R&D Operating Manager – Signal Generation

Overview:

Keysight is at the forefront of technology innovation, delivering breakthroughs and trusted insights in electronic design, simulation, prototyping, test, manufacturing, and optimization. Our ~16,800 employees create world-class solutions in communications, 5G, automotive, energy, quantum, aerospace, defense, and semiconductor markets for customers in over 100 countries. Learn more about what we do.

Our award-winning culture embraces a bold vision of where technology can take us and a passion for tackling challenging problems with industry-first solutions. We believe that when people feel a sense of belonging, they can be more creative, innovative, and thrive at all points in their careers.

We are looking for an experienced R&D Operating Manager to lead the development of next-generation high-speed signal generation instruments. This is a project management-primary role embedded within the software organisation, with responsibility for full product delivery - from concept through customer release - across both software and hardware streams.

You will directly manage a team of software engineers and FPGA gateware developers. The software team builds sophisticated Windows-based instrument software with characteristics typical of embedded and firmware development; the gateware team develops the logic running on the instrument’s FPGAs. While hardware engineers will not report to you on a direct line basis, you will lead them day-to-day and carry full accountability for hardware delivery milestones. A hardware systems architect will provide technical guidance to the hardware team. You will also collaborate with a measurement applications development team based in India.

This role requires a technically grounded manager who is equally comfortable owning a complex project plan and developing the people on their team. You will play an active role in maturing our scrum-based development processes and in driving adoption of AI productivity tools and cybersecurity practices across the organisation.

Responsibilities:

Own end-to-end NPI delivery for a next-generation signal generation platform, including hardware and software milestones, across a cross-functional team

Lead, develop, and support a direct team of software and FPGA gateware engineers

Drive project planning, risk management, dependency tracking, and stakeholder communication throughout the product lifecycle

Lead hardware engineers day-to-day without direct line authority, ensuring integrated delivery of the full product

Collaborate effectively with the measurement applications team in India, aligning scope, schedules, and technical interfaces

Actively contribute to the evolution of the team’s scrum-based development process and its scaling across the organisation

Champion the adoption of AI-assisted development practices and ensure cybersecurity is treated as a first-class concern in the product and its development process

Report project status and escalate risks to your manager and relevant stakeholders

Qualifications:

Required

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Computer Engineering, Technical Computer Science (Technische Informatik), Physics, or a closely related field

Typically 10+ years of post-degree experience in R&D or product engineering environments

Demonstrated track record of delivering complex, multi-disciplinary products end-to-end, including hardware and software components

Experience working with scrum or other agile methodologies; a genuine commitment to agile ways of working is essential

Sufficient hardware-level understanding to engage credibly with hardware engineers, assess technical trade-offs, and own delivery accountability across hardware streams

Experience leading cross-functional teams where influence without direct authority is required

Experience working with geographically distributed development teams

Fluent English (written and spoken)

Preferred

Prior direct line management experience

Background in test & measurement, semiconductor ATE, precision instruments, or defence electronics

Familiarity with scaled agile frameworks (SAFe or equivalent) is an advantage

Experience establishing or maturing agile processes within an R&D organisation

Practical experience with AI productivity tools in a software development workflow

Awareness of cybersecurity principles in the context of instrument or embedded software

Conversational German