R&D Director - NAM

Director, R&D - Mining Excavator Structures & Hydraulics

Location: Remote (North America Preferred)
Compensation: Executive-Level Base Salary + Performance Bonus + Long-Term Incentive Potential

About the Opportunity

A global leader in heavy mining equipment is seeking a senior engineering leader to drive the development and reliability improvement of its next-generation large mining excavator platforms.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced engineer with deep expertise in excavator boom structures, hydraulic systems, and product development to take ownership of critical design and performance initiatives on some of the industry's largest and most demanding machines.

The successful candidate will work closely with global engineering teams to identify root causes of field reliability issues, develop innovative design solutions, and influence the future direction of a major mining excavator product line.

This position is ideally suited to a highly technical engineer who enjoys solving complex engineering challenges and leading through expertise rather than direct people management.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead engineering initiatives focused on structural reliability and hydraulic system performance of large mining excavators.
• Investigate and resolve boom durability, fatigue, and lifecycle performance issues.
• Conduct root cause analysis of field failures and develop long-term corrective actions.
• Drive design improvements through analysis, testing, validation, and field feedback.
• Partner with global engineering, manufacturing, quality, and service teams to implement product enhancements.
• Support the development of future excavator platforms and technology roadmaps.
• Review structural calculations, durability assessments, FEA results, and validation programs.
• Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise across the organization.
• Ensure engineering solutions meet reliability, safety, manufacturability, and cost objectives.
• Influence product strategy and continuous improvement efforts across the mining equipment portfolio.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in the design and development of large hydraulic excavators or comparable heavy mining equipment.
• Strong expertise in:
  • Excavator boom and front-end attachment design
  • Structural engineering and fatigue analysis
  • Hydraulic systems and controls
  • Reliability engineering
  • Product development and validation
  • Failure investigation and root cause analysis
• Demonstrated track record of solving complex engineering challenges in demanding operating environments.
• Ability to collaborate effectively within a global engineering organization.

Preferred Experience

Candidates are likely to come from leading heavy equipment or mining OEMs and may currently hold titles such as:

• Principal Engineer
• Lead Design Engineer
• Senior Product Development Engineer
• Chief Engineer
• Excavator Platform Leader
• Reliability Engineering Manager
• Technical Specialist - Mining Equipment

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Influence the future design of a global mining excavator platform.
• Solve complex, high-impact engineering challenges with direct visibility to executive leadership.
• Work within a highly collaborative international engineering environment.
• Executive-level compensation package with substantial career growth potential.
• Flexible remote working arrangement with global exposure.

Ideal Candidate Profile

A technically accomplished engineering professional with a passion for heavy equipment design, deep knowledge of excavator structures and hydraulics, and a proven ability to improve product reliability through innovative engineering solutions. This individual will be recognized as a technical authority capable of driving meaningful product improvements on a global scale.

If interested, apply direct or reach out via lara.ivkovic-