Director of Engineering

Adaptive Talent; Chilliwack; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

AdvanTec Marine, based in Chilliwack, BC, is seeking a Director of Engineering to unite three engineering groups and shape the future structure. The role begins on site with later hybrid flexibility, reporting to the VP of Operations, and offers a mandate to drive strategic change and operational impact.

You will own the engineering strategy, budgets, and cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of progressive engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams.
• Experience unifying or realigning teams across locations and working styles.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering; P.Eng/PE license is an asset, not required.
• Experience with product development, DFMA, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Hands-on experience on the shop floor and willingness to lead from the field.

Responsibilities

• Set the engineering strategy and organize the structure for in-house, remote, and R&D functions.
• Oversee outsourced vendor relationships and internalize capacity where possible.
• Own departmental budgets, resource planning, and capital expenditure decisions.
• Drive continuous improvement in product quality, cost, and turnaround times (DFMA, value engineering).
• Lead, mentor, and develop engineers and managers, including hiring and performance decisions.
• Partner with Sales, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Operations to align engineering priorities with the business.
• Represent engineering in front of customers, regulators, and vendors on technical matters.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Manufacturing experience

DFMA

Continuous improvement

Product development

Team building

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

P.Eng or PE (asset)

Job description

Director of Engineering

AdvanTec Marine | Chilliwack, BC | Full time, on site to start with flexibility over time

Most Director of Engineering roles ask you to run what's already built. This one asks you to build it.

AdvanTec Marine is bringing its engineering function back together under a single leader for the first time in years, and giving that leader real license to decide what the new structure looks like. If you've led engineering in a manufacturing environment and want a mandate with teeth, not just a title, this is worth a conversation.

This role starts fully on site while you get to know the team, the operation, and the shop floor. Once you're established, there's real flexibility to shift toward a hybrid schedule.

The Opportunity

AdvanTec is bringing three engineering groups together (an in-house team, a fully remote team, and a growing R&D function) into one unified structure, and handing you the pen on what that structure looks like. Organize by location, by product line, or something entirely your own: the call is yours. The VP of Operations you'll report to is looking for strong vision and direction from you, real autonomy to execute it, not a playbook handed down from above.

You’ll also have real influence over how the engineering function scales. That includes shaping the mix between in-house capacity and outside engineering support, sharpening turnaround times, and building tighter collaboration between the core engineering team and R&D. These are the priorities that matter most in year one, and they're the kind of wins a strong operator can point to.

You're inheriting a strong team with different backgrounds and working styles, not rebuilding from scratch. What they need is a clear structure and a leader who can bring that range of experience together under one vision.

What You’ll Own

• Set the engineering strategy and organizational structure for a team spanning in-house, remote, and R&D functions
• Take direct oversight of an outsourced engineering vendor relationship and drive a plan to internalize more of that capacity
• Own departmental budgets, resource planning, and capital expenditure decisions
• Drive continuous improvement across product quality, cost, and turnaround time, including DFMA and value engineering practices
• Lead, mentor, and develop engineering managers and team members, including hiring and performance decisions
• Partner across Sales, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Operations to keep engineering priorities aligned with the business
• Represent engineering in front of customers, regulators, and vendors on technical and strategic matters

What We’re Looking For

• 7 to 10 years of progressive engineering experience in a manufacturing environment, with 5+ years leading engineering teams
• A track record of unifying or realigning teams, ideally across different working styles or locations, not just managing an existing structure
• Genuine people leadership: someone who sets direction and gives their team room to run with it, rather than managing every detail
• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related discipline; P.Eng or PE license is an asset, not a requirement
• Experience with product development, DFMA, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Comfort spending real time on the shop floor alongside a temperature-controlled office setup; this is a hands-on role
• Marine industry background is helpful but not required; custom fabrication experience in any sector transfers well

About AdvanTec Marine

AdvanTec Marine is a leader in marine innovation and manufacturing, and parent brand to Diamond Sea Glaze, Freeman Marine, Pacific Coast Marine, Steelhead Marine, Manly Marine, and USA Sliding Doors. The company specializes in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of specialty application marine closures, and is one of the largest marine manufacturers in the world, with operations across the US and Canada shipping to more than 50 countries. Customers include North American and international navies, governments, militaries, commercial vessel builders, and super yacht builders. The company is ahead of the curve in incorporating the latest technology and AI into their operations and is on a strong growth trajectory.