Reporting to the SVP, Aerospace & Defense, you are an essential member of the In-Lab regional operations leadership team and responsible for the technical group's overall performance as a value-adding internal consulting function, ensuring operational, quality and technical expertise and excellence. The Technical Director is a leadership and operational role focused on driving scalability, consistency, quality and high-performance across multiple sites in the U.S. and Canada.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Lead and develop a distributed team of ~7-9 technical experts including Level 3 NDT specialists (RT, UT, PT, ET), chemical engineers, project leaders, and engineering support.
- Manage performance, alignment, and communication across a remote, geographically dispersed team.
- Act as the primary liaison between laboratory operations and quality teams, supporting audits, nonconformance investigations, and root cause analysis.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across all lab locations, identifying and implementing best practices.
- Standardize technical procedures, administrative processes, and operational workflows across the network.
- Lead and project-manage strategic, high-impact initiatives including lab consolidations, relocations, and capacity expansions.
- Lead 5S program standards across all in-house laboratories, driving continuous improvement in workplace organization, safety, and operational efficiency while ensuring full compliance with aerospace and defense regulatory requirements, including AS9100, ITAR, and company quality standards.
- Support capital investment projects including budgeting, scheduling, vendor coordination, and execution.
- Support sales and business development efforts through high-level technical engagement with customers.
- Serve as a technical subject matter expert for both internal and external stakeholders.
- Maintain oversight of NDT procedures, certifications, and compliance frameworks (AS, ISO, NADCAP).
- Establish, monitor, and report on KPIs to drive performance and accountability across sites.
- Drive a cultural and operational shift from reactive support to a proactive, consultative technical function
- Contribute to broader business unit strategy and capability development initiatives.
Required Qualifications:- Minimum 3-5 years' leadership experience within the Aerospace or Space sectors and Nadcap for NDT inspection and materials testing or a related environment.
- Proven experience leading and managing remote, distributed teams.
- Strong background in project and program management, including capital projects support, budgets, and timelines.
- Demonstrated experience scaling operations (e.g. expanding facilities, increasing capacity, improving throughput).
- Background in regulated, quality-driven environments such as testing, inspection, manufacturing, or industrial services.
- Proven working knowledge of ISO/IEC 17025 and NADCAP requirements in relation to materials testing.
- Effective organizational and time management skills with the ability prioritize activities.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills including presentations with customers and internal leadership stakeholders (e.g. GMs, Regional Operations Leaders).
Preferred Qualifications:- Engineering degree preferred (Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical or similar).
- NDT/NDI knowledge is advantageous and preferred.
- Core Competencies include:
- Distributed Technical Leadership - Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and align highly experienced technical professionals across multiple, geographically dispersed laboratory locations. This competency includes setting clear expectations, managing performance remotely, fostering engagement, and ensuring consistent execution without direct day-to-day oversight. The director must inspire credibility and trust among senior specialists while maintaining accountability and alignment to enterprise goals.
- Operational Transformation & Continuous Improvement - Expertise in transforming a reactive technical organization into a proactive, consultative, and value-adding function. This includes identifying inefficiencies, standardizing processes, implementing best practices, and driving continuous improvement initiatives that enhance scalability, throughput, and operational consistency across laboratory networks.
- Technical Governance & Regulatory Compliance - Strong capability in overseeing technical procedures, certifications, and compliance frameworks within regulated, quality-driven environments. This competency encompasses supporting audits, managing nonconformance investigations, leading root cause analyses, and ensuring adherence to standards such as AS, ISO, and NADCAP to maintain technical excellence and customer confidence.
- Program & Capital Project Support - Proven ability to support and/or provide consult on complex, high-impact projects such as lab consolidations, relocations, expansions, and capital investments. This includes budgeting, scheduling, vendor coordination, risk management, and execution discipline to deliver projects on time, within scope, and aligned with strategic capacity and growth objectives.
- Strategic & Commercial Technical Partnership - Ability to act as a senior technical subject matter expert supporting sales, business development, and customer engagement. This competency involves translating complex technical capabilities into business value, advising customers at a high level, and aligning technical strategy with broader business unit growth and competitive positioning.
- Influential, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership - Advanced interpersonal and leadership effectiveness characterized by a collaborative, critical-thinking leadership style. This competency includes influencing through focused guidance in lieu of authority, challenging professionals through inquiry, managing diverse stakeholders, communicating clearly, and operating effectively in complex, evolving multi-site environments while maintaining a strong results-orientation.
