VP, Engineering & Innovation

Hoshizaki America•San Antonio, TX

About The Position

A key member of the executive team, the VP, Engineering & Innovation leads and organizes the Engineering team in designing, developing, and optimizing current and next-generation beverage dispensing equipment. The role leads Engineers, designers, and support staff through new product development, continuous improvement, modern design, and IoT initiatives to build market demand and increase profitability with products that help customers pour more, pour better, and pour responsibly using beverage dispensing technology. The position establishes the strategic direction of engineering and development, builds a culture of innovation and high-quality standards, and defines metrics, methodologies, and best practices for quality execution and continuous improvement. It aligns products and technical solutions with business strategy, customer needs, and manufacturing strengths; develops engineering leaders and teams; and guides the integration of automation, connected technologies, smart controls, and IoT-enabled capabilities. The role also partners with Operations on manufacturing automation, manages vendor and service-provider relationships, and plans engineering budgets and resources.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required; Mechanical or Electrical Engineering preferred.
15+ years of engineering leadership experience required, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
Experience leading new product development from concept through commercialization required.
Experience with connected products, IoT, automation, cloud-based technologies, and digital customer solutions required.
Experience supporting manufacturing automation initiatives, including robotics, automated equipment, vision systems, or Industry 4.0 technologies required.
Strong understanding of lean manufacturing principles, Design for Manufacturing (DFM), and continuous improvement methodologies required.
Proven ability to build and develop a company’s engineering function required.
Experience managing product quality, reliability, and cost improvement initiatives required.
Extensive knowledge of engineering principles.
Strong leadership skills and ability to motivate, develop, teach, and enable staff to achieve high performance.
Strong understanding of automation technologies, smart controls, connectivity, and digital product solutions.
Knowledge of manufacturing automation principles and Industry 4.0 technologies, with ability to align engineering and operational objectives.
Deep understanding of customer needs and changing requirements, or ability to learn quickly and adapt.
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and time management skills.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to envision a future state and plan over a 1–2-year time span.
Ability to organize people, resources, and multiple priorities.
Strong understanding and execution of Design for Manufacturing and lean manufacturing.
Commitment to high ethical standards and company values.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Experience in foodservice, beverage, refrigeration, or other industrial equipment manufacturing preferred.
Mechanical or Electrical Engineering degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Establish and implement the strategic direction of the company’s engineering and development initiatives.
Build a culture of innovation and high-quality standards across the Engineering organization.
Define, communicate, and implement metrics, methodologies, and best practices for quality execution and continuous improvement; evaluate opportunities to reduce time to market and improve customer position.
Evaluate long- and short-term products for alignment with strategy.
Understand business requirements and collaborate across the organization to achieve business objectives with technical solutions, aligning products with strategic goals, customer needs, and manufacturing strengths.
Ensure departmental decisions on staffing, people management, development, organizational structure, hardware acquisitions, and facilities align with the organization’s plan.
Create programs and activities that foster team growth, engagement, and a results-oriented culture.
Develop engineering leaders and teams capable of building strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders and moving the business toward digitally enabled solutions.
Maintain knowledge of emerging technologies and industry trends, serving as a thought leader across global engineering and technology functions and providing expertise and guidance on projects and operations.
Lead development and integration of automation, connected technologies, smart controls, and IoT-enabled capabilities into current and future product platforms.
Partner with and support Operations to identify, evaluate, and implement manufacturing automation solutions, including robotics, automated assembly, vision systems, and digital manufacturing technologies.
Manage relationships with vendors and service providers to ensure quality output.
Estimate, prioritize, and plan budgets and resources to deliver engineering objectives.
Lead new product development from concept through commercialization.
Manage product quality, reliability, and cost improvement initiatives, and build and develop the company’s engineering function.