Engineering Director

Schedule: Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM–4:00 PM Hours: 40 hours per week Weekend Work: Occasional Saturday/Sunday work may be required based on customer availability Direct Reports: 8 ABOUT US: We are a well-established industrial automation and engineering company specializing in the design and delivery of custom automation solutions for a wide range of manufacturing and industrial applications Our multidisciplinary engineering organization brings together expertise across mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, controls, robotics, and automation. We develop technically sound, manufacturable, safe, and commercially viable solutions tailored to each customer's unique production requirements From concept development and engineering through fabrication, assembly, commissioning, and customer delivery, our teams work collaboratively throughout the full project lifecycle. This provides engineering leaders with the opportunity to make a direct impact on technical execution, operational performance, team development, and customer success JOB DESCRIPTION: The Engineering Director will lead and manage the Engineering Department, providing strategic and technical leadership across mechanical, electrical, controls, robotics, and other engineering disciplines This role is responsible for ensuring the engineering organization consistently delivers technically sound, manufacturable, safe, and profitable automation solutions that meet customer requirements, project schedules, budgets, and company standards The Engineering Director will currently oversee a team of 8 direct reports and will be responsible for developing the people, processes, standards, technical discipline, and accountability required for successful project execution The Director is not expected to personally solve every engineering problem. Instead, the role is responsible for ensuring engineering issues are identified, assigned, managed, escalated when necessary, and ultimately resolved DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES: Provide overall leadership and direction across mechanical, electrical, controls, robotics, and other engineering disciplines Lead, manage, and develop a team of approximately 8 engineering professionals Establish departmental priorities, allocate resources, resolve conflicts, and maintain accountability across the engineering organization Ensure engineering milestones are established, monitored, and achieved Monitor engineering hours, schedules, technical risks, procurement dependencies, and project deliverables Identify projects at risk of falling behind schedule and initiate corrective action before issues impact fabrication, assembly, commissioning, or customer delivery Maintain responsibility for the technical integrity of engineering designs released by the department Ensure appropriate design reviews are completed for critical systems Ensure engineering solutions meet customer specifications, applicable standards, safety requirements, and internal engineering practices Develop and enforce standardized design practices, drawing standards, component selection, programming standards, documentation requirements, BOM practices, revision control, and reusable engineering libraries Ensure engineering works closely with machining, fabrication, assembly, electrical, and commissioning teams Promote Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) principles, including manufacturability, assembly efficiency, accessibility, serviceability, cost, and lead time Maintain visibility of engineering workload across active and upcoming projects Allocate engineering personnel based on capability, workload, project priority, and technical requirements Identify staffing, subcontracting, and scheduling constraints before they become project risks Monitor actual engineering hours against quoted and budgeted hours Investigate engineering budget overruns, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions Ensure engineering decisions balance technical performance with commercial responsibility Develop engineers through coaching, technical mentoring, training, performance reviews, and increasing levels of responsibility Identify skill gaps and establish employee development plans Build organizational depth and reduce dependency on individual employees for critical technical knowledge Establish clear expectations around communication, ownership, schedule performance, documentation, attention to detail, and completion of assigned responsibilities Address recurring performance issues promptly and appropriately Maintain strong communication between Engineering, Project Management, Sales, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Assembly, and Service Ensure engineering proactively communicates technical changes, project risks, delays, and decisions that may affect other departments Participate in customer technical discussions when appropriate, including concept development, design reviews, specification clarification, FAT preparation, and significant technical issue resolution Ensure customer changes, scope changes, and internal design changes are properly documented and communicated before significant engineering or manufacturing work proceeds Support Project Management in identifying changes that may require additional cost or schedule adjustments Conduct post-project engineering reviews to identify recurring problems, lessons learned, design improvements, standardization opportunities, and opportunities to reduce engineering hours Identify technical and execution risks early and elevate significant schedule, cost, safety, or performance concerns to executive management Stay current with emerging technologies, industry trends, engineering tools, and automation technologies Identify and implement technologies and processes that improve engineering efficiency, strengthen technical capabilities, and maintain competitiveness within the automation industry Perform other engineering leadership responsibilities as assigned MUST-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS: The successful candidate should have a strong combination of hands-on engineering design experience and engineering management experience Required qualifications include: Proven experience leading and managing engineering teams Strong hands-on background in engineering design , preferably within industrial automation, custom machinery, manufacturing equipment, or a similar environment Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering functions Strong understanding of mechanical, electrical, controls, robotics, and automation engineering disciplines Proven experience managing engineering resources, schedules, budgets, and project priorities Strong understanding of design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA) Experience establishing and enforcing engineering standards, processes, and documentation practices Strong technical problem-solving and decision-making skills Experience managing engineering projects through the full project lifecycle Experience identifying and managing technical, schedule, cost, and execution risks Strong customer-facing and technical communication skills Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and develop engineering professionals Strong organizational, communication, leadership, and project-management skills Ability to balance technical quality, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and business objectives PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Significant experience in industrial automation and custom equipment design Strong background in mechanical design and engineering Experience with robotics and hard automation Experience with hydraulic and pneumatic systems and related controls Familiarity with controls automation components and systems Experience establishing engineering design standards and reusable engineering practices Experience with engineering documentation, BOMs, revision control, and design-release processes Experience working closely with machining, fabrication, assembly, electrical, commissioning, purchasing, and service teams Experience participating in customer design reviews, technical discussions, FAT preparation, and installation or commissioning activities Experience driving engineering process improvements and standardization Ability to identify emerging technologies and determine their practical application within an automation environment EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: There is flexibility around the exact number of years of experience. The priority is finding someone with the right combination of technical design expertise and engineering leadership experience The ideal candidate will have: Experience leading engineers while maintaining a strong understanding of the technical work being performed A background that demonstrates progression from technical engineering/design responsibilities into leadership and management Candidates who have only managed engineering teams without meaningful hands-on design experience may not be as well suited for the role. Likewise, highly experienced designers without demonstrated leadership and people-management experience may not fully meet the needs of the position. The strongest candidates will be able to understand the technical details, lead the engineering team, manage project execution, and make sound engineering and business decisions. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are an organization that values diversity. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, including minorities and persons with disabilities. #J-18808-Ljbffr Pop-Up Talent