Director of Engineering

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary: 

The Director of Engineering reports to the Vice President of Operations and provides strategic direction and leadership for engineering across LaMotte's Newark, Delaware and Chestertown, Maryland facilities. This role owns LaMotte's Operational Excellence (OpEx) process and leads capital investment, automation, and continuous improvement to support business growth and improve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost performance. The Director translates business priorities into engineering and capacity plans, develops engineering talent, and establishes consistent practices across both sites. Working with Operations, Quality, Maintenance, R&D, EHS, and Finance, this leader ensures projects and improvements deliver measurable, sustainable results without compromising product quality or safety. 

Location:  Newark, DE with travel to Chestertown, MD

Job Responsibilities: 

1. Strategic Direction

• Develop and maintain a three- to five-year engineering, capacity, and technology roadmap aligned with LaMotte's business strategy, sales growth, and manufacturing requirements.
• Translate the roadmap into annual priorities, resource plans, and capital requirements; identify capacity constraints, equipment risks, and opportunities to improve competitiveness.
• Advise executive leadership on investment alternatives, expected benefits, risks, and timing; communicate progress and recommend adjustments as business needs change.

2. Engineering Leadership Across Both Facilities

• Direct engineering activities across Newark and Chestertown, balancing resources and project priorities with plant leadership while maintaining a regular presence at both sites.
• Lead, coach, and develop engineering personnel; establish clear responsibilities, performance expectations, technical training, and succession plans.
• Establish standardized equipment and process specifications, including internal and supplier standards, engineering documentation, PLC and HMI programming, and equipment software requirements, to drive consistent operating procedures and best practices across both facilities.
• Partner with R&D, Quality, Operations, Maintenance, and EHS on new-product scale-up, process changes, equipment reliability, and resolution of significant manufacturing issues.

3. Ownership of Operational Excellence

• Serve as the process owner for LaMotte's Operational Excellence program across both facilities, defining its framework, standards, project selection process, performance measures, and management review cadence.
• Partner with department and value-stream leaders to establish annual improvement goals, assign project ownership, prioritize resources, and review progress through Operations & Quality Leadership Team meetings.
• Build employee participation and problem-solving capability through training and coaching; ensure improvements are documented, adopted, and sustained, with operating leaders accountable for execution and results.

4. Capital Investment and Automation

• Own the annual and multi-year capital expenditure (CapEx) planning process and manage the approved portfolio and budget across both facilities, balancing growth, replacement, safety, quality, and productivity needs.
• Develop business cases covering capacity, cost, staffing, return on investment, payback, and risk; recommend priorities and obtain approvals through LaMotte's authorization process.
• Lead capital projects from requirements, justification, and supplier selection through design reviews, installation, commissioning, and handover; manage scope, schedule, spending, and supplier performance.
• Define and execute the automation strategy, selecting practical technologies that improve process consistency, throughput, ergonomics, and labor productivity while addressing reliability, maintainability, and training needs.
• Establish measurable equipment acceptance criteria and oversee factory and site acceptance testing (FAT/SAT), documentation, and training. Verify results against the approved business case after implementation.

5. Continuous Improvement and Manufacturing Performance

• Lead a prioritized pipeline of improvements that reduce bottlenecks, downtime, scrap, rework, changeover time, and manufacturing cost while improving flow, yield, and delivery performance.
• Sponsor and lead Kaizen events and structured problem solving using Lean, Six Sigma, statistical process control (SPC), design of experiments (DOE), and root-cause analysis. Partner with Maintenance to apply Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) principles.
• Track throughput, labor productivity, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), quality, and verified savings. Validate benefits with Finance and operating leaders, standardize successful changes, and report sustained results to leadership.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering; chemical, mechanical, electrical, or industrial engineering preferred.
• 10 or more years of progressively responsible manufacturing engineering experience, including at least 5 years leading engineering teams and major capital projects. Multi-site leadership experience preferred.
• Demonstrated success developing engineering strategies, managing capital budgets, implementing automation, and delivering measurable Operational Excellence and continuous improvement results.
• Lean, Six Sigma, engineering, or project management certifications are a plus.
• Strong technical, analytical, financial, and project management skills; ability to interpret engineering documentation and evaluate equipment and process performance.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams, develop people, manage competing priorities, and communicate technical recommendations and business results effectively to employees and executive leadership.

Miscellaneous

Lead by example, maintain company confidentiality, and comply with all company policies. Escalate significant production, equipment, safety, quality, and project risks and coordinate timely resolution. Identify training needs and support knowledge sharing across manufacturing areas. Perform other duties consistent with the role as assigned.

Environmental Factors & Mental / Physical Demands

Work is performed in office, manufacturing, and laboratory areas, with potential exposure to operating equipment, chemicals, powders, and testing solutions; training and required protective equipment are provided. The role requires regular travel between Newark and Chestertown and occasional supplier visits, standing and walking through production areas, and safely accessing equipment and work areas. Wear required personal protective equipment, including task-specific respiratory protection when required. Manage multiple priorities and make timely technical and business decisions.

Work-life and Culture:

LaMotte Company, a 100+ year-old global industry leader in developing and manufacturing premier water analysis solutions, operating in Newark, DE, Chestertown, MD and Warwick, UK. Our products are used around the world to accurately, quickly, and conveniently test water in a multitude of applications.

LaMotte relies on the success of our employees and are committed to supporting their growth. We offer competitive pay, along with performance-based increases. LaMotte offers a range of different shifts such as mornings, afternoons, evenings, and 12-hour shifts between both facilities to fit employee’s needs. LaMotte offers paid time off including vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays. We have several employee events including holiday events, employee appreciation events, community events, employee engagement, etc.

Full-time employees, who regularly work at least 30 hours per week, are eligible for employer-provided insurance including health, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, and supplemental insurance. Full-time employees are eligible to contribute to our 401(k) plan with an employer match available.

LaMotte is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, disability, military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local laws.