Director, Technology Leadership
Patria · Tampere, Finland
Patria is a place where you contribute to building shared security. Here, ordinary people solve extraordinary challenges. When it comes to critical operations on land, at sea, in the air and in cyberspace, expertise matters. Quality is built by people – every one of us. At Patria, you make the difference.
Patria is an international defence and technology company with over 100 years of experience in the industry. Through our highly skilled professionals and our Protected Mobility, Defence and Weapon Systems, and Sustainment Solutions business areas, we ensure reliable operations for our customers and serve as a partner in critical operations on land, at sea and in the air – where everything must work. Patria operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Japan. Read more at www.patriagroup.com.
In Universum’s 2026 Professional Survey, engineering professionals ranked Patria as the third most attractive employer in Finland.
We are now looking for a
Director, Technology Leadership – Two PositionsWe are now looking for two experienced technology leaders to strengthen Patria’s Group-level technology leadership within the CTO organization. We are recruiting for two complementary positions:
Director, Technology Programs & Ecosystems and
Director, Technology & Architecture.
In both roles, you will help shape how Patria develops technology, builds future capabilities and strengthens its competitiveness in the international defence technology environment.
The shared objective is to turn Patria’s strategic technology priorities into clear roadmaps, executable development programmes, architectures and new business capabilities. The final division of responsibilities and technology focus areas will be based on the complementary strengths and expertise of the selected candidates.
What will you do?You will influence Patria’s technology choices and long-term competitiveness across business areas and product boundaries. Your work will connect defence technology, software, systems, data, artificial intelligence, digitalisation, R&D, strategic partnerships and external funding.
You will work closely with the CTO, the Director, Research, business areas, product and systems management, R&D experts, customers and technology partners. You will also collaborate with research organisations, funding bodies and national and European stakeholders.
Success in these roles requires the ability to set a shared direction and build commitment across organisational boundaries. The aim is not to centralise decision-making, but to help business areas succeed through common technology solutions, clear priorities and effective collaboration.
Your key responsibilities will include:
• Translating strategic technology objectives into prioritised roadmaps and actionable development initiatives.
• Leading collaboration across business areas and establishing a shared view of technology priorities.
• Ensuring effective cooperation between research, technology, architectures, development programmes and business needs.
• Identifying common solutions, reusable building blocks and partnerships that accelerate development and reduce duplication.
• Building robust business and capability cases for development investments.
• Advancing software-defined, data- and AI-enabled, modular and interoperable solutions.
• Identifying and leveraging national and European research, development and innovation funding opportunities.
• Clarifying direction, building commitment and enabling execution across organisational boundaries.
• Representing Patria in selected technology networks, consortia and stakeholder forums.
Two complementary positionsDirector, Technology Programs & EcosystemsIn this role, your primary focus will be building and leading strategic technology and innovation programmes. You will be responsible for proactively securing and coordinating external funding and ensuring that funded projects support Patria’s strategy, technology objectives and future offering.
We particularly value experience in:
• Leading large-scale R&D programmes involving multiple organisations.
• Working with Business Finland, the European Defence Fund (EDF), Horizon Europe or comparable funding instruments.
• Building consortia, ecosystems and strategic partnerships.
• Programme and portfolio governance, prioritisation and performance management.
• Connecting research, technology and business.
• Influencing within networks of companies, research organisations and public-sector stakeholders.
Director, Technology & ArchitectureIn this role, you will lead Patria’s Group-level technology direction and the development of systems and software architectures. You will ensure that products, systems, software, data and digital platforms evolve coherently, enabling reuse, efficient integration and the development of software-defined capabilities.
We particularly value experience in:
• Systems engineering and systems-of-systems thinking.
• Developing systems, software, data or enterprise architectures.
• Developing digital platforms, AI and data enablers, and integration and interface solutions.
• Technology strategy and multi-year roadmap development.
• Architecture governance, standards and design authority activities.
• Leading large-scale technical initiatives across organisational boundaries.
What are we looking for?We are looking for an experienced technology leader who combines strong technical expertise with a broad understanding of business, customer needs and long-term capability development.
You will bring:
• A relevant master’s degree in technology, engineering, computer science or a related field.
• A strong track record of leading demanding technology, R&D, architecture or programme portfolios.
• The ability to combine technical depth with business, customer and capability perspectives.
• An understanding of the interdependencies between software, systems, data, AI and physical platforms.
• The ability to prioritise under uncertainty, manage complex interdependencies and provide clear recommendations for decision-making.
• Strong collaboration, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Experience working in international and networked environments.
• A commitment to developing shared solutions while respecting the responsibilities and decision-making authority of individual business areas.
Why join Patria?At Patria, you will work with technology that has a tangible impact on societal security and future defence capabilities. You will have the opportunity to influence how technological expertise, partnerships and development investments translate into solutions that meet demanding customer needs.
You will help shape Patria’s future technology base and turn it into practical capabilities.
At Patria, you get to work on things you would not even get to see elsewhere. You will have the opportunity to build a long and varied career working with Patria’s unique products and operations. You will become part of a friendly team of experienced professionals.
Our employee benefits include an annual performance-based bonus scheme, lunch and recreational benefits, and support for work-related studies. We provide comprehensive occupational healthcare services, including access to specialist medical services. We also offer our employees leisure-time accident insurance.
We value your time outside work, too. That is why we support a flexible work-life balance, for example, through flexible working hours.
Would you like to be part of our story?You can submit your application through our recruitment system. Please apply by 10.11.2026. We review applications during the application period, and the selection process will be completed as soon as suitable candidates are found. Please note that applications submitted by email will not be considered.
For further information about the position, please contact: Marja Salminen, ext-marja.salminen@pa