Director Research and Development - Green Iron and Industrial Hydrogen

Our Opportunity

Fortescue is leading the world with our plan to decarbonise our iron ore operations, projects that harness renewable energy and the development of technology that will change our planet forever.

Fortescue is seeking an executive-level research and development leader to set the technical direction for its Green Iron and Industrial Hydrogen platforms and wider R&D portfolio. As a pivotal member of the executive leadership team, the Director of Research & Development will lead Fortescue’s scientific and engineering organisation and shape how the business invests in and advances breakthrough technologies for low-carbon ironmaking and industrial decarbonisation.

Reporting directly to the CEO, this role is accountable for the full innovation lifecycle, from fundamental research and technology validation through product development, scale-up and commercial readiness - with reliability, manufacturability and serviceability engineered in from the start. It will provide the Board and executive team with robust technical evidence to support investment decisions, determine where to build capability in-house or partner externally, and turn flagship programmes into investable, partner-ready propositions. This includes developing market-backed business cases and progressing commercial pathways through technical partnerships and joint ventures, including productisation and manufacturing.

The portfolio spans green iron, hydrogen generation, storage, transport and use, solar PV, industrial combustion, mining process technologies and the digital capabilities needed to validate performance. Through this work, the Director of Research & Development will help deliver technologies with the potential to transform industrial operations in the Pilbara and beyond.

Location: Perth, Western Australia

What you will do

• Set technical strategy: Develop technology roadmaps for green iron, hydrogen and related platforms, and contribute technical insight to corporate strategy, investment and partnership decisions.
• Lead the R&D portfolio: Set priorities and budgets, oversee stage-gate reviews and techno-economic assessments, and make clear decisions to continue, redirect or stop programmes based on evidence.
• Build strong scientific capability: Lead multidisciplinary teams, laboratories and test facilities. Set standards for safe work, measurement integrity, model-to-test validation and decision-ready technical evidence.
• Develop partnerships and commercial pathways: Assess when to partner, and lead the formation of technical partnerships, joint ventures or licensing arrangements. Set intellectual property and partnership approaches that support Fortescue’s commercial objectives.
• Connect technology to customer and market needs: Build robust business cases using market analysis, cost and competitor benchmarks. Work with Commercial, Marketing, Corporate Development, Ventures and other teams on product positioning and routes to market.
• Progress technologies towards industrial use: Guide technologies from pilot work towards deployment, including the production, cost, quality, serviceability and supply-chain requirements for partners and operations. Keep the R&D pipeline aligned with business priorities.
• Engage senior leaders and develop talent: Present clear progress, risks and investment choices to executives, the Board and investment committees. Grow senior scientific talent, succession depth and a culture of disciplined innovation: one in which stopping a programme on evidence is a success of the system, not a failure of the team.

What you will bring

• An advanced degree in engineering, chemistry, materials science, metallurgy or a related discipline. A PhD is preferred.
• At least 15 years of experience leading industrial R&D, with a record of taking technologies from laboratory through pilot to demonstration or industrial deployment.
• Deep technical expertise in at least two relevant areas, such as electrochemistry, hydrogen systems, metallurgical processing, photovoltaics, or industrial heat and combustion.
• Experience leading product development and scale-up, managing technical and commercial risk, and applying stage-gate governance, including evidence-based stop or pivot decisions.
• Commercial experience developing business cases and structuring technology partnerships, joint ventures or licensing arrangements, with an understanding of intellectual property and go-to-market choices.
• Experience leading large, multidisciplinary scientific or engineering organisations, including laboratories or test facilities, with a strong commitment to safety.
• Productisation discipline: design-for-manufacture, reliability and serviceability built in from development, including experience establishing product-support or sustaining-engineering models for fielded industrial products. 
• Confidence preparing and presenting performance updates and investment recommendations to executive, Board or investment-committee audiences.
• Perth-based or willing to relocate, and able to maintain regular presence at operational sites.

About Us

Fortescue celebrates individual strengths and team members are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. Our global workforce drives and promotes an inclusive culture, both within our organisation and throughout the communities we interact with. Diverse backgrounds include First Nations Peoples, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ community, gender, neurodiverse, cultural diversity, all age groups, and those with an intersectional or multiple diverse characteristics. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

https://fortescue.com/careers 

Internal Candidates / Current Contractors please apply via Success Factors Careers Portal. For further information on how to apply please visit the Fortescue Hub. 

Fortescue reserves the right to close applications early should a suitable pool of candidates be identified. Fortescue will never contact you to ask for payment of any kind, whether directly or through a third party.