Location: Rochester, New York
Department: Engineering
Reports to: QTR General Manager
Job Grade: 15
Work arrangement: On-site
Travel: Occasional travel may be required to support customer, program, or supplier needs.
Compensation: The target hiring range is generally $170,000-$206,000, depending on relevant experience, skills, education, internal equity, and business needs. This role is eligible for QED's annual performance-based incentive program with a target opportunity of 20% of base salary, as well as a comprehensive benefits package and 401(k) program.
The OpportunityThe Director of Engineering is the senior functional leader for QED's Systems, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Software, and Controls engineering disciplines, accountable for their performance, capability, and results. Reporting to the QTR General Manager, you will build and run the operating model that turns product strategy into predictable execution, from concept through release, sustainment, and end-of-life.
You will lead through functional managers and senior technical leaders, partner closely with Project Management, Product Management, Operations, Quality, Service, and Supply Chain, and advise executive leadership on technical tradeoffs, capacity, and risk. This is an operating-model role as much as a technical one: success depends on clear decision rights, disciplined governance, and a team that holds itself accountable.
What You Will DoLeadership and organizational accountability- Lead Systems, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Software, and Controls Engineering, with accountability for performance, capability, capacity, and results.
- Set clear responsibilities, decision rights, and escalation paths within Engineering and with partner functions.
- Coach and develop functional managers and senior technical leaders; maintain succession plans and build a strong leadership bench.
- Align staffing, skills, and resources with portfolio priorities, project demands, and sustainment needs.
- Partner with Engineering Project Management to deliver projects that meet technical, schedule, and cost requirements.
Operating model and governance- Define and continuously improve a scalable engineering operating model spanning development, release, sustainment, obsolescence, engineering change, and end-of-life.
- Establish departmental governance, including operating cadence, portfolio and resource reviews, technical and risk reviews, metrics, and management reporting.
- Ensure each discipline uses fit-for-purpose tools, standards, and configuration practices within an integrated tool chain, from requirements through change control.
- Use engineering health metrics to identify constraints, improve predictability, and drive corrective action.
Product development and lifecycle support- Own the engineering framework, rooted in the QED PDP, for converting customer and business needs into robust, manufacturable, and serviceable products.
- Ensure disciplined systems engineering, technical risk management, design review, verification, and release readiness, with clear phase-gate criteria and accountable decision-makers.
- Drive early cross-functional engagement with Product Management, Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Service, Applications, Sales, and Supply Chain.
- Set ownership and priorities between new development and sustainment, including root-cause analysis, corrective action, cost reduction, and obsolescence planning.
- Feed field, production, and quality data back into roadmaps and design standards.
- Resolve cross-discipline technical and resource conflicts and elevate material risks.
Strategy and executive partnership- Translate company strategy and product roadmaps into engineering priorities, capability plans, and technology investments.
- Report on execution, capacity, project health, technical risk, and staffing to executive leadership, alongside Project Management.
- Advise on technical tradeoffs, make/buy/partner decisions, platform strategy, and development risk.
- Create and manage the annual Engineering budget, including material, capex, labor, and capacity.
- Support technical due diligence and integration planning for corporate M&A as needed.
- Represent QED in key customer, supplier, partner, and academic engagements.
What Success Looks Like- Projects and releases are delivered on schedule, within budget, and to the required quality standard.
- Each discipline operates with clear ownership, decision rights, and consistent tools and standards.
- Technical risks are identified early and resolved at the right level.
- New development and sustainment are balanced, and field and quality feedback drives product improvement.
- Managers and senior technical leaders are accountable and developing, with succession plans in place.
- Executive leadership has a clear, timely view of capacity, project health, and risk.
- The Director is seen as a trusted partner across the business who drives accountability and results.
What You Bring- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field (advanced technical or business degree preferred).
- 12+ years of progressive engineering experience, including senior leadership of multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Experience with complex systems, precision equipment, or advanced manufacturing.
- Experience leading product development from concept and requirements through release, production, sustainment, and end-of-life.
- Proven success building engineering processes, governance, and management systems that improve execution and product outcomes.
- Strong command of systems engineering, requirements management, design controls, technical risk management, verification, and validation.
- Working knowledge of the methods and tools used in systems, mechanical, manufacturing, software, and controls engineering.
- Sound portfolio, capacity, and budget judgment amid competing development and sustainment priorities.
- Excellent executive communication, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
- Data-driven, continuous-improvement mindset.
- Qualified to work in a CMMC environment with access to CUI and ITAR data (i.e., a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR law).
Preferred Qualifications- Experience with precision optics, metrology, or similarly demanding engineered products.
- Experience in the defense industry with defense primes and subcontractors.
- Experience with PLM, requirements management, and software and controls development tool chains.
- Experience with technical due diligence or post-acquisition engineering integration.
Work LocationThe primary work location for this position is QED's main headquarters in Rochester, NY. Applicants must reside within commuting distance of the Rochester location.
