Senior Director of Engineering

ND DEFENSE LLC•Madison Heights, MI

3d•$200,000 - $210,000

About The Position

Building on our legacy of engineering and manufacturing vehicle-based products for the military, ND Defense is expanding into maritime, aerospace, electronics, and adjacent defense markets. As the platforms our customers require are increasingly software-defined, electrified, and automated, we are seeking an engineering leader with a solid vehicle systems foundation and experience in (and enthusiasm for) one or more of the following: software, electrification, or automated platforms. This role owns engineering delivery for the company, develops and leads the engineering team, and serves as the senior technical voice with customers and in new bid efforts. We are seeking a strong engineer with a clear record of career progression who is prepared to modernize how an established engineering organization works.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Systems Engineering discipline.
Minimum 10 - 15 years of engineering experience demonstrated progression in scope and responsibility, with a minimum 5 years leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams with direct supervisory responsibility.
Working familiarity with heavy truck, tactical vehicle, or vehicle systems integration.
Demonstrated engineering depth in at least one of the following: software and embedded systems, electrification, or systems engineering and integration.
Expertise and experience in hybrid-electric systems, Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS), exportable power capabilities, onboard vehicle power, and/or autonomy architecture.
Must be a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.62).

Nice To Haves

An AI-forward approach to engineering. A demonstrated interest in using modern tools to increase what a lean engineering team can deliver. Extensive experience is welcome but not required; curiosity, willingness to experiment, and a history of adopting new tools quickly matter more.
Team leadership and on-time delivery. The ability to build enthusiasm within an experienced engineering group for working differently, while consistently closing programs on schedule.
Cross-functional collaboration. A commitment to building a positive, collaborative engineering culture that partners effectively with Supply Chain, Quality, Manufacturing, Contracts, Finance, HR, BD and IT.
Comfort with risk and ambiguity. The ability to make timely decisions confidently with incomplete information, own the outcome, and adjust as conditions change.
A lean operating instinct. A track record of questioning inherited process, eliminating low-value steps, and achieving more with a small team.
Hands-on technical credibility. Sufficient depth in vehicle systems to be able to engage personally in technical detail and provide assistance to the engineering team as needed.
Software-defined vehicle architecture, embedded computing, vehicle networks, controls software, and open architecture approaches, including the discipline required to manage software development within a hardware-centric organization. IP development experience preferred but not required.
High-voltage architecture, energy and power management, battery and power electronics integration, and thermal management.
Experience with U.S. government or DoD contracts, including working familiarity with FAR/DFARS, ITAR, CMMC, and MIL-SPEC/MIL-STD requirements strongly preferred, but not required.
Current use of AI tools in engineering or engineering management work is strongly preferred, but not required. Desire and eagerness to learn about and incorporate such tools are requirements.

Responsibilities

Lead the engineering function across new program starts, owning delivery on schedule, within budget, and to customer technical requirements.
Participate directly in architecture and design decisions across mechanical, electrical, systems, software, and test disciplines.
Function as a working engineer when workload overflow dictates.
Assess engineering workload by program and discipline, translating scope into staffing plans, schedules, and external resource requirements.
Work with contracts and compliance to ensure compliance with ITAR, export control, FAR/DFARS, MIL-SPEC/MIL-STD, CMMC, and program-specific CDRL requirements.
Build, develop, and lead a multi-disciplinary engineering organization spanning mechanical, electrical, systems, software, and test engineering.
Guide the existing team into software-defined, electrified, and automated product development.
Drive practical adoption of AI tools across engineering workflows, including requirements analysis, documentation, design trade studies, test case generation, and program reporting, with appropriate controls for ITAR-controlled and CUI technical data.
Strengthen engineering’s working relationship with other functions through earlier and more consistent collaboration.
Blend internal hires with contract engineers, engineering services firms, and specialty consultants to close capability gaps, including negotiation and management of SOWs, deliverables, quality expectations, and IP protection terms.
Serve as the senior technical voice in customer engagements, technical interchange meetings, industry days, and government stakeholder discussions.
Lead engineering input to bid efforts, including technical volume development, basis of estimate (BOE) generation, and cost proposal support.
Provide engineering assessment for bid/no-bid decisions.
Establish ND Defense’s technical credibility in markets where the company is expanding.