Director of Engineering (Nashville)

Director of Engineering – Confidential

Greater Nashville area

Want to build an engineering organization instead of just inheriting one? We’re running a confidential search for a Director of Engineering at a well-established, privately held U.S. manufacturer. This is a high-impact leadership role for someone who gets energized by building, improving and developing, not by keeping the lights on.

What We’re Looking For

• B.S. in Engineering required
• Deep, hands-on experience with metal stamping and forming
• Background in manufacturing with high product and part variety, where no two days look the same
• A track record of building and developing engineering teams and direct reports
• Strong change-management skills: you know how to bring people along, not just hand down a plan
• Proven ability to establish and implement engineering processes and best practices
• A hands-on leader who’s at home on the manufacturing floor, not just in the conference room
• Results improving equipment, processes, reliability and manufacturing capability
• Stable career history with clear, demonstrated progression

The Right Environment

This role is built for someone who has thrived in a mid-sized, entrepreneurial manufacturing environment where engineering leaders win through resourcefulness.

Not every project here comes with a large engineering team, unlimited capital and a 40-page procedure. The successful candidate will know how to:

• Engineer smart solutions around the equipment, people and resources on hand
• Create processes from scratch rather than simply follow established ones
• Bring structure and best practices without adding bureaucracy
• Turn engineers into sharper critical thinkers and problem solvers
• Build a more data- and process-driven engineering organization
• Partner closely with operations and manufacturing to turn ideas into measurable results on the plant floor

If your career has been primarily inside highly structured, heavily resourced Tier 1 automotive organizations, this may not be the right fit, unless you’ve also proven yourself in a smaller, more entrepreneurial setting.

Why Consider It?

This is a chance to put your fingerprints on an entire engineering organization. You’ll assess where things stand today, develop the team, strengthen engineering processes and help take the operation to the next level, with the visibility and backing to make it happen.

We’re looking for a builder, not a caretaker.

Interested in learning more? Reach out confidentially. All conversations are kept strictly private.