Hydrogen Equipment Manufacturer – Vice-President Engineering – Canada

Stonewood Group Inc.; Canada; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading green hydrogen generation company in Canada is seeking a Vice-President of Engineering to provide strategic leadership in product development and engineering operations. This role involves overseeing complex engineering projects, fostering innovation, and ensuring alignment with corporate goals in a rapidly evolving industry. Ideal candidates will possess robust experience in engineering management and product delivery within the hydrogen or clean energy sectors.

Benefits

Revolutionary technology design

Well-funded organization

Highly entrepreneurial culture

Qualifications

• Experience in engineering management of complex engineered systems/products.
• Track record in successfully delivering new products on time and at cost.
• Experience with Six Sigma and Concurrent Engineering methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead all activities related to the development and delivery of electrolyzer products/systems.
• Cultivate an environment to attract and retain engineering resources.
• Establish systems and metrics to minimize costs while maximizing quality outputs.

Skills

Results Orientation

Planning & Objective Setting

Strategic Approach

Commercial Acumen

Industry & Market Awareness

Information Seeking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent

Job description

In a recent edition, Forbes Magazine reported, “While renewables are now the fastest growing energy industry, hydrogen is following closely behind in a massive gale. The 21st century will likely witness the rise of a mega-billion-dollar hydrogen fuel industry. Countries are taking steps – and it’s breathtaking”.

Canada is recognized internationally as a leader in hydrogen and fuel cell research, development and commercialization. The industry is broad and touches upon all elements across the supply chain. Canadian firms have developed a myriad of technologies to produce hydrogen cleanly and economically using fossil fuels, methanol, biomass, or from industrial by-product waste hydrogen capture.

Today, with carbon reduction by 2050 a global imperative, all attention has turned to ‘green’ hydrogen. Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced via the electrolysis of water, with the electricity used in the process coming from renewable sources like wind and solar. Green hydrogen is now a priority low-emissions technology that could eventually help replace fossil fuels in transport, electricity and in industrial processes.

Our client produces innovative green hydrogen generation solutions that let clients generate more clean hydrogen, faster, and at a significantly reduced cost. The company’s patented technologies have vast application across industrial processes, transportation and energy systems.

As the recent Forbes Magazine article concluded, “One thing is certain – hydrogen is no longer a niche fringe fuel. The element will play a critical role in the decarbonization of sectors where electrification is not possible, with fortunes to be built along the way……The green hydrogen revolution has already begun.”

Scope of the Position

Our client is one of the only pure play and publicly listed green hydrogen generation companies in North America and among a handful globally. As they continue to grow, our client is seeking to hire a key executive team member, the Vice-President of Engineering.

Reporting to the company’s CEO, the VP Engineering will be responsible for providing leadership in all activities related to the development and delivery of electrolyzer products/systems from definition and specification through design, regulatory approval, release, enhancement, quality assurance, implementation and support.

The VP Engineering will cultivate an environment that attracts, deploys and retains the human and other resources required to effectively develop, deliver and support world class technologies that will provide value to the company’s customers, while meeting the business strategy and goals for profitable growth.

In achieving this, the VP Engineering will establish design systems, processes and metrics with a view to minimizing costs and waste while maximizing scheduling, manufacturability and quality outputs.

This is an outstanding opportunity that features:

• Revolutionary technology design;
• Well-funded organization;
• Highly entrepreneurial culture;
• An opportunity to make a real difference.

Functional Tasks

• Work with other members of the senior management team to develop the company’s product roadmap which are consistent with and reflect the company’s overall strategic plans for corporate growth.
• Develop and document corporate plans and systems for product development.
• Develop budget estimates for approval and manage the overall engineering budget.
• Develop successful systems/products on-time, within cost targets.
• Audit existing and establish new scalable development platforms and processes which meet current organizational requirements, anticipate future growth and complexity and balance the need for predictability and creative license.
• Protect proprietary products and technology information to ensure the documentation and retention of information on products and their design, within the company, and the protection of the company’s investments throughout patents, copyrights, NDAs and any other protective vehicles.
• Maintain keen awareness of the trends and conditions in electrolyzer/fuel cell technology, products, applications and development tools relative to the needs of the company’s customers and business.
• Establish key KPIs for competitive performance in completion of development projects and for rapid, realistic decisions on strategies, plans and projects.
• Build and facilitate the development of strong relationships and synergy with all other areas of the company, with key suppliers and with the company’s technical partners in order to achieve the corporate goals and objectives while executing product and technology development plans.
• Align the engineering organization’s activities with the company goals and strategic direction, as well as with the company’s corporate values in areas such as people, integrity, passion and innovation.
• Develop hiring plans to build and retain world class capabilities and work with HR to execute.
• Oversee resource loading plans and ensure efficient use of engineering resources; apportions projects among engineering team members according to specialized training and project requirements.
• Ensure appropriately consistent engineering approach and use of systems and tools across products; Approve process specification and design standards.
• Foster an environment that enables highly technical staff to consistently perform with excellence, to set and meet personal and team goals, and to develop and be recognized for best in class competence in their field(s) within the context of the company’s development programs.
• Establish and maintain succession plans and programs for all positions within the engineering organization to ensure the smooth transition and minimize vacancies for critical roles.
• Provide design/development teams with appropriate resources to perform assigned tasks.
• Serve as part of the senior management team ensuring throughout that everyone is informed of design/development progress and issues.
• Create and sustains a viable organizational structure to make optimum use of talent, technology and systems.
• Play a hands-on role in managing all day-to-day operations.
• Oversee the formulation of designs, cost estimates, and specifications through application of professionally accepted engineering techniques, practices, and procedures.
• Review engineering designs in light of the organization’s strategic goals and return on investment.

Competency Profile

The following competencies listed below define the role of VP Engineering at our client:

Results Orientation

Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met. Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure. Aims to improve upon past performance. Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.

Planning & Objective Setting

Systematic in approach to work. Produces action plans in which objectives are defined and steps for achieving them are clearly specified. Plans by breaking down large task into subtasks. Develops plans that anticipate obstacles. Is realistic about time-scales and builds in appropriate checkpoints, milestones and controls in order to ensure that desired results are realized.

Strategic Approach

Develops a strategic plan to realize the vision. Revises strategy in light of changing circumstances. Takes a long-term view of organizational success. Works to clarify long term organizational goals. Able to stand back from immediate problems in order to focus on more far reaching ideas.

Commercial Acumen

Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles. Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment. Appreciates the commercial impact of own work on the organization’s total expenses and revenues.

Industry & Market Awareness

Seeks to anticipate and respond to industry and market changes/challenges by understanding key characteristics, issues and the factors driving them. Aware of competitor’s products, services and position.

Information Seeking

Consults widely for business or technical advice, probes for facts and obtains information from a wide variety of sources. Differentiates the critical from the irrelevant or trivial. Curious and open-minded while focused on key goals and objectives.

Preferred Experience and Education

The following indicates specific industry, academic and functional experience/qualifications that are important to the successful achievement of the identified responsibilities and performance deliverables.

• At least a Bachelor’s degree in engineering or equivalent.
• Experience in the engineering management of complex engineered systems/products. Electrolyzer or fuel cell experience highly preferred.
• A track record in successfully delivering new products on time and at cost to emerging markets
• Experience with productivity and quality enhancing engineering methodologies such as ‘Six Sigma’, Concurrent Engineering and Integrated Product Development.
• Proven experience in having scaled engineering organizations through the judicious implementation of tighter process/methodology while preserving the positive elements of the core entrepreneurial and creative culture.
• Experience with the challenges and dynamics of working in early-stage, growth-oriented environments
• Experience in commercialization processes.
• Take charge orientation.
• A track record of success distinguished by having cultivated positive working relationships with staff, peers and superiors.
• Excellent communication and analytical skills.
• Strong leadership abilities.
• A dynamic and self-motivated person with structured working style who can achieve results without much supervision.
• Highly competitive compensation package structured to the needs of the successful candidate.