Senior Director of Research and Innovation

Cyberani
Riyadh
Workplace: OnsiteFull timeFunction: Research & Scientific (R&D)Experience: 12+ yearsEducation: mastersSkills: ["Strategic thinking","Action planning","Technical leadership","Budget management","Risk assessment"]

Lead the strategy to discover, incubate, and prototype breakthrough cybersecurity technologies that build sovereign capability and drive commercial growth. Report to the Chief Product & Technology Officer and own a multi-year R&I roadmap, setting a 12–18 month technical horizon. Manage an innovation portfolio, lead an agile “tiger team,” and translate research into MVPs within 90–120 days. Partner with academic institutions, regulators, and executive stakeholders, while managing budgets, KPIs, dashboards, and post-mortems.

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FursaFursa
Cyberani
Cyberani
5 months ago

Senior Director of Research and Innovation

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Job Summary

Lead the strategy to discover, incubate, and prototype breakthrough cybersecurity technologies that build sovereign capability and drive commercial growth. Report to the Chief Product & Technology Officer and own a multi-year R&I roadmap, setting a 12–18 month technical horizon. Manage an innovation portfolio, lead an agile “tiger team,” and translate research into MVPs within 90–120 days. Partner with academic institutions, regulators, and executive stakeholders, while managing budgets, KPIs, dashboards, and post-mortems.
Location: Riyadh
Workplace: Onsite
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Research & Scientific (R&D)
Seniority: Director level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Define and execute a multi-year cybersecurity innovation roadmap and set a 12–18 month technological horizon.
  • •Establish and manage a consolidated innovation portfolio balancing short-term pilots and long-term research.
  • •Lead an agile “tiger team” of researchers and rapid-prototyping engineers, ensuring cross-functional collaboration across R&D, Product, Strategy, and Delivery.
  • •Drive R&I projects to an MVP within a 90–120 day timeframe, then transfer architecture and code to core Product teams.
  • •Forge research pipelines with academic institutions and act as primary PoC with national regulators; manage budgets and track KPIs with dashboards and post-mortems.

Key Requirements

  • •Minimum Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field; PhD in a relevant cybersecurity/computer science/engineering discipline is highly preferred.
  • •12+ years of experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership capacity driving applied research, R&D, or deep-tech product innovation.
  • •Strong strategic thinking and ability to translate innovation insights into actionable plans.
  • •Uncompromising technical depth and understanding of the technology landscape, specifically OT/ICS security, applied cryptography, and high-assurance environments.
  • •Proven ability to define and execute projects transitioning complex concepts into successful, scalable products; manage budgets and assess technology risk.
Experience:12+ yearsCybersecurityDeep-techApplied researchR&DOT/ICS security
Education:Master's in computer science
Skills:Strategic thinkingAction planningTechnical leadershipBudget managementRisk assessment
Tech Stack:Cybersecurity technologyHardwareSoftwareNetworkOTEncryptionOT/ICS securityApplied cryptographyHigh-assurance environments

Company Brief

Cyberani
Saudi cybersecurity company providing managed security services, threat detection, incident response, and security consulting for organizations. It focuses on protecting critical digital infrastructure and helping enterprises strengthen resilience against cyber threats.
Industry: Cybersecurity
Headquarters: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
WebsiteLinkedIn