Staefa, Switzerland

Director Components Management

Location: Staefa (Switzerland)

Who we are

Sonova is a global leader in innovative hearing care solutions: from personal audio devices and wireless communication systems

to audiological care services, hearing aids and cochlear implants. Sonova operates through four businesses: Hearing Instruments, Audiological Care, Consumer Hearing and Cochlear Implants – and the core brands Phonak, Unitron, AudioNova, Sennheiser (under license) and Advanced Bionics as well as recognized regional brands. The Group’s globally diversified sales and distribution channels serve an ever-growing consumer base in more than 100 countries.

The Role

In the role of Director Component Management, the newly hired executive will own and drive the R&D portfolio strategy and component management for upstream developments, ensuring the most competitive offering for our solution teams to bring to market. Component management will be responsible for allocating funding to upstream development and delivering the right components

in alignment with the overall business and solution strategy, as well as the benefit roadmap.

The role will also drive the delivery of winning components through close cross-functional collaboration with Marketing and the R&D development organization, with the component teams and Technology & Function teams.

The Director Component Management will report to VP Component Management, PMO & Transformation.

Key responsibilities

Leadership and Line Management

• Coach and support team members to excel in their roles, providing guidance, mentoring, and development opportunities as appropriate.
• Foster employee development and help individuals reach their full potential, including supporting high-potential talent in pursuing opportunities beyond the team where relevant.
• Provide regular, candid feedback on performance and behavior, ensuring alignment with Sonova’s values.
• Address performance gaps through timely and constructive corrective actions when needed.
• Attract, recruit, and retain top talent while safeguarding key capabilities within the team.

General Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Leadership Team and contribute to shaping and driving the R&D Transformation.
• Provide strong, inclusive, and inspirational leadership in close collaboration with partners across HW and SW Component functions, Technology & Function teams, as well as Marketing teams for HI and CI.
• Support the transformation from a product launch–centric approach toward a component-driven model with distinct business units (HI and CI) as internal customers.
• Ensure that components are actively pulled by Product Management and Solution teams, enabling the delivery of functionalities that are most relevant to customers and consumers.
• Hold budget responsibility for the Component Management team.

General Tasks

• Ensure a competitive and strategically aligned component portfolio to maximize the future impact of solution launches.
• Actively monitor the competitive landscape and initiate appropriate actions where necessary.
• Identify new business opportunities and collaborate with Technology & Function teams

to develop and validate prototypes.

• Advocate for customer and consumer needs during the early stages of the innovation process.
• Continuously challenge and improve project execution and ways of working.

What We Are Looking For

Education & Languages

• Master’s in Engineering.
• Additional degree in Economics, Marketing or Business Administration.
• EMBA or equivalent will be a plus.
• Fluency in English.
• German (level C) will be a plus.

Professional Experience

• In depth domain knowledge in hearing aid technology, digital electronics, acoustics.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in International / Global Product Management with a focus on new product development.
• Combination of strong technical background and business acumen.
• Experience in hearing aid industry, health care or medical industry.

IT Skills

• Project Management SW,
• PPM SW, Office SW, SAP, Project Management for IT projects.

Personal Competencies

• Excellent communication skills.
• Growth mindset and can-do attitude.
• Manage complexity and pressure well.
• Can set priorities for him/herself as well as for the team.
• Create clarity of complex topics.
• Communicate well toward management.
• Ability to adapt to change.

Social Competencies

• Collaborative and inclusive style.
• Empathic.
• Ability to motivate and lead large cross-functional and cross-cultural teams.
• Anticipate problems and react adequately.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity.
• Calming and guiding personality in turbulent times.

Leadership Competencies

• Natural leader.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams without formal authority on same hierarchy level or up.
• Provides strong leadership with an inclusive and inspirational mindset.
• Walks the fine line between a collaborative and pace-setting style to deliver on time, within budget and on scope.

Professional Competencies

• Solution oriented and proactive mindset.
• Strategic partnership for business, stakeholder.
• Leadership for driving changes through organization.
• Ability to understand, interpret and explain complex projects and resource situations.
• Ability to give presentations to a wide spectrum of audiences.
• Ability to leverage AI for better output and efficiency through advanced prompting.

Why Join Us

Sonova is an equal opportunity employer.

We team up. We grow talent. We collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds to win with the best team in the marketplace. We guarantee every person equal treatment in regard to employment and opportunity for employment, regardless of a candidate’s ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation or marital status, gender, genetic identity, age, disability or any other legally protected status.