Vice President of Engineering

Persistent Recruiting Solutions | PRS; Illinois; On-site; USD 250,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Persistent Recruiting Solutions | PRS seeks a Vice President of Engineering to lead the entire engineering organization across systems, electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, and test engineering. The role drives strategy, people development, and innovation from concept through production.

The VP will oversee lifecycle management, collaborate with Operations, Manufacturing, and Product Management, and act as a senior technical authority with customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, or Software engineering.
• 10+ years of engineering leadership experience.
• Proven success leading multidisciplinary teams across hardware and software.
• Experience taking complex products from concept to production.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for all engineering disciplines (systems, electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, and test).
• Develop and execute engineering roadmaps aligned with strategy and customer requirements.
• Lead innovation and new-product development across the organization.
• Oversee the complete engineering lifecycle from concept to production.
• Ensure programs meet performance, schedule, cost, quality, and compliance requirements.
• Establish and strengthen engineering best practices, design standards, and quality systems.
• Build, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering teams and leaders.
• Manage budgets, resources, staffing, and organizational structure.
• Partner with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Management, and leadership.
• Support customer engagements, technical reviews, and program strategy as a senior technical authority.

Skills

Leadership

Systems engineering

Hardware and software

People development

Budget management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Engineering degree (Bachelors/Master's)

Tools

Jira

Documentation systems

Job description

Persistent Recruiting Solutions is representing a growing aerospace and defense manufacturer seeking a Vice President of Engineering to join its executive leadership team. This is a highly visible leadership position responsible for the entire engineering organization, including systems, electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, and test engineering. The company is looking for a strong technical and organizational leader who can develop people, drive innovation, and successfully take complex, high-reliability products from concept through production.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Engineering will provide strategic and technical leadership across all engineering disciplines and product lines. This individual will be responsible for engineering strategy, organizational development, product development, technical execution, and the processes and resources necessary to support continued business growth.

The VP of Engineering will oversee the complete product lifecycle from concept development and architecture through design, analysis, prototyping, verification, qualification, and transition into manufacturing. This individual will also serve as a senior technical authority with customers and work closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Management, and executive leadership.

What You'll Do

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for systems, electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, and test engineering
• Develop and execute engineering roadmaps aligned with company strategy, customer requirements, and emerging technologies
• Lead innovation and new-product development across the organization
• Oversee the complete engineering lifecycle from concept development and system architecture through design, analysis, prototyping, verification, qualification, and production
• Ensure engineering programs meet performance, schedule, cost, quality, and compliance requirements
• Establish and strengthen engineering best practices, design standards, documentation processes, and quality systems
• Build, mentor, and develop high-performing engineering teams and future engineering leaders
• Manage engineering budgets, resource allocation, staffing plans, and organizational structure
• Partner closely with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Management, and executive leadership
• Support customer engagements, proposals, technical reviews, and program strategy as a senior technical authority
• Drive accountability, continuous improvement, innovation, and technical excellence throughout the engineering organization
• Lead the continued development of engineering processes and capabilities needed to support organizational growth

What Sets You Apart

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, Software, or another related engineering discipline
• 10+ years of engineering experience with a leadership background
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary engineering organizations across hardware and software
• Proven experience successfully taking complex products from concept through production
• Strong understanding of product development within aerospace, defense, medical, or another high-reliability environment
• Experience with systems engineering, requirements decomposition, verification and validation, and configuration management
• Strong technical breadth with the ability to effectively lead multiple engineering disciplines
• Experience building, mentoring, and developing engineering teams and leaders
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work effectively across functions and influence at all levels of an organization
• Experience with engineering tools, documentation systems, and program management methodologies

Preferred Experience

• Electromechanical actuation, flight controls, autopilots, or flight control computers
• Mixed-signal hardware, embedded software, mechanical design, and system-level integration
• Modern development methodologies including Agile/Jira, model-based design, and digital engineering
• Manufacturing engineering, DFM/DFA, reliability engineering, or environmental qualification
• Experience scaling engineering organizations and implementing modern product-development processes

Why This Role

• Executive leadership position reporting directly to the President
• Opportunity to lead the entire engineering organization across multiple technical disciplines
• Significant influence over engineering strategy, product development, technology, and organizational direction
• Lead complex, high-reliability products through the complete lifecycle from concept through production
• Opportunity to build and develop engineering teams and future leaders
• High level of visibility with customers and executive leadership
• Broad cross-functional involvement with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Management, and other business functions
• Opportunity to drive innovation and help shape the company's future engineering capabilities and growth

Additional Requirements

• Must meet U.S. export-control requirements and qualify as a U.S. Person