Director, Open Products Engineering

Job Description

Job Description

Headquartered in Markle, IN, Novae is the leading manufacturer of open and enclosed trailers and truck bodies in North America, operating 13 distinct brands including Midsota®, CAM Superline®, Sure-Trac®, Cargo Express®, Formula Trailers™, H&H Trailers®, LOOK®, Pace American®, Impact, Compass, ITI Cargo™, and Aluma. Founded in 1995, Novae has more than 1,500 employees and more than 20 manufacturing facilities across the U.S. Novae maintains an active dealer network of more than 1,000 partners.

The company is uniquely positioned to grow its current revenue of $500M based on its multi-brand offerings that encompass multiple market verticals. The Company enjoys a strong market position and there is a significant opportunity to implement an accelerated growth agenda, while implementing management processes, systems, and approach that leverage existing assets, positions and investments.

For this next phase of growth, the company has transitioned from a founder-driven to a professionally managed enterprise, supported by a well-rounded board. The business has a defined Operating Agenda that focuses on Growth and Margin improvement while introducing multiple new-to-the-industry practices.

Novae, from its very inception, has had a strong focus on growing its business and people together. Its approach is 1 to offer quality products with great service, deal fairly with people, and recognize that suppliers, employees, community and customers are all important to success. Novae’s purpose is to create opportunities for people to make their lives better and to leave a legacy of positive impact.

The Director of Open Products Engineering provides strategic and operational leadership for all engineering functions across Novae’s Open Trailer and Truck Bed business. This role is responsible for product development, engineering standards, talent leadership, innovation, and cross-functional execution to support business growth, operational excellence, and customer outcomes.

This leader will partner closely with Operations, Product, Sales, Supply Chain, and Finance to align engineering strategy with enterprise priorities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Engineering Strategy & Leadership

• Define and execute the enterprise engineering strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Lead and develop engineering leaders across multiple disciplines and locations.
• Establish and maintain engineering governance, standards, processes, and best practices.

Product Development & Innovation

• Oversee product design, development, validation, and lifecycle management.
• Drive innovation initiatives focused on performance, quality, cost, safety, and scalability.
• Ensure customer and market requirements are translated into effective engineering solutions.

Operational Excellence

• Partner with Operations to improve manufacturability, reliability, and quality.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives including cost reduction, standardization, and efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with safety, regulatory, and quality standards.

People & Talent Management

• Build a high-performance engineering organization through hiring, development, and succession planning.
• Coach and mentor engineering leaders; foster a culture of accountability and collaboration.
• Support performance management, career pathways, and leadership readiness across engineering teams.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Product, Sales, and Commercial teams to support growth initiatives.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Manufacturing on sourcing, tooling, and production readiness.
• Support M&A integration and due diligence from an engineering perspective as needed.

Financial & Business Acumen

• Manage engineering budgets, capital requests, and resource planning.
• Evaluate trade-offs between investment, risk, cost, and long-term value.
• Contribute to enterprise-level planning and decision-making.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/ QUALIFICATIONS / ATTRIBUTES

• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience with senior leadership responsibility.
• Strong mechanical background
• Mobile/RV/Automotive industry experience preferred
• Off-Shore engineering experience
• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams in a complex, multi-site environment.

• Demonstrated ability to influence at the executive level.
• Deep understanding of product development, manufacturing processes, and systems thinking.
• High level of integrity, accountability, and commitment to safety and quality.
• Excellent verbal, nonverbal and written communication skills.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills to identify opportunities for sales process improvements and develop and implement new strategies.
• Financial skills and business acumen to understand sales profitability and opportunities.
• Proven experience in negotiating outcomes that align with organizational strategies.
• Experience in developing, conducting, and sharing market research.
• Strong computer skills with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Visual, CAD, and related software.
• Highly motivated self-starter with an inclination to consistently apply critical and analytical thinking skills.
• Travel to site locations approximately 25% of the time.

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Travel up to 30% as needed.
• Collegial and collaborative, but also determined and focused. Gets things done without creating unnecessary noise and conflict.
• Eager to work through the current transformation and then under the next owner the subsequent transformation.
• North America expertise, including Canada and Mexico
• “Practical process” focused – gets results by changing the systems and processes people work within.
• “Midwestern values” that mirror Novae’s workforce and customer base; not a “cuff link” or “intellectual” but a hands-on practical leader.
• Daily on-site presence in Markle IN is required.

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical field required; advanced degree preferred.