Excel Employment Services LLC
www.excelemploymentservices.com
Alisa Edmonds
Sales Executive/Recruiter
Email: [email protected]
Director of Engineering & Sales (Manufacturing / OEM Components)
Company Overview
My client is a small, established, niche global manufacturing company and OEM component manufacturer located near the Troy, MI area. The company is a recognized leader in its industry, supplying components to the aerospace, automotive, agricultural, food, and other industrial markets. Experience leading within a smaller, growing manufacturing organization is strongly preferred.
Position Summary
The Director of Engineering & Sales provides leadership over the company’s engineering function and sales development activities. This role oversees all engineering projects and engineering staff while also driving sales funnel development and new business growth. The position manages and participates in the development, implementation, and evaluation of complex mechanical designs; oversees product construction and testing; and ensures projects are completed efficiently, effectively, and in alignment with scope, schedule, and budget expectations.
This leader evaluates and approves changes that substantially impact project scope, budget, or schedule; monitors performance against project plans; and resolves escalated operational and customer issues requiring cross-functional coordination. The role provides input into strategic decisions affecting the functional area(s) of responsibility, contributes to budgeting, and supports long-range operating and manufacturing planning. The position represents the company externally with customers, vendors, and at industry events.
Reporting Relationship: Reports directly to the Board of Directors (BOD).
Key Leadership & Managerial Responsibilities
- Plan, prioritize, and coordinate the work of the engineering staff to meet business and project objectives.
- Provide technical guidance and leadership for mechanical engineering inquiries, escalations, and concerns.
- Lead, supervise, and support the engineering team to ensure goals, deliverables, and performance targets are met.
- Conduct timely, constructive performance evaluations; provide coaching, feedback, and corrective guidance as needed.
- Train, mentor, and develop engineers and technical staff to build internal capability and support growth.
- Manage Engineering Group personnel activities, including workload allocation and performance accountability.
- Identify required tools, staffing, equipment, and other resources needed for the Engineering Group’s success.
- Report ongoing resource needs, constraints, and recommendations to the BOD.
- Develop new and existing talent and report individual and team performance to the BOD.
- Develop, oversee, and maintain sales funnels, including pipeline health, lead progression, and sales activity cadence.
Engineering, Project, and Operational Responsibilities
- Oversee all engineering projects across the organization from initiation through completion, ensuring alignment to customer requirements and internal standards.
- Manage and actively contribute to mechanical engineering using 3D CAD software; must be proficient in AutoCAD and Inventor (preferred) and capable with other relevant design tools as needed.
- Lead new product development efforts from concept through design, construction, testing, validation, and transition to production.
- Oversee product construction and testing to ensure technical performance, manufacturability, and timely completion.
- Establish project plans and monitor progress against milestones; ensure project timeliness, quality, and execution efficiency.
- Review project status reports and key metrics to verify projects remain on schedule and within budget.
- Develop and provide timely estimates, budgets, and quotes for new and existing projects.
- Evaluate and approve changes that materially affect scope, budget, or schedule; communicate impacts and mitigation plans.
- Resolve escalated issues arising from operations that require coordination with other departments and/or customers.
- Provide input to strategic decisions that affect engineering, product development, manufacturing priorities, and customer commitments.
- Consult with the executive team and the Executive Director of Strategic Planning to create long-range operating and manufacturing goals aligned to organizational needs while meeting BOD approvals.
- Apply expertise in customer relations and engineering projects involving lean manufacturing and corrective action processes.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Sales & Business Development Responsibilities
- Demonstrate strong sales ability and performance in driving new sales development and revenue growth.
- Perform sales development outreach to new and existing clients, as directed by and aligned with goals set by the BOD.
- Collaborate with the marketing department to evaluate market potential for new products and services and support commercialization.
- Represent the company in meetings with customers and vendors and at international conferences, seminars, and trade shows.
- Maintain and manage sales funnel activity to support predictable growth (lead generation through opportunity conversion).
Required Skills/Abilities
- Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail.
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills with internal teams and external customers.
- Demonstrated project management experience, including scheduling, execution, and risk/issue resolution.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Strong sales and sales development aptitude, including cultivation and management of customer relationships.
- Proven customer relations expertise and ability to lead engineering efforts involving lean manufacturing and corrective action processes.
- Knowledge of manufacturing processes, material selection, and product testing.
- Estimating and budgeting experience; ability to analyze financial data and support sound business decisions.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Project.
- Proficiency in mechanical modeling and engineering design methods.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (or similar tools).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical and commercial concepts clearly.
- Strong managerial, supervisory, and mentorship capabilities.
- Extensive technical knowledge of engineering and product development.
Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required.
- Master’s degree in Engineering or Business Administration preferred.
- 10–15 years of related experience preferred; minimum of 10 years of related experience required.
- Preference for candidates also possessing 5–10 years of sales experience.
- Experience with heat induction systems and/or component design preferred but not required.
Salary
Salary – D.O.E.
Full Benefit package is offered.
