Director, Design Engineering

Summary

The role is for a highly motivated and experienced Senior Engineering Leader to spearhead a strategic customer engagement focused on cutting-edge technology solutions. This role demands a unique blend of technical expertise, customer-centricity, and leadership acumen to drive successful outcomes in a dynamic environment.

This role is accountable for strategic customer engagements - this includes regular engagement with the customer on technical advances, product quality, engineering metrics etc. To be successful in the role, the senior leader will need to work closely with internal and external stakeholders globally. The leader must be a thought leader, with strong communication skills and be forward thinking.

As a people leader, the leader will build and groom a team of high performing engineers, working with them on objective setting and professional development initiatives.

The candidate will have overall responsibility for quality, customer engagement (Engineering) planning, budgeting, implementing and maintaining costs in a  functional area. The candidate will regularly interact with executives and/or major customers. Interactions may involve readouts, strategic direction setting or responding professionally and proactively to any potential escalations. They may also represent the organization in public speaking venues and/or community events.

Responsibilities

Lead Customer Engagement:

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for a key customer, building strong relationships and understanding their needs.
• Collaborate closely with the customer to define project scope, requirements, and success criteria.
• Effectively communicate technical concepts and solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences at the customer.
• Ensure customer satisfaction by delivering high-quality solutions that meet their expectations and timelines.

Drive Engineering Excellence:

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee the design, development, and delivery of cutting-edge technology solutions, leveraging emerging technologies (e.g., AI, ML, IoT).
• Champion engineering best practices, including code reviews, testing, and documentation, to ensure high-quality deliverables.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering processes and methodologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
   

Ensure Quality Outcomes:

• Define and implement quality assurance processes and metrics to ensure that deliverables meet the highest standards.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks to project success and product quality.
• Champion a culture of quality throughout the engineering team and the customer engagement.
   

Knowledge/Skills/Competencies

• Proven Leader: 15+ years of experience in software engineering, with a demonstrated ability to lead and deliver complex projects in a customer-facing role.
• Technical Depth: Strong foundation in software engineering principles, design patterns, and relevant technologies (e.g., cloud computing, microservices, AI/ML).
• Customer Focus: Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with a proven ability to build strong customer relationships.
• Quality Advocate: Deep understanding of quality assurance methodologies and a passion for delivering high-quality solutions.
• Emerging Tech Savvy: Experience with and understanding of emerging technologies, with the ability to identify and leverage them to solve customer challenges.
• Strategic Thinker: Able to translate customer needs into technical solutions and align engineering efforts with business goals.
• Thought leader: Be a thought leader for internal and external stakeholders, able to network effectively in a global environment.

Physical Demands

• Incumbent will perform the duties of this position in a normal office environment.
• Travel - 5-10% (estimated)
   

Typical Experience

• Fifteen plus years’ relevant experience

Typical Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field, or consideration of an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Advanced studies in Business/Operations/Technology are recommended.
   

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.