Director of Engineering

Powercast Corporation; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 180,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

Powercast Corporation seeks a Director of Engineering to lead and scale its hardware organization, bridging technical vision with business strategy. You will direct cross-functional teams across electrical, mechanical, embedded systems, and firmware engineering to bring complex hardware from architecture through high-volume manufacturing and commercial production.

You will mentor managers, drive design robustness, manage budgets, and collaborate with product, operations, and supply chain to

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hardware engineering experience with 5+ years in senior management roles.
• Deep background in board-level electrical design, mechanical architecture, embedded firmware/software, and prototyping.
• Experience bringing high-volume hardware to market through EVT, DVT, and PVT stages with domestic and overseas partners.
• Proven track record in recruiting, mentoring, and retaining engineering talent.
• Strong ability to translate hardware tradeoffs to non-technical stakeholders and executives.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow project managers and team leads across EE, ME, Firmware, and Test.
• Partner with product management, operations, and supply chain to align roadmaps with business goals.
• Oversee high-level system architecture and component selection for design-for-manufacturability.
• Ensure compliance with global regulatory standards (FCC, CE, UL, RoHS) and reliability targets.
• Implement hardware development cycles to improve release predictability and product quality.

Skills

Hardware engineering

Senior management

People management

Cross-functional leadership

System architecture

Regulatory compliance

Education

Electrical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Computer Engineering

Tools

PCB design

Prototyping techniques

Embedded firmware

Job description

Powercast is seeking an experienced Director of Engineering to lead, scale, and inspire our engineering team. In this role, you will bridge technical vision and business strategy. You will manage cross-functional engineering teams spanning electrical, mechanical, embedded systems, and firmware engineering—taking complex hardware products and semiconductor chips from initial architecture and prototyping through to high-volume design for manufacturing and commercial production.

Key Responsibilities

• Engineering Leadership & People Management: Manage, mentor, and grow project managers and team leads across EE, ME, Firmware, and Test. Build an inclusive, high-performing culture centered on design robustness, quality, safety, and structured operational execution.
• Product Strategy & Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with product management, industrial design, operations, and supply chain to align product roadmaps with business goals. Balance aesthetic, performance, cost (BOM), and manufacturability requirements.
• Technical Architecture & System Design: Oversee high-level system architecture, component selection, and design for excellence (DFX/DFM/DFA). Ensure products comply with global regulatory standards (FCC, CE, UL, RoHS) and meet strict reliability targets.
• Process & Operational Excellence: Implement hardware development cycles (gates, design reviews, testing, and V&V protocols) to increase release predictability and product quality.
• Resource & Budget Management: Allocate lab equipment, prototyping resources, and capital expenditures.

Qualifications

• Experience: 10+ years of hardware engineering experience, with 5+ years in senior management roles (managing managers and multidisciplinary teams) in a fast-paced hardware or consumer electronics tech company.
• Technical Depth: Deep background in board-level electrical design, mechanical architecture, embedded firmware/software systems, and prototyping techniques.
• Manufacturing Savvy: Hands-on experience bringing high volume (1M+) physical hardware to market through EVT, DVT, and PVT stages, including working directly with domestic and overseas manufacturing partners.
• People First: Proven track record of recruiting, mentoring, and retaining top engineering talent across multiple disciplines.
• Communication: Exceptional ability to translate complex hardware engineering tradeoffs (e.g., cost vs. performance vs. schedule) to non-technical stakeholders and executive teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience scaling a hardware organization through high-growth product launches or expanding product portfolios.
• Deep knowledge of supply chain risk management, custom tooling, and vendor qualification processes.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent field.