Head of Valve Design & Engineering

Ladish Valves; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Ladish Valves seeks an Engineering Director to provide strategic and hands-on leadership across all engineering functions. You own the full lifecycle of valve design from customer specification through prototype, testing, regulatory compliance, and release.

This senior role partners with Sales, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, and executive management to translate complex customer requirements into manufacturable, high‑performing valve solutions and to mentor a multi‑discipline engineering team.

Qualifications

• 12+ years progressive engineering experience in the industrial valve or rotating equipment industry.
• 5+ years in an engineering leadership or management role.
• Hands-on experience with multiple valve types (gate, globe, ball, check, butterfly, needle, and/or specialty valves).
• Direct experience with valve testing protocols (API 598, ISO 5208, API 6D).
• Proven track record delivering custom engineered valve solutions for oil & gas, petrochemical, power generation, or chemical process industries.
• Extensive knowledge of multiple alloy systems including carbon steel, stainless steel, duplex stainless, and nickel-based alloys.
• Hands-on background with precision lapping, seating finishing, or related machining processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end design of industrial valves across types (gate, globe, ball, check, butterfly).
• Develop and maintain design standards, calculations, and tolerances for all valve families.
• Direct CAD/CAE use (SolidWorks, AutoCAD, FEA) to produce 3-D models and manufacturing packages.
• Establish and enforce design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-testability (DFT).
• Oversee engineering change management and communicate revisions to affected departments.
• Research and integrate emerging design methodologies, seal technologies, and actuation systems.

Skills

ASME B16.34 knowledge

API 600/602/608/6D knowledge

GD&T

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (ABET-accredited)

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

SolidWorks

FEA software

Job description

Ladish Valves seeks an Engineering Director to provide strategic and hands-on leadership across all engineering functions. You own the full lifecycle of valve design from customer specification through prototype, testing, regulatory compliance, and release.

This senior role partners with Sales, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, and executive management to translate complex customer requirements into manufacturable, high‑performing valve solutions and to mentor a multi‑discipline engineering team.