Director, Application Engineering & Specification

Hillman•Cincinnati, OH

About The Position

PowerPro® Building Solutions, part of The Hillman Group, is seeking an entrepreneurial, commercially minded technical leader to create and lead a national Application Engineering & Specification capability. The role will build the strategy, team, operating model, and industry relationships needed to move PowerPro solutions from technical evaluation through specification, approval, channel recommendation, project conversion, and sale. It works across Engineering, Product Development, Sales, Marketing, Compliance, and the construction market, with a focus on building a scalable competitive advantage for PowerPro. The Director will develop the specification-to-sale process, recruit and lead field-based Application Engineers, strengthen relationships with design and construction stakeholders, and increase channel pull-through. The role also owns technical education and sales enablement, including Hillman’s AIA and continuing-education strategy, and translates market insight into portfolio, application, approval, and certification opportunities. The position is based in Cincinnati, Ohio and requires travel throughout North America. Work takes place in office, customer, field, trade-show, and active construction-site environments. Site visits may involve exposure to noise, dust, fumes, moving equipment, uneven surfaces, weather, and other typical manufacturing, distribution, and construction conditions. Site-specific safety procedures and personal protective equipment must be followed. The role regularly involves sitting, standing, walking, speaking, hearing, viewing computer screens, and using hands for computer and presentation equipment; it may occasionally require climbing stairs, bending, reaching, and lifting or carrying materials weighing up to 25 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Building Science, or a related technical discipline.
At least 10 years of experience in construction products, engineered building materials, fastening systems, specification sales, technical services, field engineering, or application engineering.
At least 5 years of experience leading technical, engineering, or field-based teams, including experience building or scaling a capability.
Demonstrated success influencing design professionals, builders, contractors, distributors, channel partners, and code or approval stakeholders.
Strong knowledge of construction methods, building materials, fastening applications, specifications, and code-compliant solutions.
Ability to translate complex technical information into practical decisions, differentiated customer value, and measurable commercial results.
Entrepreneurial and commercially minded approach, with the ability to build strategy, teams, processes, and market credibility.
Executive-level communication, presentation, relationship-building, and cross-functional leadership skills.
Sound engineering judgment, accountability, customer focus, and commitment to technical excellence.
Ability to establish priorities, operating rhythms, performance measures, and scalable processes across a distributed team.
Ability to travel throughout North America.

Nice To Haves

Professional Engineer (PE) or Engineer in Training (EIT) credential.
Experience with fastening, anchoring, structural connectors, engineered wood, gypsum systems, or adjacent building-material categories.
Experience with ICC-ES evaluation reports, testing programs, certifications, approvals, building-code compliance, AIA continuing education, CRM, construction project intelligence, BIM, specification, or project-management platforms.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a national strategy to increase specification, approval, and adoption in residential, multifamily, and light-commercial construction.
Prioritize applications, geographies, customers, influencers, and projects with the greatest commercial potential.
Drive inclusion in construction specifications, builder standards, approved-product lists, project takeoffs, contractor submittals, and code-approved applications.
Design and govern a process that connects technical influence to project conversion and revenue, with clear handoffs among Application Engineering, Sales, Product, Marketing, and channel partners.
Use CRM and project-tracking tools to maintain visibility into specifications, approvals, opportunities, actions, and conversion.
Recruit, develop, and lead field-based Application Engineers; establish territory coverage, operating rhythms, prioritization, activity expectations, performance measures, and career paths.
Build a team culture centered on technical excellence, sound engineering judgment, accountability, customer partnership, and commercial impact.
Build relationships with architects, engineers, residential designers, builders, developers, contractors, code officials, municipalities, plan reviewers, and other key influencers.
Provide leadership on application guidance, specification development, code interpretation, evaluation reports, certifications, testing data, competitive equivalencies, and installation practices.
Support strategic projects from design through installation and represent Hillman in professional associations, technical forums, customer events, and trade shows.
Partner with lumberyards, building-material dealers, buying groups, distributors, and outside sales teams to increase recommendation and conversion.
Create technical-selling programs, joint customer engagement, and project-support models that strengthen dealer confidence and drive pull-through demand.
Extend the channel model into relevant specialty channels, including gypsum, engineered wood, and specialty building products.
Own Hillman’s AIA and continuing-education strategy, including accredited programs, lunch-and-learns, certification seminars, code education, and technical workshops.
Build train-the-trainer programs and practical technical tools for Hillman sales teams, independent representatives, dealer personnel, contractors, and design professionals.
Ensure technical content is accurate, current, code-compliant, clear, and commercially relevant.
Translate customer, jobsite, code, channel, and competitive insight into new products, applications, approvals, certifications, and technical resources.
Partner with Product Management, Engineering, Compliance, Marketing, and Sales to close market gaps and improve customer outcomes.