Vice President of Engineering

Microwave Power Products (MPP)•Palo Alto, CA

51d•$200,000 - $300,000

About The Position

Microwave Power Products (MPP) is seeking a Vice President of Engineering to lead and scale a high-impact engineering organization at the intersection of advanced technology, quality, and global compliance. This role owns the full engineering ecosystem—product development, innovation, quality, and International Trade Compliance—ensuring MPP delivers defect-free, compliant, and commercially successful products today while building the capabilities required for tomorrow. This is a hands-on, strategic leadership role for an entrepreneurial engineering executive who thrives in complex, regulated environments and knows how to translate engineering excellence into margin growth, operational efficiency, and customer trust. As Vice President of Engineering, you will set the vision, strategy, and execution roadmap for engineering, quality, and ITC across MPP. You will lead a global organization of 40+ professionals, partnering closely with executive leadership, business unit managers, customers, and external partners to drive innovation, performance, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering; Master’s degree or MBA is a plus.
15+ years of engineering experience in aerospace, industrial, or scientific environments.
10+ years leading engineering organizations, including managers and senior technical leaders.
Proven experience building, scaling, and transforming engineering teams (20+ employees).
Strategic, decisive leader with a bias for action and results.
Proven change agent who challenges the status quo and modernizes how engineering operates.
Customer-focused and commercially minded—able to connect engineering decisions to revenue and margin outcomes.
Excellent communicator who builds credibility, trust, and alignment across functions and geographies.
Strong coach and developer of talent, with demonstrated success in succession planning.
High integrity, sound judgment, and unwavering commitment to ethics and compliance.
Comfortable operating in fast-paced, high-accountability environments with competing priorities.

Nice To Haves

Background in high-power or vacuum electron devices is a plus.
Strong business acumen across sales, operations, finance, and product lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

Define and execute engineering and innovation strategies aligned with MPP’s business and growth objectives.
Lead and evolve Engineering, Quality, and International Trade Compliance functions to ensure product integrity, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence.
Drive change management initiatives that modernize engineering processes, improve speed-to-market, and increase productivity.
Oversee NPI, test and qualification, innovation resources, and low-cost design capabilities to optimize cost, quality, and delivery.
Own engineering, quality, and ITC budgets, forecasts, KPIs, and performance reporting.
Partner with Sales, Operations, Finance, and Business Unit leaders to support bookings, margins, customer commitments, and lifecycle management.
Act as a senior customer-facing leader—supporting new product requirements, major design changes, qualification testing, and resolution of performance issues.
Champion continuous improvement across engineering processes, delivering measurable productivity and cost savings.
Build, develop, and retain top engineering talent through coaching, engagement, succession planning, and knowledge transfer.
Lead hiring strategy and external partnerships with universities, research institutions, and technology partners to strengthen long-term capabilities.
Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, providing clear visibility into risks, opportunities, and execution progress.
Ensure all activities meet the highest standards of ethics, compliance, and regulatory requirements across global operations.