Senior Manager Commercial & Portfolio - R&D

About Us

Fortescue is both a proud West Australian company and a global green solutions business. We are recognised for our culture, innovation and industry-leading development of infrastructure, mining assets and green energy initiatives.

Our Opportunity

Work Location: Perth Office – Fortescue’s Perth office is located on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people

Roster:  Monday to Friday

The Senior Manager Commercial and Portfolio Management - R&D provides strategic leadership across Fortescue's Research and Development portfolio, supporting portfolio strategy, investment prioritisation and commercial decision-making. The role ensures R&D investment is directed towards the highest-value opportunities and that priority technologies have credible pathways to business adoption and commercialisation.

The role translates Fortescue's strategic priorities into clear R&D portfolio priorities, providing an integrated view of value, timing, risk, investment requirements and commercial potential. It strengthens the connection between technology development, business requirements and external market opportunities through market, customer, competitor and technology insight.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and ongoing management of an integrated R&D portfolio strategy aligned with Fortescue priorities
• Establish portfolio prioritisation, stage-gate and investment decision frameworks to support disciplined decisions to scale, continue, partner, pivot, defer or stop programs
• Provide leaders and governance forums with clear views of portfolio value, risk, timing, dependencies, investment requirements and strategic fit
• Establish technology and market intelligence capability to identify emerging technologies, market shifts, competitor activity, customer needs and external opportunities and threats
• Lead the assessment of external technology, partnership and ecosystem opportunities and shape build, buy, partner, license and go-to-market strategies for priority technologies
• Develop pathways from technology development through internal adoption, customer validation, external deployment or commercialisation, as appropriate
• Build and maintain relationships with technology providers, customers, research organisations, strategic partners and other external stakeholders
• Lead the development of business cases, value hypotheses, techno-economic assessments and commercial analyses for material R&D programs and investment decisions
• Lead the Commercial and Portfolio Management function, building capability in portfolio management, commercial judgement, strategic analysis and technology commercialisation
• Create effective interfaces across R&D, Finance, Strategy, Corporate Development, Procurement, Legal and relevant business teams.

Qualifications and Experience

• Demonstrated experience in portfolio strategy, investment evaluation, commercial strategy, corporate development, technology commercialisation or a closely related field
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex technology or innovation opportunities using strategic, commercial and financial evidence
• Experience developing or challenging business cases, value assessments and investment recommendations for senior decision-makers
• Experience working across technical, commercial and corporate stakeholders in complex, uncertain or rapidly evolving environments
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convert complex analysis into clear decisions and actions
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to translate technology choices into business, market and commercial implications
• Experience in technology commercialisation, including pathways through validation, adoption, partnership, licensing or go-to-market
• Experience in external partnerships, licensing, joint development, venture, acquisition or other technology access models
• Experience establishing portfolio governance, technology intelligence or commercialisation frameworks across a multi-program environment
• Experience in research and development, technology-led businesses, industrial technology, resources, energy or adjacent sectors, with experience in techno-economic modelling and commercial assessment desirable.

Our Commitment

Fortescue is deeply committed to providing a safe culture that builds respect, fosters inclusiveness, and values diversity. We celebrate individual strengths and team members from all backgrounds 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 across the world. Diverse backgrounds include First Nations Peoples, people with differing abilities, LGBTIQ+ 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.