Functional Engineering Leader - NPI, Sustaining Engineering & Innovation (m/f/d)

TE Connectivity; Swindon; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary Package

Performance-Based Bonus Plans

Health and Wellness Incentives

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Community Outreach Programs / Charity

Employee Resource Group

Job summary

TE Connectivity is seeking a senior engineering leader to shape technology strategy and lead a global engineering organization. You will manage NPI, sustaining engineering, and qualification labs, driving innovation and cost optimization across automotive applications.

Launched in a matrix environment, you will collaborate with suppliers, universities, and industry partners to accelerate capability development and digital engineering adoption.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline; advanced degree a plus.
• Significant leadership experience in materials science and product development.
• Knowledge of automotive applications, qualification processes, and material systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead global NPI, sustaining engineering, labs, VAVE, and portfolio from concept to lifecycle.
• Define and execute technology and product engineering roadmap aligned with business strategy and customer needs.
• Drive development of material and product solutions to strengthen market position and growth.
• Oversee program execution: prioritization, resource planning, risk management, technical reviews, launches.
• Lead value engineering and cost optimization with operations, quality, supply chain, and commercial teams.
• Develop internal and external innovation networks with suppliers, universities, and industry partners.
• Build and develop a global engineering organization; champion digital engineering and AI adoption.

Skills

Leadership

Materials science

NPI

Automotive

Strategy alignment

Digital engineering

AI adoption

Education

Bachelor’s in Materials Science/Engineering

Advanced degree advantageous

Tools

AI tools

Job description

At TE, you will unleash your potential working with people from diverse backgrounds and industries to create a safer, sustainable and more connected world.

Why You Should Join

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of innovation, product engineering, and materials technology within a global business. As a key member of the leadership team, you will influence technology strategy, drive meaningful innovation, and lead diverse, high‑performing teams delivering solutions that create value for customers worldwide. You will join an inclusive and collaborative environment that encourages different perspectives, continuous learning, and the adoption of emerging technologies to accelerate growth and engineering excellence.

Your Main Tasks

• Lead the global NPI, sustaining engineering, qualification labs, VAVE, and innovation portfolio from concept through industrialization, launch, and lifecycle support.
• Define and execute the technology and product engineering roadmap, aligning business strategy, customer needs, automotive requirements, and technology trends.
• Drive the development of differentiated material and product solutions that strengthen market position and support business growth.
• Oversee program execution, including prioritization, resource planning, risk management, technical reviews, qualification activities, and launch readiness.
• Lead value engineering and cost optimization initiatives in partnership with operations, quality, supply chain, product management, and commercial teams.
• Develop internal and external innovation networks by collaborating with suppliers, universities, technology partners, and industry experts.
• Build, coach, and develop a global engineering organization while championing digital engineering, AI adoption, continuous improvement, and cross‑functional collaboration.

Your Ideal Background

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline; an advanced degree is an advantage.
• Significant leadership experience in materials science, product development, innovation, NPI, sustaining engineering, qualification labs, or VAVE environments.
• Strong understanding of automotive applications, customer requirements, qualification processes, and relevant material systems.
• Proven experience leading global or multi‑regional teams within complex matrix organizations and delivering against strategic roadmaps.
• Strong commercial and technical acumen, with the ability to align engineering investment and innovation priorities with business objectives.
• Experience collaborating with external technology partners, suppliers, universities, and industry stakeholders to accelerate innovation and capability development.
• Knowledge of digital engineering and AI‑enabled tools, with a track record of driving adoption and working effectively across engineering, manufacturing, quality, operations, and supply chain functions.

About Te Connectivity

TE Connectivity plc (NYSE: TEL) is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. As a trusted innovation partner, our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions enable the distribution of power, signal and data to advance next‑generation transportation, energy networks, automated factories, data centers enabling artificial intelligence, and more. Our more than 90,000 employees, including 10,000 engineers, work alongside customers in approximately 130 countries. In a world that is racing ahead, TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

What Te Connectivity Offers

• Competitive Salary Package
• Performance‑Based Bonus Plans
• Health and Wellness Incentives
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Community Outreach Programs / Charity Events
• Employee Resource Group

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING RECRUITMENT FRAUD

TE Connectivity has become aware of fraudulent recruitment activities being conducted by individuals or organizations falsely claiming to represent TE Connectivity. Please be advised that TE Connectivity never requests payment or fees from job applicants at any stage of the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings are posted exclusively on our official careers website at te.com/careers, and all email communications from our recruitment team will come only from actual email addresses ending in @te.com. If you receive any suspicious communications, we strongly advise you not to engage or provide any personal information, and to report the incident to your local authorities.