Director, Manufacturing Equipment & Process Engineering

General Overview

Job Title: Director, Manufacturing Equipment & Process Engineering 1
Functional Area:  Engineering (ENG)
Career Stream:  Engineering (ENG)
Role:  Director (DR1)
Job Code:  DR1-ENG-MFG
Job Band: 12
Direct/Indirect Indicator:  Indirect

Summary

The Director of Engineering & Site Quality provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for a combined organization of approximately 140 engineering, quality, and continuous improvement professionals. This senior leadership role is responsible for directing all site manufacturing process engineering, failure analysis laboratory services, product testing, continuous improvement initiatives, and site quality assurance systems.
The primary focus of this role is to drive manufacturing engineering excellence, advanced process innovation, equipment optimization, and continuous improvement to meet customer requirements. Concurrently, the role ensures the site maintains a rigorous quality culture, robust risk-mitigation strategies, comprehensive laboratory analytics, and strict regulatory compliance. This role is highly customer- and corporate-facing across all main areas of responsibility.

Detailed Description

1. Strategic Leadership, CI & Financial Management
Site & Global Alignment: Establish site-specific strategic plans, annual business goals, and long-term operational objectives cooperatively with the site leadership team.
Operational Budgeting: Oversee and manage the complete planning, budgeting, headcount, and cost management for all site engineering, laboratory, and quality departments, actively seeking and executing cost-saving opportunities.
Continuous Improvement (CI): Drive site-wide Continuous Improvement, Lean manufacturing, and Quality culture initiatives to optimize operational efficiency and process metrics.
Organizational Leadership: Directly and indirectly lead, mentor, and develop department managers, senior individual contributors, and technical teams across a ~140-person organization.
2. Manufacturing Equipment & Process Engineering (Primary Focus)
Process Optimization: Lead the development, deployment, and optimization of cost-effective manufacturing processes and automated equipment solutions across the site.
Upfront Engineering Strategy: Proactively drive robust upfront strategies, including Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), and ongoing technology and efficiency improvements.
Lifecycle Engineering & Yield: Support all manufacturing technical issues related to customer products from product conception to product obsolescence, actively driving Rolled Throughput Yield (RTPY) improvements throughout the manufacturing cycle.
Technical Problem Resolution: Serve as the final escalation point for complex, site-wide manufacturing technical issues, assisting teams with problem resolution for quality and delivery.
3. Lab Services & Product Testing
Failure Analysis (FA) Lab Services: Oversee Failure Analysis Laboratory operations, ensuring advanced analytical capabilities (e.g., metallurgy, destructive/non-destructive testing, environmental testing) meet site and customer requirements while ensuring long-term viability and continuous growth.
Product Testing & Inspection: Direct structural test and inspection processes, including the strategy creation and execution of optical, mechanical, and electrical product testing (e.g., AOI, AXI, ICT, vibration, and environmental testing).
Data Analytics: Leverage testing and quality data KPIs to monitor manufacturing health and drive advanced engineering solutions.
4. Site Quality Strategy & Compliance
Quality System Stewardship: Establish and drive the site's quality strategy to ensure long-term customer satisfaction and alignment with corporate goals, managing Scrap and Cost of Non-Quality (QofNQ) metrics effectively.
Regulatory & Standards Compliance: Provide executive support for compliance readiness and continuous certification under major industry standards (e.g., ISO 9001, AS9100, AS9110, ANSI/ESD, NADCAP), bringing demonstrated personal experience managing these certifications.
Risk Mitigation & Governance: Assess organizational risk regarding quality events, oversee corrective/preventive actions (CAPA, 8D, FMEA), and lead reviews with key customers and suppliers to successfully manage and eliminate both Audit and Escape findings.

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

• Executive Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multi-functional projects, manage and improve large multi-departmental change processes, and champion a rigorous technical and quality culture.

• Financial & Business Acumen: Advanced understanding of budgeting, site operations, ROI/ROR analysis, and how technical decisions impact overall site profitability and customer satisfaction.

• Advanced Problem-Solving: Mastery of structured methodologies including Lean, Six Sigma, 8D, FMEA, Change Control, and Design of Experiments (DOE).

• Technical Depth: Broad knowledge of electronic manufacturing environments, automated equipment systems, SMT, NPI-PCBA, laboratory analysis testing, and advanced quality management systems.

Physical Demands

• Duties of this position are performed in a normal office environment.
• Duties may require extended periods of sitting and sustained visual concentration on a computer monitor or on numbers and other detailed data. 
• Repetitive manual movements (e.g., data entry, using a computer mouse, using a calculator, etc.) are frequently required.
• Occasional travel may be required.

Typical Experience

15+ years of progressive engineering and quality leadership experience within a highly dynamic electronics manufacturing or similar technology-driven environment, with strong Aerospace and commercial exposure.

Typical Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Technology, or a related scientific discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience. Advanced studies in Business Administration (MBA), Operations, or Technology Management are considered a strong asset.

Notes

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.