Director of Product Engineering

Autonomous Solutions

About The Position

The Director of Product Engineering is a hands-on engineering executive who will lead and drive the execution of product development, scaling, and commercialization of autonomous vehicles designed for demanding environments. The Director is expected to be an active participant in critical program delivery, personally driving teams to meet milestones while establishing and enforcing engineering KPIs that create a culture of accountability and measurable results. This leader will manage 8-10 direct reports. They will set the pace and standard for engineering execution, step into critical programs when needed, and delegate steady-state operations to Chief Engineers with clear expectations and follow-through. The role operates in a Helix model, partnering with Product Management for mission execution while taking direct functional responsibility for the Engineering department. This requires strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills to bridge between product priorities and engineering excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering
15+ years of experience in Engineering, R&D, or product development.
10+ years in engineering leadership roles with increasing scope and responsibility.
Demonstrated track record of actively driving teams to deliver complex, multi-disciplinary products on time and to specification and personally ensuring delivery on critical programs.
Experience defining and enforcing engineering KPIs (delivery, quality, milestones) and building accountability systems around them.
Experience managing engineering organizations of 100+ people.
Demonstrated expertise in product development with a proven history of successfully launching large-scale products.
Engineering leadership experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or mechatronics development, ideally having led engineering teams that designed, built, and deployed robots or autonomous machines.
Deep familiarity with functional safety methodologies including STPA, HARA, and standards such as IEC 61508; able to serve as a credible technical partner to a dedicated Safety team.
Experience in heavy construction, mining, agriculture, or other rugged outdoor autonomous vehicle environments.