In this role, the successful candidate will maintain an eye on customer trends and needs to ensure that the Company is positioned to launch new products to meet or exceed expectations. Managing and developing the R&D engineering function to include internal metrics and timeline constraints. Develop new products to take advantage of new materials so as to integrate large scale cost savings and driving those through the business unit. Such duties to include but not be limited to:
Support the enterprise initiatives and develop engineering strategies to support and meet the program management goals and objectives. Insure engineering activities meet continuous improvement initiatives both from a strategic and tactical perspective including lead time reduction, flexibility to schedules, quality improvement, inventory reduction (entire supply chain) and cost reduction on a year over year basis. Oversight of the R&D Engineering function including developing and maintaining metrics Lead performance improvement programs throughout the engineering function using overall leadership experience and play a key role in the implementation of Continuous Improvement techniques throughout the organisation Work with key members of the Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations and other key functional areas of the business.
Qualified candidates will possess strong leadership skills with a successful track record in the areas of engineering, specifically within a R&D setting, strong design experience coupled with a mechanical know-how, demonstrated success in moving from concept to reality in a challenging environment with defined lead time. Key core competencies should include:
A “strategist” with superior planning and thinking capabilities.
A “tactician” with experience in implementing new processes and tools internally and externally
An “executor” that is able to drive the processes home while maintaining a balance between the corporate objectives and customer need
Passion for designing from abstract ideas and concepts
Strong emotional intelligence with the ability to understand not only technical aspects of role but also the people issues and the various agendas that exist within an organization
The candidate must have experience with transitioning an “individual site” operation into a “multi-site, multi-culture” enterprise that takes advantage of the collective power of the organization and the synergies inherent in that model. Successful candidate must be dynamic, articulate, results oriented and accustomed to working in a fast-paced and intellectually challenging environment. Must possess solid working knowledge of design software, financial analysis, risk assessment and trade off analysis and lean manufacturing concepts. Exposure to working with international cultures is highly desirable.
Education and Experience:
The successful candidate will possess a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering. A MS is preferred.
The successful candidate should possess a minimum of 10 years senior management experience related to R&D Engineering with a commercial or industrial manufacturing corporation.
