Responsible for all aspects of the company’s engineering activities including hardware, software, automation, manufacturing, facilities, as well as IT, the Vice President of Engineering will focus on the structuring and operation of the engineering function as a cohesive unit; the conceptualization and day-to-day management of simultaneous projects; delivering product designs to agreed specifications within time and budget constraints, and the fostering of innovative solutions to cater to internal and external customer needs
With a responsibility of 5 direct reports, build the team with talented individuals that fit technically and culturally
Prioritize and direct engineering schedule - balancing the creation of new functionality, immediate needs of existing customers, and augmentation and management of architecture and infrastructure
Possess a comprehensive understanding of the market and the technical implementation so as to be able to speak to feasibility versus opportunity of company direction and pivots
Drive and augments the engineering process with primary goals of predictability, stability, and visibility
Experienced at delivering commercial manufacturing products at scale and a framework for making impactful technical decisions
Establish a culture of quality where verification/validation occur at every step
Drive an architecture that facilitates quality and a process that enforces it
Empower engineers to innovate while providing technical expertise/targeted questions to make a decision that is best for the business
Must have a willingness to make educated but potentially difficult decisions
Ensure engineers understands business direction and how individual work facilitates end goals
Ensure company at large understands the needs of engineering
Leverage intrinsic motivation to further both the individual and the business
Minimum of 15 years of experience in Manufacturing Engineering for custom design machines and equipment (reactors, fermentation tanks, robots, autoclaves)
Expertise in programmable logic controller and SCADA systems
Fluent in electrical / CAD drawings
Knowledge of Six Sigma and/or ISO process controls
Experience in Biotech, Pharma, Cosmetic, Food and related regulated chemical industries (clean room, sterile requirements, GMP)
Experience leading teams of hardware / software engineers across multi-sites within fast-paced, collaborative work environments
An innovator, ideator that can understand business requirements and translate into the creation of sophisticated engineering solutions that can’t be purchased off the shelf
Instinct for recognizing opportunities to invest in building the right thing for the long-term
Able to work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines and to make progress with multiple projects and functional priorities simultaneously
Able to demonstrate support for innovation and for organizational changes needed to improve the organization’s effectiveness; initiating, sponsoring, and implementing organizational change; helping others to successfully manage organizational change
Develop and communicate goals in support of the business’ mission by setting clear goals and expectations, tracking progress against the goals, ensuring feedback, and addressing performance problems and issues promptly
Develops, sponsors, or supports the introduction of new or improved hardware /software platforms across design, simulation and verification
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, identify bottlenecks, automate all manual steps
Understands and deals well with rapid development cycles – projected 4-fold increase in capacity
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities and to re-prioritize as necessary to align with current business objectives
Detail oriented and thorough, with ability to think “big picture” and understand the key trends and levers that drive the business
Able to take calculated risks in the face of uncertainty