Director of Engineering

Koppers•Pittsburgh, PA

About The Position

Provide dedicated leadership and strategic direction for the Corporate Engineering function, establishing clear engineering priorities aligned with enterprise and business unit needs. Coordinate and prioritize engineering support and resources across business units (RPS, KPC, CMC, UIP) to ensure consistent, high-quality, and timely delivery of engineering services. Partner with the Chief Legal and Strategy Officer and enterprise leadership to align engineering investments with strategic priorities, capital planning, and risk management objectives. Establish and maintain enterprise-wide engineering standards, governance, and best practices to ensure technical consistency, safety, and quality across sites. Lead, develop, and manage a multidisciplinary team of engineering managers and professionals, including mechanical, electrical, chemical/process, reliability, and project engineering staff. Drive continuous improvement in engineering processes, resource utilization, and service delivery models to improve responsiveness and value delivered to business units. Serve as a key partner to the Transformation Office, ensuring engineering-related Catalyst initiatives are appropriately supported, resourced, and progressed through the initiative lifecycle. Manage engineering budgets and reporting on engineering KPIs, project performance, and capital deployment to enterprise leadership. Represent Corporate Engineering in cross-functional forums, providing technical expertise and recommendations to support enterprise and business unit decision-making. Communicate regularly with Business Unit Leaders, Operations Managers, Plant Managers, and Plant Support staff regarding engineering priorities, project progress, and resource needs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or related discipline) required; advanced degree a plus.
15+ years of progressive engineering experience in a manufacturing, industrial, or chemical plant environment, including hands-on capital project management.
5+ years of people leadership experience managing engineers, engineering managers, or cross-functional technical teams.
Experience operating within a matrixed organization, supporting multiple business units, sites, or regions.
Strong leadership and people management skills, with proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Deep technical knowledge across mechanical, electrical, chemical/process, or reliability engineering disciplines within a manufacturing or industrial environment.
Strong understanding of capital project management, including Front End Loading (FEL) / Front End Engineering Design (FEED) processes and stage-gate project governance.
Ability to translate enterprise strategy into engineering priorities and actionable execution plans.
Strong business acumen and the ability to partner effectively with senior leadership and business unit stakeholders.
Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills across all levels of the organization.
Knowledgeable in Koppers plant processes, or comparable chemical/industrial manufacturing processes.
Proficient with relevant engineering and project management tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, AutoCAD, ChemCAD).
Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Nice To Haves

Professional Engineer (PE) license and/or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.
Experience partnering with enterprise strategy, finance, or transformation functions on capital planning and prioritization preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide dedicated leadership and strategic direction for the Corporate Engineering function, establishing clear engineering priorities aligned with enterprise and business unit needs.
Coordinate and prioritize engineering support and resources across business units (RPS, KPC, CMC, UIP) to ensure consistent, high-quality, and timely delivery of engineering services.
Partner with the Chief Legal and Strategy Officer and enterprise leadership to align engineering investments with strategic priorities, capital planning, and risk management objectives.
Establish and maintain enterprise-wide engineering standards, governance, and best practices to ensure technical consistency, safety, and quality across sites.
Lead, develop, and manage a multidisciplinary team of engineering managers and professionals, including mechanical, electrical, chemical/process, reliability, and project engineering staff.
Drive continuous improvement in engineering processes, resource utilization, and service delivery models to improve responsiveness and value delivered to business units.
Serve as a key partner to the Transformation Office, ensuring engineering-related Catalyst initiatives are appropriately supported, resourced, and progressed through the initiative lifecycle.
Manage engineering budgets and reporting on engineering KPIs, project performance, and capital deployment to enterprise leadership.
Represent Corporate Engineering in cross-functional forums, providing technical expertise and recommendations to support enterprise and business unit decision-making.
Communicate regularly with Business Unit Leaders, Operations Managers, Plant Managers, and Plant Support staff regarding engineering priorities, project progress, and resource needs.