Director of R&D

Knowles • Liberty, SC

2d

About The Position

The Director of R&D leads engineering personnel to launch new products that meet the specifications in the PLM team’s multi-year NPI roadmap and to quote and design custom products that meet customer requirements and can be built effectively by Operations. The role manages a 30-person engineering group across the Liberty, New Bedford, and Mexicali plants, and provides leadership to IT resources responsible for internally developed design software such as CD’s DesignBot.

The Director partners with PLM to develop new product ideas and the three-year NPI roadmap, supports Operations and plant continuous-improvement efforts, manages large orders to meet customer commitments, and ensures timely patent submissions for novel products and features.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in electrical or mechanical engineering from an accredited program.
• At least 10 years of R&D experience, including at least five years in management.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance.
• Eligibility to work in the United States without restriction to ITAR documentation and materials.

Nice To Haves

• MBA.
• Multi-site engineering management experience.
• Experience in capacitor design and manufacturing.
• Experience with Stage Gate NPD processes and design for six sigma.
• Experience developing DFEMA analysis for product-design risk mitigation.
• Prior involvement in implementing design for manufacturability at a cultural level.
• Passive-component/circuit environmental, mechanical, and electrical testing experience.
• Working knowledge of intellectual-property management processes, including writing and submitting patents.
• Experience with fast prototyping of new designs.

Responsibilities

• Manage approximately 30 engineering personnel located at the Liberty, New Bedford, and Mexicali plants.
• Ensure quotes for custom parts meet market-level lead times.
• Ensure custom-part designs meet customer and company specifications and quality levels while following design-for-manufacturability best practices.
• Ensure the design team meets Operations’ needs, including design for manufacturability, accurate CAD drawings, and participation in weekly production meetings.
• Support plant continuous-improvement initiatives for cost savings, including scrap reduction, quality improvements, and direct-labor productivity improvements through DFMA.
• Support Operations when questions or concerns arise about designs produced by the engineering team.
• Support Operations projects involving cost reduction and improvements in production yield.
• Lead IT resources responsible for internally developed software design tools such as CD’s DesignBot.
• Project-manage large orders to ensure Engineering and Operations meet customer commitments.
• Work with the PLM team to generate new product ideas and develop the three-year NPI roadmap.
• Ensure the R&D team submits patents on novel products and features in a timely manner.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director