Level 3 Communications, Inc

Director, Specialty Engineering

Level 3 Communications, Inc$130K — $160K *
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Graduate degree in engineering or related field with substantial experience (15+ years or 13+ years with a graduate degree)
  • Extensive background leading Specialty Engineering disciplines in regulated environments
  • Experience in reviewing and approving bids and resource allocations
  • Proficient in employee performance management and organizational development practices
  • Strong collaboration skills across diverse functional teams
  • Ability to obtain U.S. Secret security clearance

Responsibilities

  • Establish functional strategies and align departmental goals with business objectives
  • Manage departmental budgets and resource allocations for optimal execution
  • Review and approve proposals and staffing plans for specialty engineering
  • Oversee employee performance management processes, including development and succession planning
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate Specialty Engineering requirements into product lifecycle
  • Lead the implementation of AI initiatives to enhance engineering efficiency and decision-making
  • Drive continuous improvement through best practices and audits

Benefits

  • Flexible 9-80 work schedule with every other Friday off
  • Opportunities for leadership development and mentoring
  • Support for talent acquisition and organizational design
  • Focus on operational excellence and employee achievements
  • Engagement in innovative AI projects and digital transformation initiatives
Full Job Description
Job Title: Director of Specialty Engineering

Job Code: 39495

Job Location: Greenville, TX (fully on site)

Job Schedule: 9-80 - Employees work 9 out of every 14 days - totaling 80 hours worked - and have every other Friday off

Job Description:

The Director of Specialty Engineering leads a multidisciplinary organization responsible for technical manuals, customer training, system safety, reliability and maintainability, human factors, logistics engineering, configuration management, material and process engineering, and document release and control. This role provides functional leadership, supports program execution across the product lifecycle, and drives operational excellence through talent development, budget management, proposal support, and cross-functional collaboration. The position also leads implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives to improve engineering efficiency, quality, and business performance.

Essential Functions:
  • Establish functional strategy, priorities, processes, and performance objectives aligned with business goals, customer requirements, and program commitments.
  • Manage departmental overhead budgets, staffing plans, resource allocation, and investment priorities to support execution, affordability, and long-range planning.
  • Review and approve bids, proposals, basis of estimates, and staffing plans for specialty engineering content in support of new business captures and program change activity.
  • Oversee employee performance management processes, including goal setting, performance reviews, development planning, succession planning, recognition, and corrective action as appropriate.
  • Partner with program leadership and engineering teams to ensure Specialty Engineering requirements are integrated into product design, verification, validation, production, sustainment, and customer support activities.
  • Collaborate with Human Resources, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Contracts, Finance, and other functional organizations to address workforce needs, quality performance, process improvement, compliance, and business execution.
  • Lead implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects and digital transformation initiatives within Specialty Engineering functions to improve productivity, data quality, process efficiency, and decision-making.
  • Ensure compliance with applicable customer requirements, company policies, contractual obligations, and industry standards related to SpE documents and analyses.
  • Drive continuous improvement through standard work, metrics, audits, lessons learned, and adoption of best practices.
  • Support talent acquisition, organizational design, mentoring, and leadership development to build a high-performing technical organization.
  • Estimated travel up to 10 percent, as needed, to support business meetings, customer engagements, site coordination, and program reviews.


Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical field and a minimum of 15 years of prior relevant experience, or Graduate degree and a minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
  • In lieu of a degree, minimum of 19 years of prior related engineering experience.
  • Experience leading one or more Specialty Engineering disciplines in a regulated technical environment.
  • Experience reviewing bids, proposals, and resource plans.
  • Experience overseeing employee performance management and organizational development.
  • Experience collaborating across Human Resources, Quality, Engineering, and other functional teams.
  • Ability to obtain United States Secret security clearance.


Preferred Additional Skills:
  • Experience leading functional transformation and process standardization across teams.
  • Advanced degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, or Business Administration.
  • Experience supporting aerospace and defense programs across development, production, and sustainment.
  • Experience with digital engineering, product lifecycle management tools, or engineering data governance.
  • Experience managing overhead budgets, staffing, and functional operating plans.
  • Experience implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects, automation initiatives, or advanced digital tools.
  • Existing United States Secret security clearance.


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