Director, Systems Engineering

As a senior engineering leader at Generac, you will lead a team of systems engineers who own the end-to-end architecture, integration, and validation of industrial diesel and gaseous-fueled generator sets. You will make sure that the engine, alternator, controls, cooling, fuel, exhaust/aftertreatment, and enclosure subsystems work together as one reliable, certifiable, and cost-competitive product. You will also build a high-performing team that accelerates speed-to-market across Generac's industrial and commercial product lines. What You'll Do • Own the system architecture for industrial diesel and gas generator sets, including the integration of the engine, alternator, excitation/AVR, governor, controller, cooling, fuel, exhaust/aftertreatment, and enclosure subsystems. • Lead requirements engineering: translate customer, application, and regulatory needs into subsystem specifications, with full traceability through verification. • Define and govern system interfaces with internal teams and with engine, alternator, and controls suppliers. • Direct system verification and validation, including transient/load acceptance, derating, sound, vibration, emissions, and certification testing to UL 2200, NFPA 110, and ISO 8528. • Drive the emissions and certification strategy (EPA Tier 4/NSPS, CARB, EU Stage V) with regulatory, OEM, and test lab partners. • Lead system risk management (SFMEA/DFMEA, fault tree analysis, DVP&R) and technical trade studies to meet reliability, cost, and performance targets. • Own technical design reviews and engineering gate criteria within the stage-gate product development process. • Champion model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and simulation to reduce test iterations and time to market. • Partner with Quality, Service, and Applications Engineering on field failure root cause analysis (8D, fishbone) and feed lessons learned into design standards. • Build, coach, and develop a high-performing systems engineering team, including recruiting, retention, and succession planning. Minimum Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or a related field. • 12+ years of engineering experience (15+ years for Sr. Director), including 10+ years in the design, integration, or validation of generator sets, reciprocating engines, or comparable heavy-duty power systems. • Director: 5+ years leading systems or multidisciplinary engineering teams. • Hands-on experience with systems engineering practices: requirements management, interface control, DFMEA/SFMEA, DVP&R, and stage-gate design reviews. • Working knowledge of UL 2200, NFPA 110, NFPA 70 (NEC), ISO 8528, and EPA emissions requirements. Preferred Qualifications • Master's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering. An MBA is a plus. • INCOSE certification (CSEP/ESEP) or Professional Engineer (PE) license. • Experience with gaseous-fuel engines (natural gas, propane, biogas, hydrogen blends), including fuel quality and methane number considerations. • Experience with paralleling, switchgear, microgrids, and mission-critical applications such as data centers, healthcare, and utilities. • Proven success leading global product launches and managing teams and engine/alternator OEM partners across multiple locations. • Proficiency with MBSE (SysML/Cameo), requirements management (DOORS, Jama), and PLM (Windchill, Teamcenter) tools. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities • Generator systems: diesel and gas engines, synchronous alternators, excitation, governing, controls, cooling, and aftertreatment (DOC, DPF, SCR). • Genset performance: transient load acceptance, block loading, voltage/frequency regulation, motor starting, harmonics, and altitude/temperature derating. • Standards and regulations: UL 2200, NFPA 110/37/70, ISO 8528, IEC 60034, CSA C22.2 No. 100, EPA NSPS, CARB, EU Stage V, and IEEE 1547. • Reliability and analysis: MTBF, Weibull, HALT/HASS, fault tree analysis, 8D, and structured trade studies. • Systems engineering: ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, V-model, requirements traceability, MBSE, and simulation-led development. • Leadership: able to make sound decisions with incomplete data, lead through managers, hold programs to gate criteria, and translate technical risk into business impact for executives. • Travel: up to 25% to test labs, suppliers, manufacturing sites, and customer locations.