Director of Engineering

QED Technologies International•Rochester, NY

4d•$170,000 - $206,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Engineering is the senior functional leader for QED Technologies’ Systems, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Software, and Controls engineering disciplines, accountable for their performance, capability, capacity, and results. Reporting to the QTR General Manager, this role builds and operates the model that turns product strategy into predictable execution from concept through release, sustainment, and end-of-life. The Director leads through functional managers and senior technical leaders and partners closely with Project Management, Product Management, Operations, Quality, Service, and Supply Chain. The role advises executive leadership on technical tradeoffs, capacity, and risk, and establishes clear decision rights, disciplined governance, and accountability across Engineering. The role is based at QED’s headquarters in Rochester, New York. Applicants must reside within commuting distance. Occasional travel may be required to support customer, program, or supplier needs. The target hiring range is $170,000–$206,000, depending on relevant experience, skills, education, internal equity, and business needs. The position is eligible for an annual performance-based incentive program with a target opportunity of 20% of base salary, as well as a comprehensive benefits package and 401(k) program. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check. The position requires U.S. Person status under ITAR and eligibility to work in a CMMC environment with access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field.
At least 12 years of progressive engineering experience, including senior leadership of multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Experience with complex systems, precision equipment, or advanced manufacturing.
Experience leading product development from concept and requirements through release, production, sustainment, and end-of-life.
Proven success building engineering processes, governance, and management systems that improve execution and product outcomes.
Strong command of systems engineering, requirements management, design controls, technical risk management, verification, and validation.
Working knowledge of methods and tools used in systems, mechanical, manufacturing, software, and controls engineering.
Sound portfolio, capacity, and budget judgment amid competing development and sustainment priorities.
Excellent executive communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
Data-driven, continuous-improvement mindset.
Must qualify as a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR law and be eligible to work in a CMMC environment with access to CUI and ITAR data.
Must reside within commuting distance of QED’s headquarters in Rochester, New York.

Nice To Haves

Advanced technical or business degree.
Experience with precision optics, metrology, or similarly demanding engineered products.
Experience in the defense industry with defense primes and subcontractors.
Experience with PLM, requirements management, and software and controls development tool chains.
Experience with technical due diligence or post-acquisition engineering integration.

Responsibilities

Lead Systems, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Software, and Controls Engineering, with accountability for performance, capability, capacity, and results.
Set responsibilities, decision rights, and escalation paths within Engineering and with partner functions.
Coach and develop functional managers and senior technical leaders, maintain succession plans, and build a strong leadership bench.
Align staffing, skills, and resources with portfolio priorities, project demands, and sustainment needs.
Partner with Engineering Project Management to deliver projects that meet technical, schedule, and cost requirements.
Define and continuously improve a scalable engineering operating model spanning development, release, sustainment, obsolescence, engineering change, and end-of-life.
Establish departmental governance, including operating cadence, portfolio and resource reviews, technical and risk reviews, metrics, and management reporting.
Ensure disciplines use fit-for-purpose tools, standards, and configuration practices within an integrated tool chain from requirements through change control.
Use engineering health metrics to identify constraints, improve predictability, and drive corrective action.
Own the engineering framework, rooted in the QED PDP, for converting customer and business needs into robust, manufacturable, and serviceable products.
Ensure disciplined systems engineering, technical risk management, design review, verification, and release readiness, with clear phase-gate criteria and accountable decision-makers.
Drive early cross-functional engagement with Product Management, Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Service, Applications, Sales, and Supply Chain.
Set ownership and priorities between new development and sustainment, including root-cause analysis, corrective action, cost reduction, and obsolescence planning.
Feed field, production, and quality data back into roadmaps and design standards.
Resolve cross-discipline technical and resource conflicts and elevate material risks.
Translate company strategy and product roadmaps into engineering priorities, capability plans, and technology investments.
Report execution, capacity, project health, technical risk, and staffing to executive leadership alongside Project Management.
Advise on technical tradeoffs, make/buy/partner decisions, platform strategy, and development risk.
Create and manage the annual Engineering budget, including material, capital expenditures, labor, and capacity.
Support technical due diligence and integration planning for corporate mergers and acquisitions as needed.
Represent QED in key customer, supplier, partner, and academic engagements.