Vice President of Engineering

The VP of Engineering, reporting to the President, is responsible for managing all aspects of the Engineering group for consumer electronics, including new product development and current product engineering support. Job functions include roadmap planning, estimating work/effort, planning and managing resources, managing the day to day activities of the engineering team, driving and maintaining new product development processes, and providing timely current product engineering support. The VP of Engineering must utilize an in-depth knowledge of technology, cross-disciplinary engineering, manufacturing, services, and systems to deliver innovative new products. Key skills include the ability to understand product requirements and translate them into technical requirements, understanding critical to function parameters from an overall system perspective, driving analysis of problems/issues and determining their root cause, and establishing/executing plans for delivery of product or resolution of issues. This individual must work well across the cross-functional organization, including collaboration and communications with Marketing, Sales, Operations, and Legal. The qualified candidate must be the champion for the new product development processes being established and take a lead role in driving continuous improvement. In some cases, the VP of Engineering will be required to travel and interact with customers, suppliers, partners, or other industry leaders, and is expected to do so in a professional manner.

 

Essential Functions: 

  • Proven ability to think strategically and execute tactically.
  • Manage the engineering organization, including Mechanical, Electrical, Embedded Software/ Firmware, Application Software, Program Management, and Lab Testing.
  • Excellent oral and written communicator.
  • Drive Industry Best Practices across all disciplines and functions within Engineering.
  • Understand marketing product requirements and work with the Engineering Team to translate into technical requirements.
  • Deliver innovative and compelling new products, working with the cross-functional teams to understand voice of customer, competitive/industry trends, and technology trends.
  • Manage IP portfolio.
  • Be the champion for driving a disciplined new product development Process (Phases & Gates), implementing disciplined project management best practices and delivering on commitments for features, schedule, cost, quality, and reliability.
  • Proactively test for quality issues in design and manufacturing, work with Operations to resolve any issues.
  • Continuously monitor and improve/update processes, including new product development, current product engineering, life-cycle management, quality and all engineering disciplines. · Understand overall system level needs and drive delivery of system solutions, integrating hardware, software, and services.
  • Work across the organization to understand cross-functional needs and insure that manufacturability and ease of use are integrated into product designs.
  • Insure that fundamental critical to function parameters are well understood as well as root cause for any problem resolution.
  • Continuously monitor pertinent technology trends and drive appropriate technology development.
  • Work with Marketing and Industrial Design to develop 3-5 year Product Roadmaps.
  • Actively participate on the Leadership Team, including technical representation for the overall Strategy of the business.
  • Manage the overall Engineering Budget.
  • Manage Engineering resources and skillsets to match the needs of the go-forward business, including training, recruiting, consultants, and 3rd party services.

 

Education & Experience: 

  • Bachelor’s Degree in an Engineering discipline. Master’s Degree preferred.
  • A minimum of 10 years related experience. Prefer consumer electronics exp.
  • Excellent collaboration and teamwork, both within Engineering and Cross-Functionally.
  • Demonstrates exceptional organizational skills.
  • Proficiency in implementing new technology development processes.
  • Experience in disciplined Program/Project Management processes and tools.
  • Experience with Microsoft operating systems and office productivity software.
  • Experience with 3D CAD modeling software.