Engineering Design & Development Lead

Smiths Group•Kirkland, QC

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Engineering function is responsible for delivering innovative solutions in rugged photonics and advanced micro-electronics for commercial, defense and aerospace applications. This team ensures that all engineering activities, from design and development to process optimization, meet business objectives, regulatory standards, and customer expectations. As Engineering Design & Development Lead, you will drive the execution of product design, technical and sustaining engineering, and end-to-end New Product Introduction (NPI) across the full product lifecycle. Partnering with cross-functional leaders, this role drives innovation, operational excellence and profitable growth supporting the efficient use of resources, sustaining NPI performance.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering. Required.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally (approximately 35%) to support business needs.
9 or more years of experience or significant experience leading a team of highly technical employees.
Demonstrate strong technical knowledge across product and manufacturing domains, including 3D modeling, FEA (mechanical, electrical, thermal).
Apply Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to drive continuous improvement and operational efficiency.
Maintain knowledge of regional specifications, standards, and certification requirements.
Support innovation processes, including invention disclosures and intellectual property activities.
Demonstrate understanding of export control regulations, fair trade practices and anti-bribery/corruption laws.
Ensure alignment with evolving business requirements, regulatory standards and compliance frameworks.
Analyze and interpret technical documentation, business reports and regulatory requirements to support informed decision-making.
Apply data-driven and metric-oriented approaches to monitor performance and support decision-making.
Utilize structured decision-making framework (e.g., Principle-Based Management) to drive consistent and effective outcomes.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing with the ability to present complex information clearly to diverse audiences.
Demonstrate strong leadership behaviors, including ownership, accountability, and decisive decision-making.
Support team development through coaching, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement initiatives.
Build credibility as a technical leader and maintain strong cross-functional collaboration.
Must be able to sit for extended periods of time; a minimum of 2 hours at a time.
Must be able to move throughout office and manufacturing environments.
Must be able to lift up and carry up to 10 pounds, in accordance with lifting guidelines.
Must be able to bend, reach, kneel, twist, and grip items while working at assigned desk area.
Must have manual dexterity and coordination to operate office and technical equipment
Must be able to simultaneously manage several objectives and reassign priorities.
Must be able to tolerate changing priorities, and complete assignments despite frequent interruptions.
Must be able to read, write, speak and understand French and English.
Must be able to respond to visual and auditory cues, with specific visual requirements including close vision, peripheral vision, color recognition and focus adjustment
Complete all work in a safe manner and follow all safety requirements consistent with supporting the Company’s goals.
Follow all environmental requirements consistently with supporting the company’s environmental performance goals.
Complete, and actively participate in all other EHS training requirements.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in science or engineering. Preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach and develop a technical and process-oriented team, promoting a safe and healthy work environment, ensuring compliance with company health and safety standards.
Supports workforce planning, resource allocation, and team development in collaboration with the Engineering Manager and Human Resources.
Lead technical support activities developing and delivering technical documentation, proposals, and application support to internal and external stakeholders.
Maintains and strengthens core engineering competencies within the product line, ensuring consistent application of best practices.
Apply advanced engineering tools and methodologies (e.g. IE 3D printing, FEA, mechanization) to deliver robust and reliable solutions.
Ensures the accuracy, control and integrity of engineering designs, documentation and associated systems, including ownership of design change management processes and ERP data.
Monitor and drive execution of NPI activities to meet product requirements, timelines, and quality standards, ensuring alignment with product roadmap and strategy through coordination with Product Line Managers and customers’ feedback.
Collaborate with Operations and suppliers to improve manufacturing processes.
Support automation and process improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency.
Identify and support value engineering (VAVE) initiatives with a focus on cost optimization and inventory efficiency.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deploy engineering processes and support business objectives.
Partner with Product Line Managers to ensure alignment between technical solutions and product requirements.
Collaborate with global engineering and RD&T teams to share best practices and drive continuous improvement.
Coordinate and support supplier and partnership activities to ensure efficient project delivery.
Provide technical input with proposals, business cases, and product and technology planning.
Drive execution of action plans and KPI’s related to quality, cost and delivery.
Prepare and deliver business and technical briefings to senior management and external stakeholders.
Analyze and monitor project performance, including activities, budgets, costs, and forecast to determine progress against objectives and team performance.