Global Technical Director

Trelleborg Group • Fort Wayne, IN

1d

About The Position

The Global Technical Director owns the roadmap for research and development, materials development, product development, and product management, aligned with the Global Aerospace Business Unit’s strategic plan for profitable growth across selected value streams. The role leads globally distributed technical teams and supports the organization’s strategy for safe and sustainable aerospace products and services. The director drives innovation across products, materials, and services, promotes technical knowledge sharing, and represents technical expertise across teams, clients, and other stakeholders.

The director identifies technical solutions that meet client requirements efficiently and can improve sustainability through reusability, longer product life, or more fuel-efficient aircraft platforms. The role also seeks business growth through adjacent markets, new products and suppliers, and acquisitions. It leads breakthrough product-development projects from launch through analysis and monitoring to serial production, coordinating with quality, logistics, purchasing, engineering, sales, and suppliers. The director establishes portfolio review and management processes to improve product performance and profitability, supports strategic sales efforts by identifying technical risks, and works to ensure business profitability and customer satisfaction.

This is a global role requiring international travel and off-site work. Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by ITAR because the position involves information subject to ITAR.

Requirements

• At least 10 years of aerospace-market knowledge across a range of applications, from customized airframe seals to standard hydraulic, actuation, and rotary seals.
• At least 10 years of team leadership experience, with demonstrated ability across cultures and geographies.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or an equivalent technical discipline.
• Strong communication skills and a good level of energy and drive.
• Must be a U.S. person within the meaning of ITAR: a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, political asylee, or refugee.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning and policy deployment.
• Provide team leadership and motivate and manage direct employees across cultures and geographies.
• Manage the product portfolio and product performance and profitability.
• Oversee application engineering.
• Maintain formulation and material certification approval listings and ensure formulation coverage supports the ongoing business plan.
• Manage the materials supply base to avoid obsolescence and support supply-chain availability.
• Lead research and development activities.
• Liaise with and coordinate external test facilities.
• Lead PLM rollout and implementation.
• Lead product development, launches, and program and project management.
• Select and manage suppliers from a technological perspective.
• Provide customer support.
• Manage FEA and computational-modeling teams and activities to support customers and drive competitive advantage.
• Support execution of the Aerospace Business Unit’s strategic objectives and drive innovation across products, materials, and services.
• Represent technical expertise across teams, clients, and other stakeholders, and coordinate technical knowledge sharing, including R&D.
• Identify technical solutions that meet customer requirements more efficiently and improve sustainability, including through reusability, longer product life, or more fuel-efficient aircraft platforms.
• Identify growth opportunities in adjacent markets through new products, suppliers, and acquisitions.
• Lead breakthrough product-development projects from launch through analysis and monitoring to serial production, coordinating with quality, logistics, purchasing, engineering, sales, and suppliers.
• Establish portfolio review and management processes to identify improvements in product performance and profitability.
• Support strategic sales efforts from a technical perspective and identify technical risks.
• Work to ensure business profitability and customer satisfaction.
• Interface with commercial teams, manufacturing operations, supply chain, quality, external customers and suppliers, and R&D facilities.
• Undertake international travel and off-site work as required.

What This Job Offers

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