Remote R&D Team Lead Jobs
Remote R&D Team Lead jobs are open across the U.S. in sectors like biotech, software, medtech, and advanced manufacturing, where distributed teams need experienced leads to drive innovation without a central lab. Companies hiring remotely right now include Amgen, TE Connectivity, and Penn State University. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find Remote R&D Team Lead JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 57+ Remote R&D Team Lead jobs
At TE Connectivity, we help build the technologies that keep the world connected. As a global leader in connectivity and sensor solutions, we partner with customers across industries to develop innovative products that power transportation, industrial, medical, energy, aerospace, and data infrastructure applications.
The Digital Data Networks department is seeking an experienced Staff R&D Product Development Engineer to lead the development of next-generation high-speed connector and interconnect solutions for data center, AI, compute, storage, and networking applications. This role is responsible for driving product development from concept through production release, translating customer requirements into innovative engineering solutions, and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-performance products.
The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in connector design and new product development with a strong understanding of Signal Integrity (SI) principles and high-speed interconnect technologies.
Role and Responsibilities
Product Development & Technical Leadership
- Lead new connector development projects from concept through prototyping, validation, qualification, and production release.
- Translate customer and system requirements into product specifications, connector architectures, and engineering solutions.
- Design and optimize connector systems, including contacts, housings, grounding structures, materials, and tolerance requirements.
- Evaluate design tradeoffs related to electrical performance, mechanical performance, reliability, manufacturability, scalability, and cost.
- Conduct design reviews, DFMEA activities, design verification, qualification testing, and technical problem-solving.
- Identify technical risks and implement corrective actions and design improvements.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering team members.
High-Speed Connector & Signal Integrity Development
- Apply Signal Integrity fundamentals, including impedance control, insertion loss, return loss, crosstalk, grounding, and shielding considerations.
- Optimize connector performance through understanding of contact geometry, dielectric materials, PCB interfaces, and pin assignments.
- Partner with Signal Integrity engineers to review simulation data, measurement results, and electrical performance requirements.
- Balance SI performance requirements with manufacturing, reliability, and cost objectives.
- Support development of products aligned with emerging industry standards, including PCIe, CXL, Ethernet, and other next-generation interfaces.
Design Validation & Manufacturing Support
- Develop and execute design verification and qualification plans.
- Lead prototype builds, testing activities, failure analysis, root-cause investigations, and design optimization efforts.
- Collaborate with manufacturing and tooling teams to ensure robust designs suitable for high-volume production.
- Apply knowledge of connector manufacturing processes, including stamping, injection molding, plating, assembly, and automation.
- Support product industrialization, qualification, and production ramp-up activities.
Customer & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work directly with customers and internal stakeholders to understand technical requirements and future interconnect needs.
- Recommend and develop connector solutions based on application and system requirements.
- Collaborate closely with Signal Integrity, Manufacturing, Tooling, Quality, Product Management, Operations, and Supplier Engineering teams.
- Support customer design reviews, prototype evaluations, qualification efforts, and issue resolution.
- Communicate technical decisions, project status, risks, and development progress to stakeholders.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline.
- Minimum 7 years of engineering experience, preferably in connector, interconnect, or electromechanical product development.
- Proven experience leading new product development projects from concept through production release.
- Strong background in connector design for high-speed data communication, data center, server, storage, networking, or AI infrastructure applications.
- Experience collaborating with cross-functional engineering and manufacturing teams throughout the product lifecycle.
Skills
Technical Skills
- Connector architecture and mechanical design.
- GD&T, tolerance analysis, material selection, and Design for Manufacturability (DFM).
- Understanding of connector components, contact systems, housing structures, grounding concepts, and PCB interfaces.
- Knowledge of manufacturing processes including stamping, molding, plating, assembly, and automation.
- Signal Integrity fundamentals, including:
- Impedance
- Insertion loss
- Return loss
- Crosstalk
- Dk/Df
- Grounding and shielding
- Familiarity with high-speed interconnect technologies such as PCIe, CXL, Ethernet, and related standards.
- Experience working with engineering design and analysis tools such as Creo, SolidWorks, ANSYS, or equivalent.
Professional Skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple complex technical projects independently.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to mentor and guide other engineers.
Other Information
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience developing high-speed board-to-board, board-to-cable, card-edge, backplane, or internal I/O connectors.
- Experience with 112G/224G PAM4 and next-generation high-speed interconnect technologies.
- Experience optimizing contact geometry, grounding structures, dielectric materials, and pin assignments for electrical performance.
- Proven success taking products through the full development lifecycle, from concept and prototype through tooling and mass production.
- Experience working directly with customers in data center, server, storage, networking, or AI infrastructure markets.
- Patents, invention disclosures, or demonstrated innovation in connector and interconnect technologies are highly desirable.
Travel Requirements
- Ability to travel approximately 10% to 25% as needed.
ABOUT TE CONNECTIVITY
TE Connectivity plc (NYSE: TEL) is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. As a trusted innovation partner, our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions enable the distribution of power, signal and data to advance next-generation transportation, energy networks, automated factories, data centers enabling artificial intelligence, and more.
Our more than 90,000 employees, including 10,000 engineers, work alongside customers in approximately 130 countries. In a world that is racing ahead, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
COMPENSATION
- Competitive base salary commensurate with experience: $145,300 - $217,900 (subject to change dependent on physical location)
- Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. TE Connectivity reserves the right to adjust ranges depending on the experience/qualification of the selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.
- Total Compensation = Base Salary + Incentive(s) + Benefits
BENEFITS
- A comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, 401(k), disability, life insurance, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off and voluntary benefits.
EOE, Including Disability/Vets
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING RECRUITMENT FRAUD
TE Connectivity has become aware of fraudulent recruitment activities being conducted by individuals or organizations falsely claiming to represent TE Connectivity. Please be advised that TE Connectivity never requests payment or fees from job applicants at any stage of the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings are posted exclusively on our official careers website at te.com/careers, and all email communications from our recruitment team will come only from actual email addresses ending in @te.com. If you receive any suspicious communications, we strongly advise you not to engage or provide any personal information, and to report the incident to your local authorities.
Job Locations:
At TE Connectivity, we help build the technologies that keep the world connected. As a global leader in connectivity and sensor solutions, we partner with customers across industries to develop innovative products that power transportation, industrial, medical, energy, aerospace, and data infrastructure applications.
The Digital Data Networks department is seeking an experienced Staff R&D Product Development Engineer to lead the development of next-generation high-speed connector and interconnect solutions for data center, AI, compute, storage, and networking applications. This role is responsible for driving product development from concept through production release, translating customer requirements into innovative engineering solutions, and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-performance products.
The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in connector design and new product development with a strong understanding of Signal Integrity (SI) principles and high-speed interconnect technologies.
Role and Responsibilities
Product Development & Technical Leadership
- Lead new connector development projects from concept through prototyping, validation, qualification, and production release.
- Translate customer and system requirements into product specifications, connector architectures, and engineering solutions.
- Design and optimize connector systems, including contacts, housings, grounding structures, materials, and tolerance requirements.
- Evaluate design tradeoffs related to electrical performance, mechanical performance, reliability, manufacturability, scalability, and cost.
- Conduct design reviews, DFMEA activities, design verification, qualification testing, and technical problem-solving.
- Identify technical risks and implement corrective actions and design improvements.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering team members.
High-Speed Connector & Signal Integrity Development
- Apply Signal Integrity fundamentals, including impedance control, insertion loss, return loss, crosstalk, grounding, and shielding considerations.
- Optimize connector performance through understanding of contact geometry, dielectric materials, PCB interfaces, and pin assignments.
- Partner with Signal Integrity engineers to review simulation data, measurement results, and electrical performance requirements.
- Balance SI performance requirements with manufacturing, reliability, and cost objectives.
- Support development of products aligned with emerging industry standards, including PCIe, CXL, Ethernet, and other next-generation interfaces.
Design Validation & Manufacturing Support
- Develop and execute design verification and qualification plans.
- Lead prototype builds, testing activities, failure analysis, root-cause investigations, and design optimization efforts.
- Collaborate with manufacturing and tooling teams to ensure robust designs suitable for high-volume production.
- Apply knowledge of connector manufacturing processes, including stamping, injection molding, plating, assembly, and automation.
- Support product industrialization, qualification, and production ramp-up activities.
Customer & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work directly with customers and internal stakeholders to understand technical requirements and future interconnect needs.
- Recommend and develop connector solutions based on application and system requirements.
- Collaborate closely with Signal Integrity, Manufacturing, Tooling, Quality, Product Management, Operations, and Supplier Engineering teams.
- Support customer design reviews, prototype evaluations, qualification efforts, and issue resolution.
- Communicate technical decisions, project status, risks, and development progress to stakeholders.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related engineering discipline.
- Minimum 7 years of engineering experience, preferably in connector, interconnect, or electromechanical product development.
- Proven experience leading new product development projects from concept through production release.
- Strong background in connector design for high-speed data communication, data center, server, storage, networking, or AI infrastructure applications.
- Experience collaborating with cross-functional engineering and manufacturing teams throughout the product lifecycle.
Skills
Technical Skills
- Connector architecture and mechanical design.
- GD&T, tolerance analysis, material selection, and Design for Manufacturability (DFM).
- Understanding of connector components, contact systems, housing structures, grounding concepts, and PCB interfaces.
- Knowledge of manufacturing processes including stamping, molding, plating, assembly, and automation.
- Signal Integrity fundamentals, including:
- Impedance
- Insertion loss
- Return loss
- Crosstalk
- Dk/Df
- Grounding and shielding
- Familiarity with high-speed interconnect technologies such as PCIe, CXL, Ethernet, and related standards.
- Experience working with engineering design and analysis tools such as Creo, SolidWorks, ANSYS, or equivalent.
Professional Skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple complex technical projects independently.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to mentor and guide other engineers.
Other Information
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience developing high-speed board-to-board, board-to-cable, card-edge, backplane, or internal I/O connectors.
- Experience with 112G/224G PAM4 and next-generation high-speed interconnect technologies.
- Experience optimizing contact geometry, grounding structures, dielectric materials, and pin assignments for electrical performance.
- Proven success taking products through the full development lifecycle, from concept and prototype through tooling and mass production.
- Experience working directly with customers in data center, server, storage, networking, or AI infrastructure markets.
- Patents, invention disclosures, or demonstrated innovation in connector and interconnect technologies are highly desirable.
Travel Requirements
- Ability to travel approximately 10% to 25% as needed.
ABOUT TE CONNECTIVITY
TE Connectivity plc (NYSE: TEL) is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. As a trusted innovation partner, our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions enable the distribution of power, signal and data to advance next-generation transportation, energy networks, automated factories, data centers enabling artificial intelligence, and more.
Our more than 90,000 employees, including 10,000 engineers, work alongside customers in approximately 130 countries. In a world that is racing ahead, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
COMPENSATION
- Competitive base salary commensurate with experience: $145,300 - $217,900 (subject to change dependent on physical location)
- Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. TE Connectivity reserves the right to adjust ranges depending on the experience/qualification of the selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.
- Total Compensation = Base Salary + Incentive(s) + Benefits
BENEFITS
- A comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, 401(k), disability, life insurance, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off and voluntary benefits.
EOE, Including Disability/Vets
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING RECRUITMENT FRAUD
TE Connectivity has become aware of fraudulent recruitment activities being conducted by individuals or organizations falsely claiming to represent TE Connectivity. Please be advised that TE Connectivity never requests payment or fees from job applicants at any stage of the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings are posted exclusively on our official careers website at te.com/careers, and all email communications from our recruitment team will come only from actual email addresses ending in @te.com. If you receive any suspicious communications, we strongly advise you not to engage or provide any personal information, and to report the incident to your local authorities.
Job Locations:
See All 57 Remote R&D Team Lead Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Remote R&D Team Lead JobsRemote R&D Team Lead Job Market
Who's Hiring
- Amgen10
- TE Connectivity5
- Penn State University3
- サイネオス・ヘルス3
- Keysight Technologies2
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Electronics & Hardware
- Non-Profit & Social Services
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in remote R&D team lead jobs.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant scientific or engineering discipline
- 5 or more years of R&D experience with at least 2 years in a team leadership role
- Proficiency with stage-gate product development processes and project management tools
- Demonstrated ability to mentor technical staff and manage cross-functional project teams
- Experience with regulatory submissions, IP documentation, or technical patent processes
- Familiarity with laboratory management systems, ERP platforms, or PLM software
Tips for Your Remote R&D Team Lead Job Search
Apply early to remote roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists remote r&d team lead openings from across the U.S. in one place, so you can find roles that match your background and apply directly without sorting through unrelated postings.
Show async documentation skills upfront
Remote r&d team lead hiring managers want evidence you can communicate research direction without meetings. Include writing samples, technical specs, or research briefs in your application materials to prove it before the first call.
Highlight distributed team leadership experience
Remote employers care whether you've managed contributors across time zones using tools like Jira, Confluence, or Notion. Name the platforms, describe how you coordinated handoffs, and quantify the team size you led remotely.
Prep for async-first remote interviews
Many remote r&d team lead processes include a written take-home or async video screen before a live call. Practice articulating research strategy and team decisions in writing, since that's how you'll communicate on the job.
Remote R&D Team Lead Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a remote r&d team lead job?
Remote r&d team lead roles go to candidates who can demonstrate strong asynchronous communication, independent project management, and the ability to coordinate cross-functional teams without in-person oversight. Remote-first biotech firms, distributed software companies, and product-driven hardware teams tend to hire this role remotely most often. What gives you an edge is a clear record of shipping research outcomes, written documentation habits, and experience managing technical contributors across time zones.
Which companies hire remote r&d team leads?
Remote r&d team lead roles are posted by Amgen, TE Connectivity, and Penn State University and others right now, based on current remote listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These tend to be remote-first technology and life sciences companies, as well as larger enterprises running distributed product and research teams.
Can you get a remote r&d team lead job with no experience?
Yes, but remote r&d team lead openings at the entry level are rare, since employers expect you to self-direct research workflows from day one with minimal hand-holding. The clearest path in is leading a small research sub-team, contributing to open-source R&D projects, or showing documented ownership of a research pipeline. Remote-first startups in software and biotech are most likely to consider candidates who can demonstrate initiative over tenure.
Do you need a degree for remote r&d team lead jobs?
Not always, though most remote employers in R&D-intensive sectors expect at least a bachelor's degree in a relevant technical field. What remote hiring managers weigh heavily is a portfolio of research outcomes, patents, publications, or shipped products, since your independent output is easier to evaluate remotely than credentials alone. Demonstrated ability to lead distributed technical teams often carries as much weight as formal education.
Which industries hire the most remote r&d team leads?
Most remote r&d team lead openings sit in Technology & Software, Electronics & Hardware, and Non-Profit & Social Services, per current remote listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These sectors rely on distributed research teams and have built the tooling and workflows that make remote r&d leadership practical at scale.
See All 57 Remote R&D Team Lead Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Remote R&D Team Lead Jobs