Executive Head of Engineering and R&D

Masco•Vista, CA

About The Position

The Executive Head of Engineering and R&D is a key member of the senior leadership team reporting to the VP, Product. This role works closely with Product, Operations and Commercial to create innovative solutions that improve our products and manufacturing processes along with creating differentiation that can be leveraged by our Commercial group to enhance market share and customer satisfaction. This person will lead the Engineering organization responsible for technical product development, R&D, product compliance testing, sustaining engineering and technical sourcing while also partnering with Operations on the consideration and adoption of new manufacturing technology. The role’s responsibilities include but are not limited to providing leadership for mechanical, electrical, chemical and design engineering applied to our products which include spas, swim spas, cold plunges, sauna and specific key aftermarket products. Additionally, this person will oversees the development and utilization of controls and systems used to ensure compliance with various regulatory standards and to support effective Product Lifecycle Management. This role has multiple departments and managers/directors that report directly to this role. The departments supervised by this position are Electronics, R&D, Sustaining Engineering, Engineering Services which include engineering data systems, Tooling and Technical Sourcing.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in Engineering from four-year college or university; MBA preferred.
Minimum 15 years of progressively responsible engineering management experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Demonstrated ability to lead people and get results through others.
Problem analysis and problem resolution at both a strategic and functional level.
Technical skills in engineering management, quality assurance and costing.
Must be able to prepare reports, performance reviews, worksheets, charts, schedules, procedures, and other data as necessary. Organized and detail oriented. Knowledge of value engineering. Experience in Lean Manufacturing environments. Computer proficiency.
Possesses strong Core and Leadership competencies as they pertain to Watkins performance criteria.
Exhibits the values of the Watkins Way.

Responsibilities

This leader will assume direct leadership of multiple departments and cost centers, utilizing these resources to develop, test and help bring to market new products and features which will provide Watkins with meaningful differentiation for its various product categories and multiple sales channels.
The successful leader possesses exceptional organizational leadership, inspires, motivates, and builds confidence and engagement in their team, and creates an environment where associates are highly committed and perform at their best.
This individual is a member of the Watkins senior leadership team and will be asked to partner with other senior leaders to improve our processes, set strategic direction and reinforce and refine our culture.
Provide R&D strategic and functional leadership partnering with leaders in the Product group to establish criteria for effective management and measurement of R&D efforts. Work closely with Operations, Product and Commercial teams to transition R&D projects into NPI based on established criteria.
Accountable for engineering expertise and long-term continuity in the areas of tooling development, testing manufacturing capabilities.
Responsible for the vision and execution of cost improvement and sustainability aligned with the NPI (Product), Operational Excellence efforts and overall strategic direction.
Attract, develop, and retain strong talent required to implement the strategic plan. Provide training and mentorship as appropriate to optimize the specific departments and the overall function.
Lead and investigate new techniques, best practices, and technological innovation and present them to the business and manufacturing leadership.
Provide technical ownership for product design aspects for products within the platforms throughout the entire lifecycle.
Create solutions for technical problems using systematic problem-solving methodologies.
Collaborate cross-functionally with the Manufacturing, Quality and Supply Chain to ensure designs are manufacturable and that new products are meeting manufacturing needs for repeatable processes and complexity management.
Provide leadership to evaluate field warranties to identify manufacturing and distribution related warranty issues and work with Quality, Manufacturing and Distribution on corrective actions.
Accountable for budget development and management.
Develop and maintain engineering procedures and systems that assure uniformity and consistency.
Instill a high degree of process and project management discipline and rigor in the organization, solving technical problems, delivering on time sensitive initiatives, driving continuous improvement of processes and ensuring compliance with all applicable local, state, federal, international and safety regulations, policies, and standards.
Achieve results under challenging circumstances by establishing capacity and capabilities.
Build robust succession plans and paths for engineering technical career advancement.
Growth Mindset: Demonstrated agility to learn and thrive as a servant leader in changing environments with complex, matrixed organization.