Director of Engineering & Strategic Execution

Detroit-Manufacturing-Systems,-LLC; Wixom (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Kinetyc is an adaptive manufacturing partner transforming from a contract manufacturer. This Director of Engineering will own the entire engineering organization, its people, processes, and strategic direction, reporting to the President/GM.

You will build the function for three to five years and lead a growing team across multiple disciplines. You will own the engineering roadmap, DFM strategy, and key certifications while managing senior customer relationships and high-stakes design reviews.

Qualifications

• 12–20 years of engineering experience with 5+ years leading teams.
• Deep background in mechanical, electrical, or systems engineering.
• Experience with contract manufacturers, Tier 1/2 suppliers, or HMLV environments.
• Led engineering compliance programs (ISO, CMMC, ITAR, AS9100 or equivalent).
• Ability to make good decisions with incomplete data and own the outcome.
• Able to collaborate with commercial, operations and finance leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full Kinetyc engineering team, defining structure, roles and growth paths.
• Own the engineering roadmap, processes, and certifications to pursue.
• Manage customer relationships from engagement to production as a peer.
• Lead DFM strategy, design reviews, risk identification, and onboarding for launches.
• Drive engineering culture of ownership, continuous improvement and collaboration.
• Represent Kinetyc capabilities in high‑stakes customer conversations and audits.
• Oversee compliance posture (CMMC Level 2, ISO 9001:2015, ITAR/AS9100).
• Evaluate build‑vs‑buy decisions and partner with commercial, ops, and finance.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Multidisciplinary engineering

Mechanical engineering

Electrical engineering

Systems engineering

Customer relationships

Compliance programs

Job description

Kinetyc is an adaptive manufacturing partner transforming from a contract manufacturer. This Director of Engineering will own the entire engineering organization, its people, processes, and strategic direction, reporting to the President/GM.

You will build the function for three to five years and lead a growing team across multiple disciplines. You will own the engineering roadmap, DFM strategy, and key certifications while managing senior customer relationships and high-stakes design reviews.