Associate Director, Engineering

Health & Home USA•Marlborough, MA

12d•$158,000 - $176,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Our Beauty & Wellness division empowers consumers with trusted products that support self-care, from salon-quality styling tools to wellness devices like humidifiers and air purifiers. Our innovative products and solutions promote healthy living, elevating the lives of consumers every day. This business unit includes Braun, PUR , Honeywell , Vicks , Hot Tools , Drybar , Curlsmith, and Revlon brands, and this role may support one or more of these brands. Look around your home, and you'll find us everywhere, in your kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. We are already making your everyday lives better. We are powered by knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and forward-thinking people committed to developing a culture of inclusion. Whether you are just starting your career or in need of a challenge, we recognize, develop, and empower talent! Position: Associate Director, Engineering Department: Engineering – Beauty Tools Work Location: Marlborough, MA, Hybrid (work 3 days onsite) Hybrid Schedule: At Helen of Troy, we embrace a flexible hybrid work model designed to support collaboration and productivity. For roles eligible for hybrid work, our standard schedule includes in-office collaboration from Tuesday through Thursday, with the option to work remotely on Mondays and Fridays. Any updates to this model will be communicated in advance. Please note that hybrid eligibility and schedules may vary based on business needs and manager expectations. What you will be doing: The Associate Director, Engineering is a senior technical leadership role responsible for managing and developing a team of Project Engineers while ensuring consistent, high-quality engineering execution across product development programs. This role serves as a key liaison between Engineering, Quality, Program Management, Innovation, and Advanced Technology teams to enable delivery of product roadmaps. The Associate Director is accountable for engineering processes, resource planning aligned to product roadmaps, and providing technical leadership and design guidance to Project Engineers throughout the product lifecycle. While not directly managing programs, this role ensures engineering readiness, capability, and execution excellence in support of business objectives.

Requirements

Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence, motivate, and align cross‑functional and global teams
Proactive, self‑driven mindset with a focus on action, continuous improvement, and anticipating issues early
Exceptional communication and presentation skills, delivering clear, concise, and executive‑ready updates
High adaptability and flexibility, able to manage shifting priorities and multiple concurrent projects
Strong collaboration and relationship‑building skills, establishing trust quickly with internal teams and global vendors
Strategic problem‑solving and sound decision‑making, especially under pressure or in ambiguous situations
Ability to foster a culture of accountability, technical rigor, and continuous improvement within the engineering team
Strong organizational and prioritization skills, ensuring clarity and alignment across engineering workstreams
High level of independence, operating effectively with minimal direction while keeping stakeholders aligned
Bachelor’s degree in engineering
5+ years of engineering leadership or supervisory experience, including managing, coaching, and developing engineering teams
Hands‑on experience with small appliance development, specifically Beauty Tools such as hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, hot air brushes, or similar electrical hair‑styling appliances, with strong mechanical and electrical understanding of these systems
Demonstrated experience leading engineering execution across multiple programs, including resource planning and cross‑functional alignment
Proven track record of delivering consumer electrical products on time and within budget in fast‑paced environments
Strong background in small appliance design and manufacturing, including plastics, molding, heating elements, motors, and electrical subsystems used in Beauty Tools
Working knowledge of UL and other relevant safety/regulatory requirements for consumer electrical hair appliances
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with global vendors, manage submittals, track commitments, and oversee product quality and schedule adherence
Strong troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis skills across mechanical, electrical, and system‑level issues
Proficiency with CAD tools (Creo preferred)
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project
Ability to travel domestically (Boston, Edgewater, NJ) and internationally (Asia/SE Asia) as required
Authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis

Responsibilities

People & Resource Management Directly manage, coach, and develop a team of Project Engineers, including performance management, goal setting, and career development.
Assign and balance engineering resources across projects based on product roadmaps, priorities, and capability needs.
Build and maintain strong engineering bench strength through talent development, mentoring, and succession planning.
Foster a culture of technical rigor, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the engineering team.
Engineering Leadership & Technical Oversight Provide technical leadership and guidance to Project Engineers on product design, materials, manufacturability, risk management, and validation strategies.
Ensure engineering deliverables meet requirements for quality, safety, cost, schedule, and regulatory compliance.
Review and guide key engineering decisions, design reviews, and technical trade-offs throughout the development lifecycle.
Support troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and resolution of complex technical issues.
Process Ownership & Continuous Improvement Own and continuously improve engineering processes, standards, tools, and best practices.
Ensure consistent application of engineering methodologies across programs.
Drive standardization and efficiency while maintaining flexibility to support innovation and differentiated product needs.
Partner with Quality, Regulatory and Safety teams to ensure engineering processes support compliance requirements.
Cross-Functional Collaboration Act as the engineering liaison to: Program Management, Quality, Innovation leadership and Advanced Technology teams
Collaborate with Program Managers to align engineering execution with program timelines, risks, and milestones (without direct program ownership).
Support early-stage innovation and advanced development activities by providing engineering input, feasibility assessments, and transition support into development.
Manage, train, mentor and coach direct reports and coordinate activities of department.
Provide planning, scheduling, direction, and coordination of projects.
Ensure all projects, initiatives, and processes are in conformance with established policies and objectives.