Product Engineering Manager

RS Utility Structures Inc•Humble, TX

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Manager, Product Engineering, to lead and scale our newly formed Product Engineering department. This role oversees product engineering activities across the full product lifecycle, including new product development, product enhancements and iterations, engineering change management, field performance evaluation, and technical support. The Manager, Product Engineering works closely with Manufacturing, Field Services, Sales Engineering, Product Management, and utility customers to ensure RS products continue to deliver superior performance, reliability, and value. The ideal candidate combines strong technical leadership with a deep understanding of utility infrastructure, structural products, manufacturing processes, and customer-driven innovation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering
Minimum of 7+ years of engineering experience in utility infrastructure, structural products, composites, engineered materials, or related industries.
2+ years of leadership, supervisory, or technical team lead experience.
Ability to interpret customer specifications, engineering standards, and technical requirements.
Strong problem-solving skills with experience in root cause analysis and corrective action processes.
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
A valid driver's license and passport are required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with electric utility transmission or distribution structures.
Knowledge of composite materials, fiberglass-reinforced polymer products, or pultruded structural components.
Familiarity with NESC requirements, utility pole loading, framing practices, and distribution construction standards.
Experience supporting product commercialization, design validation, testing, and manufacturing scale-up.
Experience working directly with utility customers or infrastructure owners.
Knowledge of reliability-centered design, storm hardening, grid resiliency, or asset lifecycle strategies.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of product engineering roles.
Establish engineering priorities that align with company strategy, customer requirements, and market opportunities.
Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
Manage project resources, engineering workloads, and departmental objectives.
Lead the development of new composite utility pole and structural product offerings.
Drive product improvements that enhance reliability, durability, installation efficiency, and customer value.
Evaluate emerging technologies, materials, and manufacturing methods to support product innovation.
Partner with Product Management and executive leadership to execute strategic product roadmap initiatives.
Oversee engineering validation, testing, qualification, and product release activities.
Serve as a technical escalation point for customers, sales engineering, field services, and project teams.
Collaborate with customers to understand application requirements, reliability concerns, loading conditions, and system hardening objectives.
Support customer technical reviews, and engineering discussions.
Assist in the development of system reliability strategies that leverage composite pole and structure solutions to reduce outage risk, improve resiliency, and enhance long-term asset performance.
Work closely with Sales Engineering, Field Services, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Management to align engineering priorities with business needs.
Support commercialization of new products from concept through production release and field deployment.
Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to resolve technical issues efficiently and professionally.
Provide engineering input for proposals, customer specifications, project reviews, and strategic growth initiatives.