Director of Engineering (Operations)

Position Overview & Core Objective

The Director of Engineering will provide strategic and operational leadership for the entire engineering department (incorporating NPI, Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, Test equipment and automation, and Configuration Control).

As a key member of the operations/global leadership team, the Director will bridge the gap between R&D and serial manufacturing, ensuring that next-generation defence systems are designed for manufacturability, scaled efficiently, and delivered with the highest quality, yield, and cost-effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership & Organizational Scaling

• Lead, scale, and develop a multi-disciplinary engineering organization comprising engineering managers, NPI leads, and specialized engineers (mechanical, electronics, and process).
• Define the long-term engineering strategy, roadmap, and infrastructure to support business growth and technological scaling.
• Manage the department’s budget, capacity planning, and resource allocation to align with corporate milestones.

2. Strategic NPI Governance & Technology Transfer

• Own the overarching New Product Introduction (NPI) framework, ensuring seamless, risk-mitigated transition from R&D to full-scale serial production.
• Establish and enforce strict gate-reviews (PDR, CDR, PRR) and drive advanced DFX (DFM, DFA, DTC) methodologies corporate-wide to optimize yield and reduce manufacturing costs.
• Act as the final engineering authority on design maturity and production readiness.

3. Manufacturing Infrastructure & Process Innovation

• Drive operational excellence across the manufacturing lines by implementing advanced production technologies, ATE, and optimized process controls.
• Oversee the global configuration management system, ensuring flawless execution of change control processes (ECO/ECR/FCR/BOM management) across multi-tiered bills of materials with multi suppliers.
• Lead root-cause analysis (RCA) task forces for complex, systemic engineering failures on the production floor or in the field.

4. Vendor Ecosystem & Global Supply Chain Strategy

• Partner with procurement to qualify, evaluate, and manage multiple critical global subcontractors and production lines (precision CNC machining, plastic injection molding, EMS/PCBA, ATE, and specialized coatings).
• Standardize global Engineering-to-Vendor interfaces, ensuring seamless transfer of manufacturing packages (technical data packages/TDPs) and strict FAIR (First Article Inspection Review) compliance.

5. Defense Compliance & Security Governance

• Ensure all engineering processes, documentation, and tooling comply with strict military and aerospace standards (e.g., AS9100, ISO 9001, ITAR, and relevant MIL-STDs).

Job Requirements:

Education & Experience

• B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Aerospace Engineering - Mandatory. M.Sc. or MBA - a significant advantage.
• At least 10 years of engineering leadership experience, with at least 3-5 years in a director-level or senior management role overseeing multi-disciplinary hardware environments (electronics, mechanics).
• Roots in the Defense or Aerospace Industry - Advantage. Thorough understanding of ruggedized systems, environmental testing, and military standard compliance.
• Proven track record of scaling production lines from low-rate initial production to high-volume manufacturing.

Technical & Strategic Skills

• High-level mastery of PLM, and CAD ecosystem strategies (e.g., Agile, Arena, SolidWorks).
• Expert-level understanding of diverse manufacturing processes, ATE including high-precision CNC, advanced sheet metal fabrication, precision machining, and PCBA assembly.

Leadership & Competencies

• Executive Presence: Strong communication and negotiation skills; ability to influence C-level executives, and global tier-1 suppliers.
• Systems Thinker: Ability to balance aggressive R&D timelines with manufacturing stability, cost, and strict quality constraints.
• Strategic problem solver who thrives in highly demanding, mission-critical, and confidential environments.