Engineering Director

Rochester Executive Advisory; Bergamo; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Client (undisclosed) is seeking an Engineering Director to lead the company’s technical and engineering activities, driving development of advanced solutions and setting engineering standards to create a scalable model for growth across key geographies and strategic accounts.

The role demands strong technical leadership in industrial water treatment, cross-functional collaboration with the CEO and Commercial Director, and a proven ability to manage multinational client relationships while

Qualifications

• Engineering degree required with 15+ years in engineering leadership roles.
• 5+ years technical leadership or project management with multinational clients.
• Background in water treatment, environmental technologies, or similar sectors.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement tailor-made technical solutions based on modular components.
• Take end-to-end ownership of all engineering aspects of projects from design to realization.
• Spar with the CEO and Commercial Director on technical relationships with global clients, including cosmetics and pharma.
• Lead and develop the engineering team to improve client support and scale capabilities.
• Provide PMO guidance to ensure quality, timely delivery and alignment with customer requirements.
• Position the company as a reference technology provider in industrial water recycling and sustainability.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Global client exposure

Water treatment knowledge

Education

Engineering degree (Chemical/Environmental/Mechanical)

Job description

The Client (undisclosed)

Our Client is an Italian engineering company specialized in advanced industrial water treatment and recycling solutions, primarily serving global cosmetic and pharmaceutical groups.

Headquartered near Bergamo, Italy, the company designs and installs high-performance modular systems enabling significant water reuse and operational efficiency for industrial clients.

With strong international exposure (approx. 80% of revenues generated outside Italy) and a track record of organic double digit organic growth coupled with a visible and fast-growing pipeline of complex projects, the Client is strengthening its organization to accelerate international expansion and consolidate its leadership in sustainable water technologies.

The Company is a private family SME, recently backed by a leading European Private Equity focused on environmental sustainability, and is currently entering a new phase of international expansion and organizational strengthening to support its next stage of growth.

Position – The role:

The new role of Engineering Director will report to and work very closely with the CEO, taking responsibility for the Company's technical and engineering activities, driving the development of advanced solutions and the definition of engineering standards to lead the creation of a professional, industrialized, scalable model to sustain growth across strategic accounts as well as key geographies.

The role requires a strong combination of 1) technical skills in the industrial water treatment solutions, 2) engineering leadership and project management capabilities, with 3) the ability to face multinational clients, understand their technical requirements and contribute to the definition of tailored solutions.

The position will play a critical role in strengthening the Company's technical capabilities, ensuring engineering excellence and supporting its international growth, while consolidating its positioning with leading cosmetic, pharmaceutical and industrial clients.

Key Objectives and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a broad range of tailor-made technical solutions based on standardised modular components, through the 1) Definition of shared engineering guidelines; 2) Creation of a technical library (e.g., automation, P&IDs, specifications, drawings, production costs, etc.) also leveraging new digital tools / AI; 3) Optimization of complexity, timelines, and profit margins
• Take end to end ownership of all engineering aspects of projects, from design to realisation by the Client, ensuring consistency between technical proposals, engineering design, execution and implementation, while maintaining active relationships with clients, through credibility.
• Sparring Partner of the CEO and the Commercial Director in managing technical relationships with global industrial clients, particularly, but not limited to, cosmetics and pharma, contributing to technical discussions, solution development and complex project negotiations.
• Manage and develop the engineering team to improve the support provided to clients, as a turn-key element to scale up the organisation, strengthening technical competencies, processes and organizational effectiveness.
• PMO guidance: oversee the technical development and execution of complex engineering projects, ensuring quality, consistency, timely delivery and alignment with customer requirements.
• Position the Client as a reference technology provider in industrial water recycling and sustainability solutions.
• Support the company’s scaling phase under Private Equity ownership, contributing to profitable growth and international expansion
• Support M&A activity evaluating engineering capabilities of new targets and possibility to integrate them within the Group

Requirements (“Must have”):

Hard Skills

• Degree in Engineering (Chemical, Environmental, Mechanical or similar), or equivalent experience
• Proven overall experience (15+ years) including at least 5+ years technical leadership, engineering management or technical project management of complex industrial solutions, with direct exposure to multinational industrial clients, in Italy and abroad.
• Background in water treatment, environmental technologies, process engineering, or similar sectors.
• Strong Execution capabilities of multiple industrial project. Project and customer exposure and ability to operate across multiple geographies.
• Strong PMO discipline: from technical planning, to cost control, to resource allocation, to project deadlines and margin optimization.
• Proven experience in managing and developing an engineering team, introducing technical standards, structured processes and efficient working methodologies.

Soft Skills

• Pragmatic, hands on leader, effective in operating at the intersection of technical and commercial environments.
• Acts with strong result-driven approach and ability to decide to resolve technical problem on one site, as well as to develop a professionalized operating model on the other
• Velocity in understanding the market, the required solutions to develop, keeping focus on technical excellence, innovation, standardization and organizational development.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills. Strong communication and influencing skills within the company and with senior industrial clients
• High level of entrepreneurial spirit and autonomy, suitable for a growing international company.

• Fluency in English is a must |French language nice to have
• Location: Noth of Italy, Bergamo area (the position requires presence on-site).

Job

This is a permanent full-time job, in a highly dynamic context.

Initial Salary range will be in between 110-150 KEUR, plus Bonus and Benefits, in line with Client commitment to transparent and equitable compensation practices. Final compensation will depend on real experience and relevant skills.