Director, Design Engineering, Electrical

Blue Bird Careers•Fort Valley, GA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the SVP of Engineering, the Director leads a team of Electrical Engineers who work to design and architect electrical systems, components, and controls for both body and chassis with all powertrains and vehicle configurations. This individual will work with design engineers and managers, for new designs that contribute improvements in reliability, manufacturing and cost reductions. The Director shall assure that product designs, specifications, and labor are maximized to improve the manufacturability at the lowest cost for all products. The Director will work within the Product Development organization and cross functionally across the Blue Bird enterprise to maximize internal and external customer satisfaction.

Requirements

BS in Electrical Engineering required
15+ years of manufacturing product engineering experience, in auto, truck or bus industry required
7+ years of relevant professional leadership experience, required
All candidates must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility at the time of hire.
Analytical, balanced, dynamic, methodical approach to problem solving; good work ethic, integrity, and professional conduct
Significant project management experience and ability to initiate and direct multiple projects simultaneously
Must demonstrate leadership, conflict resolution and motivational skills, assertiveness, and positive attitude
Able to develop budgets, and engage in financial planning and cost analysis by estimating production labor and equipment costs
Excellent organizational skills and a focus on timely delivery of specified deliverables goals and objectives
Good team and interpersonal skills, along with ability to work with cross-functional teams at all levels of the organization and foster teamwork
Strong written and oral communication skills and ability to organize and present ideas concisely and clearly
Ability to analyze complex data sets.
Experience in CapEx management
Experience in process development and line balancing techniques
Competent user of MS Office products including Project
Broad management expertise across several disciplines within a job family or several different job areas.
Auto, truck or bus industry experience
High and low voltage electrical experience

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in engineering, preferred
PMP Certification and recognized process improvement training (Lean, Six Sigma) preferred.
Ability to anticipate and understand customer needs and provide guidance
Excellent interpersonal and customer relationship skills to handle difficult and sensitive matters.
Strong project management skills.
Exposure to difficult or complex projects a plus.
Ability to influence stakeholders
Effective communication and ability to communicate complex details in a clear manner.
Flexible workspaces and work hours to help you unleash the best you.
Working in a collaborative team and balancing the needs of individual stakeholders while delivering corporate objectives.

Responsibilities

Direct the Electrical and Controls Engineering team across multiple sites.
Establish goals and objectives for the group and evaluate individual and group performance and projects for quality, safety and reliability.
Direct the capital spending plan to include recommending capital improvements and preparing business cases.
Lead launch of new technology and processes, including the next generation electrical architecture.
Evaluate existing design weaknesses and propose solutions to drive robustness.
Manage projects from concept to launch.
Challenge company norms and drive solutions that drive correctness, validation and speed to market.
Mentor engineers in design of electrical systems, DFMEA, DFM, and create robust electrical design guidelines that will drive improvements in bus quality/warranty.
Identify field issues and drive root cause and corrective action.
Partner with Purchasing to develop a technically qualified supply base.
Lead team to assist the SQ team with PPAP of new harnesses and electrical components.
Partner with Powertrain team for EV electrical systems development.
Serve as a technical authority on Electric Vehicles and Electrical Safety.
Communicate project status weekly to management.
Other duties as assigned.