Director of Engineering & Technology

Strand Products; Ventura (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Strand Products seeks a Director of Engineering & Technology to serve as a senior technical leader and executive for the Engineering function. Reporting to the President & CEO, this role sets the product and technology roadmap, prioritizes resources, and builds organizational capability to support Strand's growth.

The Director will lead four areas: product/tech roadmaps, new product introduction, manufacturing and sustaining engineering, and test/validation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or related field.
• 8+ years in precision manufacturing engineering.
• 3+ years of management experience.
• Experience in regulated manufacturing environments preferred.

Responsibilities

• Translate business strategy into an actionable Engineering and technology strategy.
• Own the current and future product/technology roadmap; set investment priorities.
• Establish goals, budgets, scorecards, and governance for projects and staffing.
• Lead and coach the Engineering Manager and broader team for performance.
• Evaluate capital equipment, automation, software, labs, and external partnerships.
• Lead development and industrialization of Fine Wire Stranding and Strand Torque Tube.

Skills

Technical leadership

Manufacturing engineering

Process development

Validation

Project governance

Data analytics

CAD tools

ISO quality systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD software

ERP/MRP systems

Statistical software

Job description

Strand Products is seeking a Director of Engineering & Technology to serve as our senior technical leader and provide executive leadership for the Engineering function. Reporting to the President & CEO, this role will set the product and technology roadmap, establish department priorities and systems, develop organizational capability, and recommend the resources and investments needed to support Strand's growth strategy.

The Director will lead four connected areas: product and technology roadmaps; new product introduction and product development; manufacturing and sustaining engineering; and test, validation, and technical data. A key priority is the development and industrialization of Fine Wire Stranding (FWS) and Strand Torque Tube (STT), while ensuring dependable Engineering support for the current business.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with the CEO and leadership team to translate business strategy into an actionable Engineering and technology strategy.
• Own the current, in-process, and future product and technology roadmap, including capability development, technical risks, design rules, and investment priorities.
• Establish department goals, budgets, scorecards, project governance, portfolio reviews, staffing plans, and escalation paths for competing priorities and resource constraints.
• Lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable the Engineering Manager while providing visible functional leadership to the broader Engineering team.
• Evaluate and recommend capital equipment, automation, software, laboratories, test systems, and external partnerships using technical, financial, capacity, and risk-based analysis.
• Lead development and industrialization of Fine Wire Stranding and Strand Torque Tube from feasibility through validated, repeatable production.
• Develop design rules, material knowledge, process windows, intellectual property, and capability limits for fine wire, stranded cable, torque tube, and related precision-metal technologies.
• Direct equipment specifications, vendor evaluation, experimentation, prototyping, capital justification, procurement, installation, commissioning, qualification, and validation.
• Use automation, fixturing, process control, and data collection to improve safety, quality, repeatability, yield, throughput, labor efficiency, capacity, and gross margin.
• Define and govern the customer-intake and NPI process from feasibility, requirements, and quotation through development, validation, production readiness, and release.
• Ensure customer requirements are translated into manufacturable designs, drawings, bills of material, routings, tooling, inspection methods, validation plans, capacity requirements, and production documentation.
• Support Sales and customers with technical feasibility, design for manufacturing, risk assessment, solution development, quotation inputs, contract review, and technical presentations.
• Provide governance and prioritization for Engineering changes, fixture improvements, yield improvement, routings, work instructions, cost reductions, and sustaining Engineering activities.
• Oversee root-cause investigations, corrective actions, technical customer responses, and permanent solutions to recurring manufacturing problems.
• Establish the strategy, equipment, methods, and operating systems needed to make test and validation a differentiated Strand capability.
• Ensure validation plans, protocols, reports, capability studies, measurement-system analyses, and technical documentation are accurate, repeatable, traceable, and customer-ready.
• Ensure Engineering records and technical changes comply with Strand's quality system, customer requirements, AS9100, ISO 9001, applicable regulatory requirements, and document-control procedures.
• Build a high-performing Engineering organization through clear roles, delegation, coaching, development plans, performance management, succession planning, and appropriate technical career paths.
• Maintain a visible, hands-on presence in Engineering, production, laboratory, and cleanroom areas and incorporate practical input from operators and technical employees into decisions.
• Develop strong partnerships across Operations, Quality, Sales, Customer Service, Finance, People & Accounting, suppliers, customers, equipment builders, and outside technical resources.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong technical judgment and hands-on knowledge of precision manufacturing, process development, equipment implementation, validation, and production transfer.
• Ability to set technical strategy while managing execution, priorities, budgets, schedules, risks, resources, and cross-functional commitments.
• Proven people leadership, including coaching, delegation, performance management, team development, and organizational design.
• Working knowledge of mechanical and metallurgical behavior, tight-tolerance components, joining and forming processes, manufacturing controls, and fine wire or similar materials.
• Experience applying automation, tooling, equipment integration, data collection, and statistical methods to improve process capability and business performance.
• Customer-focused and commercially aware, with the ability to evaluate margin, return on investment, capacity, technical risk, schedule, and long-term strategic value.
• Clear, concise, and professional communication with executives, engineers, technicians, operators, customers, and suppliers.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001, AS9100, validation, change control, corrective action, configuration control, and regulated manufacturing requirements.
• Proficiency with CAD and Engineering analysis tools, statistical software, ERP/MRP systems, project-management systems, and standard business software.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a closely related technical field required.
• Eight or more years of progressive Engineering experience in precision manufacturing, including significant responsibility for process development, NPI, manufacturing Engineering, or technology development.
• Three or more years of successful management or substantial technical-team leadership experience, including responsibility for people, priorities, and results.
• Experience in medical device, aerospace, defense, or another regulated, high-reliability manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing a new manufacturing capability, launching capital equipment, industrializing a process, or implementing meaningful automation required.
• Experience with wire, cable, torque tube, spring, catheter, tube, laser processing, swaging, crimping, exotic alloys, or similar precision-metal processes preferred.
• Advanced technical or business education is beneficial but not required. Must qualify as a U.S. person under applicable ITAR requirements.

Physical & Environmental Requirements

This onsite position requires regular activity in office, Engineering, production, laboratory, and cleanroom environments. The employee must be able to move safely throughout manufacturing areas, observe equipment and processes, use required personal protective equipment, and work at a computer for extended periods.

The role may require occasional bending, reaching, handling of samples or tools, lifting consistent with normal Engineering activities, and travel to customers, suppliers, equipment builders, or industry events. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Our Values

The Director will model and reinforce Strand's values: Integrity, Accountability, Customer-Centric, Excellence, Creativity, Humility, Collaborative, and Positivity.

This job description identifies the primary purpose and responsibilities of the position and is not an all-encompassing list. Strand Products may revise responsibilities as business, customer, organizational, and technology needs evolve.