Senior Director, Product Engineering

Exemplis•Cypress, CA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director of Product Engineering leads the organization responsible for translating design intent into scalable, manufacturable, and profitable product platforms. This role owns end-to-end engineering delivery and is accountable for excellence across cost, quality, manufacturability, compliance, and sustainability—while accelerating development through modular architecture, automation, and AI-enabled workflows. Based in Cypress, CA, this leader partners closely with Design, R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, Sourcing, and Mexico operations to ensure seamless commercialization, production transfer, and scalable manufacturing readiness. This is a hybrid role requiring onsite work three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering (advanced degree preferred).
12+ years of progressive product engineering experience, including 6+ years leading teams.
Proven experience delivering configurable, modular, or mass-customized products at scale.
Advanced proficiency in mechanical design and CAD (SolidWorks or comparable).
Deep expertise in DFM, DFA, VAVE, lean engineering, and validation methodologies.
Experience implementing or scaling digital engineering tools (PLM, MBD, simulation, AI/automation).
Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills.
Experience working closely with manufacturing operations, including Mexico-based production.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MS or MBA).
Experience in contract furniture, seating, or other configurable durable goods industries.
Familiarity with BIFMA, ISO, or similar regulatory standards.
Experience leading sustainability initiatives (circular design, material innovation, repairability).
PMP or formal program management certification.

Responsibilities

Translate product and business strategy into a clear engineering roadmap with defined priorities, milestones, and capability plans.
Serve as the senior technical authority, leading engineering decisions, trade-offs, and escalations.
Lead concurrent programs from concept through commercialization, ensuring delivery against cost, quality, compliance, ergonomics, and sustainability targets.
Drive DFM/DFA/DFC/VAVE and champion modular architectures that reduce complexity and enable scalable product families.
Oversee validation (FEA, FMEA, durability/performance testing) and ensure disciplined BOM, CAD, and ECO governance.
Advance adoption of AI-enabled engineering tools, including AI-assisted CAD, generative design, simulation, and Model-Based Definition (MBD).
Optimize CAD (SolidWorks preferred), PLM/PDM, and digital workflows to reduce cycle time and manual handoffs.
Partner with R&D to translate new materials, automation, and sustainable technologies into production-ready solutions.
Partner with Design and Development to ensure technical feasibility without compromising user experience.
Collaborate with Manufacturing and Mexico operations to ensure production readiness, yield, and scalable ramp.
Align with Sourcing, Quality, and Compliance on supplier readiness, regulatory standards, and risk mitigation.
Lead structured cross-functional engineering reviews to accelerate alignment and compress timelines.
Lead and develop a high-performing, multi-disciplinary engineering organization, building both technical depth and future people leaders.
Drive a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making.
Manage engineering resources, tooling investments, and capital planning aligned to business priorities.
Establish and improve KPIs including time-to-market, engineering velocity, product cost, launch performance, and reliability.