Find the perfect Heads of Research in Germany in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI
Bring in senior research leadership for market research, user research, insight strategy, research ops, and stakeholder-facing synthesis. Fast, precise matching with vetted, available freelancers.
About the role
Research leadership
A Head of Research sets the agenda for discovery work and turns questions into a clear research plan. In freelance engagements, the role often sits between product, strategy, and senior management. The work is practical: define the brief, choose the method, guide the team, and make sure the findings lead to decisions.
Typical deliverables include:
- research strategy and priorities
- interview, survey, and study plans
- synthesis of findings and clear recommendations
- stakeholder presentations and decision support
- research governance and quality standards
Where they add value
Companies bring in a Head of Research when they need leadership for a specific phase, a new product line, or a temporary gap in the team. They are useful when research is spread across product, UX, marketing, or strategy and needs one clear owner. In Germany, this often comes up in software, consumer goods, mobility, health, and B2B environments where decisions depend on sharp customer and market insight.
Core skills
A strong Head of Research combines method depth with commercial judgment. They need to know when to use qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, ethnographic work, competitive analysis, or mixed methods, and how to frame the right question before any fieldwork starts.
- research design and prioritization
- qualitative and quantitative methods
- synthesis, storytelling, and executive communication
- stakeholder management across senior teams
- team leadership and mentoring
- clear handling of ambiguity and conflicting input
Tools and focus areas
The best freelancers in this role are comfortable with common research stacks and can adapt to the client’s setup. That can include survey tools, interview platforms, analytics dashboards, repository systems, and collaboration tools used with product and design teams. Common specializations include customer research, UX research, market research, and insight programs for new launches or portfolio decisions.
What strong professionals do
A good research leader does more than report findings. They connect evidence to a decision, explain what matters, and say what should happen next. Strong research directors and research leads are also good at setting scope, protecting quality, and keeping teams focused when deadlines are tight.
- turn messy input into a clear point of view
- spot gaps in evidence early
- work well with product, design, marketing, and leadership
- keep research useful, not academic
Freelance fit
Freelance support makes sense when you need senior research thinking without adding a permanent layer to the org. It also works well for short, high-stakes projects, for example a repositioning effort, a customer discovery phase, or an international rollout. For German companies, remote collaboration is common, but workshops, interviews, and leadership sessions may still benefit from on-site time when alignment is critical.
Meet FRATCH Heads of Research
Armin Wehrle
Head of Functional Safety & R&D Processes
Last position:
Interims Head of Functional Safety & R&D Processes at SEMIKRON Danfoss GmbH & Co KG
- Planning and coordination of all safety activities and organizational development to meet the requirements of ISO 26262 and IEC 61508
- Process development according to Automotive SPICE™ and ISO 26262
- Establishment and technical leadership of the CoC Functional Safety Management and coordination and responsibility of safety activities across all projects (ASIL C and ASIL D)
- Stakeholder management and alignment with OEMs, DIA/RASIC coordination
- Steering of staff on developing functional safety and relevant work products for safety evidence
- Planning, coordination, monitoring and progress analysis of work package creation and action tracking
- Planning and execution of safety assessments and audits for internal sub-projects and external suppliers
- Creation of the safety plan and support in creating work packages for the safety case
- Conducting FMEAs, FMEDAs and FTAs
- Coordination, development and execution of safety training
- Resource and deployment planning, budget planning and controlling
- Planning, tendering, contracting and coordination of temporary external support services
- Interdisciplinary planning and coordination of activities in functional safety management according to ISO 26262
- Conducting ASPICE™ maturity assessments and deriving process improvements based on the standard requirements
- Planning, coordination and creation of the safety assurance documentation
- Central point of contact for functional safety for all organizational levels as well as NBs, OEMs and suppliers
- Reporting to the division manager
Ambra Calà
Head of Research Group | Software-driven Ecosystems and Marketplaces
Last position:
Head of Research Group | Software-driven Ecosystems and Marketplaces at Siemens Foundational Technologies
- Leading an international technology consulting team of 10 software architects, modelers and researchers, developing and aligning team skills with Siemens goals related to software ecosystems and marketplaces
- Defined team strategy roadmap, consulting offerings and team development from scratch
- Responsible for €2M+ budget in BU consulting, pre-development and applied research projects
- Led the global Company Core Technologies program “Ecosystems and Marketplace Technologies” aiming at cross-company synergies in research and pre-development around software ecosystems evolution methods and practices
- Developed methods and tools to support holistic digital ecosystem transformation in industry
- Drove collaboration with academia with focus on emergent technologies for systems engineering and platform-based ecosystems design
- Facilitated innovation and patent workshops with cross-functional teams resulting in approximately 25 invention disclosures per year
Oussama El Allam
Head of R&D
Last position:
Head of R&D at eXagotec GmbH
- Spearheading multidisciplinary engineering teams in the development of next-generation medical devices
- Orchestrating research initiatives and technology roadmaps to deliver innovative medical solutions
- Overseeing R&D budget and managing project portfolios from concept through to commercialisation
- Establishing strategic collaborations with clinical partners for technology validation
Joachim Fox
Director System Safety & Product Cybersecurity/Product Governance, Global R&D
Last position:
Director System Safety & Product Cybersecurity/Product Governance, Global R&D at ZF
- Lead global safety and cybersecurity strategy for ZF’s full product portfolio, including audits, assessments, release recommendations, processes, field monitoring, and incident response.
- Serve as Governance, Risk & Compliance manager for ZF’s R&D.
- Since January 1, 2025, took on additional responsibilities in AI, data privacy, and Automotive SPICE.
- Pioneered a data-based safety and security culture powered by a company-wide digital platform and currently integrating agentic AI for continuous compliance measurement and incident response.
- Oversee a team of approximately 50 employees across 10 global locations; oversee safety and cybersecurity for hundreds of product developments and over 5000 system and software engineers impacting all ZF product lines.
Marga Martin Sanchez
Director R&D&I
Last position:
Director R&D&I at DEKRA
- Lead the company’s R&D&I strategy, aligning innovation roadmaps with corporate objectives and EU funding opportunities across mobility (CCAM), AI, cybersecurity, health, standardization, and certification.
- Led and secured regional/EU co-funding for the establishment of a Cybersecurity Lab, including delivery of strategic contract services for ENISA related to the Cyber Resilience Act and EU Digital Identity Wallets.
- Manage multi-project portfolios, budgets and cross-functional teams, ensuring timely delivery and accelerated market uptake.
- Built and led public-private partnerships strengthening market positioning and commercial opportunities.
- Advised the Executive Board and senior management, providing strategic input on innovation, business growth, and investments.
Sven Hamann
Director Recycling Technology / Authorized Representative
Last position:
Director Recycling Technology / Authorized Representative at FormaTurf GmbH
- P&L shared responsibility
- Leading FormaTurf’s global strategy
- Responsible for all technical departments (R&D, production, engineering, HSE, quality)
Christoph Naumann
Senior Engineer & Consultant | Engineering Automation & Simulation | R&D Consulting
Last position:
Teamlead Optimization and Automated Engineering at Freudenberg
- Strategic leadership of the simulation and optimization roadmap and an expert team, including the successful acquisition and implementation of internal multi-million-euro design optimization projects.
Thomas Reiners
Rainmaker
Last position:
Rainmaker at MetaCity
- Evangelizing and pushing the message through the world for MetaCity's mission - being the capital of the Metaverse.
Bassam Mokbel
Chief Data Scientist, Research & Development Team Lead
Last position:
Chief Data Scientist, Research & Development Team Lead at Semalytix
- Leading a team to design and implement ML and NLP approaches in a semantic analytics platform.
- Building a customizable big data analytics platform for natural language texts, especially patient narratives, providing a social media listening SaaS solution for B2B Pharma and healthcare industry clients.
- Personnel responsibility for a team of ML experts, natural language specialists, and software developers.
- Planning the core technology stack and processing workflow for text analysis, including an event-driven automation system, interfaces to various cloud services, and user interaction.
- Supporting in sales conversations and customer relations.
- Employing SCRUM to manage software development.
- Providing strategic advice to the company's C-level.
- Reporting directly to the CEO.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Heads of Research statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
19 years
Position duration
3.8 years
Positions per freelancer
8
Top business areas
Product Development, Project Management, Research and Development
Top industries
Manufacturing, Healthcare, Automotive
Certification focus areas
Research and Development, Product Development, Quality Assurance
Bachelor's degree or higher
89%
Master's degree or higher
56%
Doctorate
44%
Certifications per freelancer
2
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
100%
Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this role are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for Heads of Research & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions in mind? Get key insights about FRATCH
A Head of Research defines the research approach, aligns stakeholders, and turns findings into decisions. The work can include study design, team guidance, synthesis, and presenting recommendations to leadership. In many projects, the freelancer also helps set research standards for future work.
A freelance research lead is a good fit when the need is temporary, urgent, or tied to a specific initiative. That is often better than a permanent hire when you need senior judgment now, but the workload does not justify a full-time role. It also helps when the team needs external perspective on existing assumptions.
A strong Head of Research needs method depth, structured thinking, and clear communication. The person should be comfortable with qualitative interviews, surveys, synthesis, and stakeholder management. Just as important is the ability to turn evidence into a decision that product or leadership can use.
The titles often overlap, but the scope can differ by company. A Head of Research usually carries more responsibility for strategy and cross-team direction, while a research manager may focus more on people management and delivery. A research director can be similar, especially in larger organisations, but the title usually signals a broader leadership remit.
Yes, most of the work can be done remotely, especially planning, synthesis, and leadership meetings. In Germany, many teams still value on-site time for workshops, interviews, and alignment with senior stakeholders. The right setup depends on the type of research and how much collaboration the project needs.
A Head of Research should be comfortable with the tools the client already uses for interviews, surveys, repositories, and analysis. Common setups include research repositories, survey tools, transcript review tools, and collaboration software for sharing findings. The exact stack matters less than the ability to keep the process disciplined and the output usable.
Look for clear examples of how the Head of Research shaped a decision, not just how many studies they ran. Strong candidates explain how they chose the method, handled trade-offs, and communicated uncertainty. Their work should sound specific, practical, and tied to business impact.
The role fits well when German companies need structured insight for product, market, or customer decisions. It is common in software, mobility, consumer goods, and B2B settings where teams need senior research leadership across several stakeholders. For many of these projects, a freelance setup gives the team speed and focus without a long hiring cycle.
The average hourly rate for Heads of Research in Germany is 120 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 961 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Heads of Research in Germany, 89% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 56% hold at least a Master's degree, and 44% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers working as Heads of Research in Germany have 19 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 3.8 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Heads of Research in Germany are German (100%), English (100%), and French (56%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Heads of Research in Germany are Manufacturing (78%), Healthcare (67%), and Automotive (56%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Heads of Research in Germany are Product Development (89%), Project Management (89%), and Research and Development (89%).
FRATCH Heads of Research main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin Hamburg Munich Cologne Frankfurt Stuttgart Dusseldorf Leipzig Dortmund Essen Bremen Dresden Hanover Nuremberg Request a Free Demo
Get in touch with the FRATCH team and we will get back to you within 4 hours.
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
