Director, Research and Development Israel
Description
Cronos is an innovative global cannabinoid company committed to building disruptive intellectual property by advancing cannabis research, technology, and product development. With a passion to responsibly elevate the consumer experience, Cronos is building an iconic brand portfolio. Cronos’ diverse international brand portfolio includes Spinach®, PEACE NATURALS® and Lord Jones®. For more information about Cronos and its brands, please visit: https://thecronosgroup.com/.
At Cronos Group, we hire talented people who thrive on solving difficult problems and give them the opportunity to hone new skills and approaches. If you want to play a part in shaping an innovative industry and help build a historically significant company, we want to meet you.
The Director, R&D (Israel) will lead the adaptation, validation, and development localization activities for Cronos Group’s Israeli R&D. This position oversees local product and process development in support of the Cronos Israel innovation roadmap, translating technology, formulations, and genetic programs from the global R&D Center of Excellence in Canada into compliant, scalable products and cultivars suited for the Israeli market.
The Director of R&D is responsible for driving local implementation of innovation platforms, new genetics, and derivative product technologies while managing regional regulatory and operational constraints. The role collaborates closely with Canadian R&D, Quality, Regulatory, and Operations teams and supervises one R&D engineer.
This is a highly collaborative leadership role that requires a balance of strategic oversight, technical depth, and local execution. The successful candidate will be an experienced R&D leader in the cannabis, CPG or Pharma sector, capable of translating global technologies into local market success. This position plays a pivotal role in realizing the Cronos Group’s innovation and localization strategy by aligning global R&D excellence with regional market and regulatory realities.
The Director of R&D is responsible for driving local implementation of innovation platforms, new genetics, and derivative product technologies while managing regional regulatory and operational constraints. The role collaborates closely with Canadian R&D, Quality, Regulatory, and Operations teams and supervises one R&D engineer.
This is a highly collaborative leadership role that requires a balance of strategic oversight, technical depth, and local execution. The successful candidate will be an experienced R&D leader in the cannabis, CPG or Pharma sector, capable of translating global technologies into local market success. This position plays a pivotal role in realizing the Cronos Group’s innovation and localization strategy by aligning global R&D excellence with regional market and regulatory realities.
This position reports into the Senior Vice President, Head of Research & Development with a dotted line to the General Manager, Cronos Israel
What you’ll be doing:
Strategic Leadership & R&D Integration
- Define and lead Cronos Israel’s R&D strategy aligned with global innovation priorities across genetics, agronomics, and derivative products.
- Act as the bridge between the Canadian R&D Center of Excellence and the local operations, ensuring effective tech transfer, knowledge sharing, and local adaptation.
- Establish annual R&D budgets, allocate resources, and set investment priorities.
- Develop and execute the Israel R&D strategic plan aligned with global priorities, including new genetic evaluation, sensory evaluation, formulation adaptation, and process validation.
- Oversee prioritization and governance of local R&D initiatives with clear accountability for results.
- Represent Cronos Israel R&D in cross-functional and leadership forums, communicating progress, risks, and innovation milestones to senior management.
Flower R&D & Genetic Program Execution
- Lead Flower Technology Transfer activities including the introduction of new genetics, local genetic testing, agronomic improvements and a refresh of the cultivar portfolio.
- Collaborate with the global genetics and agronomy teams to ensure genetic stability, yield, and quality objectives are met under Israeli cultivation conditions.
- Partner with Operations and Quality to validate cultivation protocols and align with regulatory requirements.
Derivative Product Development & Tech Transfer
- Oversee the local adaptation and validation of derivative products including vapes, pre-rolls, milled flower, distillates, and edibles.
- Translate global formulations and processing technologies into Israel-compliant formats.
- Manage R&D scale-up and process validation in partnership with Operations and Quality teams.
- Lead pilot trials, support commercialization through documentation, SOPs, and batch record generation.
- Establish and maintain R&D education and training programs for technical teams.
Team Leadership & Development
- Manage, mentor, and develop the R&D Engineer and other assigned technical staff.
- Foster a culture of innovation, safety, and technical excellence within the Israel R&D team.
- Promote cross-functional collaboration with Regulatory, Quality, Engineering, and Manufacturing teams.
Documentation, Compliance & Continuous Improvement
- Ensure all R&D processes adhere to GMP, HACCP, and local regulatory requirements.
- Maintain robust documentation practices supporting audits, inspections, and tech transfer packages.
- Monitor post-launch performance and drive continuous product and process optimization initiatives.
- Support implementation of global R&D systems and standards locally (e.g., dev plans, product specs, stability programs, formulation templates).
You’ll need to have:
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant scientific or engineering discipline
- Minimum 8–10 years of progressive R&D or technical leadership experience, ideally within cannabis, pharmaceuticals, or regulated CPG.
- Demonstrated success in product and process tech transfer, agronomic research, or formulation development.
- Excellent project management and cross-functional communication skills.
- Strong understanding of GMP, HACCP, and process validation frameworks.
- Experience navigating regulatory environments governing controlled substances or food-grade manufacturing.
- Excellent communication skills, capable of representing local R&D within a global matrixed organization.
- Fluency in English and Hebrew required
Your Environment:
- Full time in office position, laboratory, and cultivation environment.
- Occasional travel to Canadian and other international Cronos sites.
- Must comply with all cannabis handling and safety procedures, including PPE usage.
We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, and we welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and people with diverse backgrounds, identities, and cultures. For candidates with disabilities, accommodations are available upon request in all phases of the selection process.