Unit Director Materials & Chemistry

VITO plays a key role in accelerating the transition to a sustainable, competitive and resilient industry in Flanders and Europe. By connecting scientific research and breakthroughs with unique lab and pilot infrastructure and strong industrial ecosystems, we turn cleantech and circular innovation into a strategic advantage for industry and society. 

For the Materials & Chemistry unit (approx. 300 employees), we are looking for a Unit Director who will further shape the unit’s strategic growth and impact. The unit operates at the intersection of circularity and sustainable industry, with research and innovation around critical and strategic raw materials, low-CO₂ construction materials, plastics recycling and bio-economy, Power2Molecules, CCUS, and process efficiency. 

We are looking for a visionary and results-oriented leader who can translate scientific excellence into industrial applications, scalable solutions, and system impact across the full value chain. The Unit Director strengthens the unit’s strategic positioning, builds strong ecosystems with industry and stakeholders, and leads a multidisciplinary team towards sustainable growth and societal impact. 

As a member of VITO’s executive team, you report to the CEO and play a decisive role in further positioning VITO as a European reference for industrial innovation with societal and economic impact, with strategic autonomy and sustainability at its core. 

Your Role and Responsibilities 

Strategy, Vision and External Positioning 

• You develop a long-term vision and strategy for the Materials & Chemistry unit as a lever for a competitive, circular and climate-neutral industry, and ensure solutions that accelerate European autonomy in energy and critical raw materials. 

• You actively communicate this vision internally and externally and position VITO as a key player in strategic missions such as transregional circular hubs, Power2Molecules, CCUS, defense and SSbD, across relevant sectors (chemicals, manufacturing, etc.) and with key accounts in Flanders and Europe. 

• You ensure the operationalization of the vision and strategy together with the unit’s management team. 

Excellent Research, Innovation, Valorisation and Impact 

As ultimately responsible, you create the conditions in which research can grow into concrete applications and societal impact. You support your teams and managers in: 

• Scientific excellence: collaboration with academic partners, technological breakthroughs 

• Accelerating the valorisation of research into industrial and defense applications and scalable solutions 

• Ensuring innovations not only work technically but also create value in industrial value chains 

• You also influence Flemish, Belgian and European policy frameworks through scientifically grounded policy advice. 

• You further develop VITO’s unique combination of: 

• Deep scientific expertise 

• State-of-the-art lab and pilot infrastructure 

• De-risking technologies into economically viable solutions 

• Advanced life cycle and techno-economic analyses 

• Strong data & AI capabilities accelerating research 

• You further improve the R&D and valorisation cycle and strengthen VITO’s product and service portfolio from the MATCH unit towards broader VITO programs. 

Leadership, Organization and Transformation 

• You guide and inspire multidisciplinary teams of managers and experts. 

• You organize the unit with strong vertical and transversal collaboration and high performance. 

• You play an active role in the organization-wide transformation of VITO towards greater impact through industry-driven valorisation, and actively seek synergies with other units (energy, water, spatial applications, health). 

• You safeguard a culture of collaboration and excellence; integrity and diversity; well-being and safe working conditions. 

Operations and Risk Management 

• You are ultimately responsible for achieving scientific results, impact realization, budget, and financial results of the unit. 

• Together with your management team, you are responsible for the operational management of approximately 300 Visioneers within the unit. 

• Together with the executive team, you contribute to the strategic direction of an organization-wide community of approximately 1,400 employees. 

• You take well-founded strategic and operational decisions at VITO level. 

• You identify and manage (financial, safety, and environmental) risks and act proactively. 

We are looking for an experienced, entrepreneurial and inspiring leader who thinks strategically, is strongly positioned externally (preferably internationally), and can both drive change and provide stability during transformation. 

You bring 

• Extensive leadership experience at executive or senior management level, preferably in an industrial, technological or R&D-intensive context 

• A strong and active international network, especially in the private sector (chemical and non-ferrous industry, technology, investments), complemented by relevant contacts at Flemish and European level 

• Education and strategic insight in themes such as cleantech, circularity, materials, chemistry and industrial transition (academic experience is a plus) 

• Proven experience with: 

• Valorisation of research and technology, including optimal IP valorisation 

• Scaling and de-risking innovations towards industry 

• Public-private partnerships 

• Ability to connect complex ecosystems and align stakeholders around a shared ambition 

• Fluent in English and Dutch; other languages are a plus 

 You are 

• A visionary leader who provides direction and delivers results 

• A bridge builder connecting science, industry and policy 

• Impact-driven, entrepreneurial and decisive 

• A strong communicator who can convince others effectively 

• Values-driven and convinced of the role of innovation in a sustainable and autonomous European industry