Description

ROLE SUMMARY/PURPOSE:

The Engineering Manager is the top technical authority at Locke Solutions. The final word on engineering decisions across all sites and a key voice in shaping the company's strategic direction. This role goes beyond managing a team: it owns the technical roadmap for the engineering function, sets the standard for how Locke designs and delivers precast concrete solutions, and ensures the company's engineering capabilities scale with its ambitions. The Engineering Manager brings together deep structural expertise, executive-level judgment, and the leadership to build and sustain a world-class engineering organization.

Key Responsibilities:
• Serve as the company-wide technical authority-final escalation point for complex engineering decisions, design challenges, and structural risk across all locations.
• Define and drive the engineering technical roadmap, including standards, tools, systems, and capabilities needed to support Locke's growth to $100M and beyond.
• Participate in strategic planning at the leadership level, providing engineering perspective on capacity, capital investment, new product lines, and site expansion decisions.
• Lead, manage, and develop the engineering team across all locations, including hiring, performance management, mentoring, and professional development.
• Own the engineering department's output: design accuracy, turnaround times, drawing quality, and compliance with structural codes and safety standards.
• Oversee and review structural design calculations, rebar drawings, and PE-stamped submittals for precast concrete products and systems.
• Collaborate closely with Plant Operations, Project Management, and Sales to align engineering capacity with project pipeline and production schedules.
• Drive process improvement initiatives to reduce design cycle times, eliminate rework, and improve repeatability across projects.
• Develop and implement engineering standards, templates, and best practices to support consistent quality across all sites.
• Manage and grow relationships with outside engineers, consultants, and third-party reviewers.
• Lead feasibility and cost analysis efforts on new product lines, custom components, and capital projects.
• Ensure all engineering work meets applicable codes, customer specifications, and Locke quality standards.

SUCCESSFUL RESULTS:
• Engineering team consistently meets or exceeds a 24-hour average turnaround for design calculations and rebar drawings.
• Zero critical errors in PE-stamped submittals; high first-pass approval rate from clients and engineers of record.
• A clearly defined and actively executed technical roadmap that positions engineering as a competitive advantage for Locke.
• Measurable improvement in team performance, retention, and individual development against defined goals.
• Successful expansion of engineering capacity to support multi-site growth without sacrificing quality or speed.
• Implemented process improvements or standardized workflows that reduce rework and increase production efficiency.
• Strong cross-functional relationships with Project Management, Operations, and Sales resulting in aligned delivery outcomes.

REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor's degree in Civil or Structural Engineering required; Master's degree a plus.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• 15+ years of structural engineering experience, with significant work in precast concrete or related manufacturing environments.
• 5+ years in a senior leadership role, with demonstrated success building engineering teams, elevating technical standards, and influencing organizational strategy.
• Deep expertise in precast concrete design, production processes, lifting/rigging, and applicable codes (ACI, PCI, ASCE).
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously across a fast-paced, production-driven environment.
• Experience with multi-site or multi-plant operations preferred.
• Proficient in structural engineering software and tools; familiarity with CAD/detailing workflows a plus.
• Executive presence and communication skills-able to represent engineering at the leadership table and translate complex technical content for non-engineering stakeholders.
• High ownership mentality with a bias toward action and continuous improvement.