Head of Engineering, Gearbox & Motion Control

Nidec Automation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Nidec Automation is seeking a Director of Engineering to define and execute the strategic engineering plan that fuels growth, quality, and customer success. This role leads multidisciplinary teams in gearbox, gearing, gear motor, motion control, and electromechanical product development to deliver safe, reliable, high‑quality solutions.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical depth with strategic vision, partnering with Product Management, Operations, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field.
• 10–15+ years of progressive engineering experience.
• 3+ years of managerial experience leading engineering teams.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute engineering strategy aligned with business goals, product roadmaps, and operational needs.
• Establish engineering priorities, roadmaps, and investment plans.
• Ensure alignment between engineering execution and enterprise standards, safety, and quality expectations.
• Oversee delivery of engineering projects, programs, and initiatives.
• Establish and enforce engineering standards, design practices, and review processes.
• Ensure engineering outputs meet performance, reliability, regulatory, and customer requirements.
• Support development and optimization of products, processes, or systems across the lifecycle.
• Partner with Product, Manufacturing, or Operations on new introductions, scale-ups, and continuous improvement.
• Evaluate and adopt new technologies, tools, or methodologies to enhance engineering effectiveness.
• Lead, mentor, and develop engineering managers, engineers, and technical specialists.
• Establish performance expectations, capability models, and succession plans.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, EHS, and IT.
• Support enterprise initiatives such as growth, transformation, digitalization, and M&A integration.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with safety, regulatory, and quality requirements.
• Identify and mitigate technical, operational, and execution risks.
• Support investigations and corrective actions for significant technical or quality issues.
• Establish KPIs to measure engineering performance, quality, delivery, and efficiency.
• Use data and analytics to drive decisions and continuous improvement.
• Standardize processes and improve engineering productivity and scalability.
• Own engineering budgets, forecasts, and resource planning.
• Balance cost, schedule, and performance priorities across programs.
• Ensure effective utilization of engineering talent and external partners.

Skills

Managerial experience

Engineering leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Problem-solving

Technical program mgmt

Risk management

Budget control

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field

Job description

Nidec Automation is seeking a Director of Engineering to define and execute the strategic engineering plan that fuels growth, quality, and customer success. This role leads multidisciplinary teams in gearbox, gearing, gear motor, motion control, and electromechanical product development to deliver safe, reliable, high‑quality solutions.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical depth with strategic vision, partnering with Product Management, Operations, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to