep understanding of the clinical and hospital environment, with the ability to connect science and technology choices directly to unmet patient and clinical needs.
• An established global network across the innovation ecosystem, including leading hospitals and academic institutions, start-ups, investors, governments and funding agencies.
• A proven enterprise connector and bridge builder: able to influence without relying on formal authority, bring senior leaders together across organizational boundaries, make clear trade-offs and create shared commitment around outcomes.

In compliance with the EU Pay Transparency Directive, details regarding the compensation framework and salary range for this senior leadership position will be automatically provided to all candidates selected for the initial screening phase prior to their first business interview.

How we work together
We believe that we are better together than apart. This is an office-based role, which means working in-person at least 3 days per week.

About Philips

Are you ready to do the work of your life to help the lives of others? Learn more about our business, discover our rich and exciting history and learn more about our purpose.

If you’re interested in this role and have many, but not all, of the experiences needed, we encourage you to apply. You may still be the right candidate for this or other opportunities at Philips. Learn more about our culture of impact with care.