Director of Engineering

Acara Solutions, An Aleron Company; Cambridge; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Acara Solutions is partnering with a well-established engineered manufacturing organization to recruit a Director of Engineering who will lead the Engineering and Quality functions across multiple Ontario facilities. Reporting to the Vice President/General Manager, this role combines executive leadership with direct technical involvement in complex nuclear and pressure-retaining work.

The ideal candidate will have a Mechanical Engineering degree, a P.Eng designation in Ontario, 12+ years of

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering; P.Eng in Ontario preferred.
• P.Eng designation in Ontario or eligibility to obtain licensure (PEO).
• 12+ years of engineering experience in metal fabrication, machining, pressure equipment, or related field.
• 5+ years leading and developing engineering teams.
• Direct responsibility for ASME BPVC Section III, Division 1 work.
• Experience in ASME nuclear Certificate of Authorization environments (N/NPT/NS scope).
• Experience owning or overseeing a Quality Management System/QA Manual.
• Working knowledge of ASME Section VIII Division 1, CSA B51, ASME B31.1, CSA N285.0, CSA N299 and ASME NQA-1.

Responsibilities

• Lead Engineering & Quality across multiple Ontario facilities; establish common standards and processes.
• Serve as Senior Technical Authority for pressure-retaining and nuclear-class work; interpret codes and ensure compliance.
• Own the Quality Assurance Manual, QA system, audits, and regulatory/commercial compliance.
• Develop engineering and quality talent with succession planning.
• Collaborate with Operations and Business Development on estimating, manufacturability, and execution of complex engineered work.

Skills

Leadership

Technical credibility

Executive presence

Regulatory knowledge

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

P.Eng designation in Ontario

Tools

ASME BPVC Section III

ASME BPVC Section VIII

CSA N285.0

ASME B31.1

ASME NQA-1

Job description

We are partnering with a well-established engineered manufacturing organization to recruit a Director of Engineering who will lead the Engineering and Quality functions across multiple Ontario facilities.

Reporting directly to the Vice President / General Manager and sitting on the leadership team, this individual will have overall accountability for engineering, design, estimating, technical standards, code compliance, and the quality systems that support highly regulated nuclear and pressure-retaining work.

This is not a purely strategic leadership position. The successful candidate will be expected to set direction at the executive level while remaining technically credible enough to work directly with engineers, designers, quality personnel, and manufacturing teams on complex engineering and code-related issues.

The Mandate

• Lead Engineering & Quality: Build and lead one cohesive engineering and quality organization across multiple facilities, creating common standards, methods, processes, and expectations across the business.
• Serve as Senior Technical Authority: Provide senior technical leadership for pressure-retaining and nuclear-class work, including ASME BPVC Section III and Section VIII requirements, code interpretation, design responsibility, and technical compliance.
• Own the Quality & Certificate Framework: Maintain accountability for the Quality Assurance Manual, quality management system, ASME Certificates of Authorization, audits, corrective actions, and compliance with customer, inspector, regulator, and auditor requirements.
• Develop the Organization: Lead, mentor, and develop engineering and quality talent while establishing succession plans for critical technical and certificate-related capabilities.
• Connect Engineering to the Business: Partner closely with Operations and Business Development on estimating, manufacturability, fabrication, machining, welding, customer technical discussions, vendor qualification, and execution of complex engineered work.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline
• P.Eng. designation in Ontario, or eligibility to obtain PEO licensure
• 12+ years of engineering experience within metal fabrication, machining, pressure equipment, or a closely related engineered manufacturing environment
• 5+ years leading and developing engineering teams
• Direct responsibility for ASME BPVC Section III, Division 1 work
• Experience operating within an ASME nuclear Certificate of Authorization environment, including N, NPT and/or NS scope
• Experience owning or directly overseeing a Quality Management System / Quality Assurance Manual
• Working knowledge of ASME Section VIII Division 1, CSA B51, ASME B31.1, CSA N285.0, CSA N299 and ASME NQA-1
• Substantive experience across both custom fabrication and precision machining
• Strong technical judgment, executive presence, and the ability to communicate effectively with customers, regulators, auditors, engineers, quality personnel, and manufacturing teams

Leadership Profile

This opportunity will suit a leader who is technically credible, visible, approachable, and strong at developing people.

You should be able to build trust across Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Commercial teams while remaining calm and decisive when schedule, cost, technical requirements, and quality expectations compete.

The organization is continuing to expand beyond its traditional nuclear base, creating an opportunity for this leader to strengthen the existing engineering and quality platform while helping build capability across additional industrial and processing markets.

Experience with SMR / new-build nuclear, refurbishment and life-extension programs, industrial processing, energy, hydrogen, defence, medical, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments would be considered an asset.

This role is primarily based within a manufacturing environment and requires regular interaction with operations, along with travel between company facilities, suppliers, and customers as required.