TITLE: Director of Engineering and Documentation

Reports To: President

Supervise: Documentation Supervisor and Engineers

Salary: Negotiable with the right candidate

JOB SUMMARY 

The Director of Engineering and Documentation sets the direction for engineering, documentation, and configuration management while staying hands-on with daily site execution. Partners with program management and manufacturing to smoothly absorb legacy products, resolve component obsolescence, and guide teams through PLM/ERP system updates. Translates customer, contract, and regulatory requirements into everyday team goals, ensuring clear communication with both on-site staff and external customers.

COMPLEXITY & PROBLEM SOLVING

Works on issues of diverse scope where analysis of situation or data requires evaluation of a variety of factors. Follows processes and operational policies in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions. Develops and manages operational initiatives to deliver tactical results.

SCOPE OF MANGEMENT & SUPERVISION

Manages the activities of multiple sections or a discipline through subordinate supervisors and/or professionals. Guides by function or department practices and well-defined management precedents. Executes financials, business planning, organizational priorities and workforce.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership

• Define and deliver long-term strategies for engineering sustainment, technical documentation, and configuration management that match company-wide business objectives.

• Manage and mentor technical teams, supervisors, and specialists to build a working environment focused on clear accountability and continuous skill development.

• Direct departmental budgets, staffing plans, and resource scheduling to hit current program targets and prepare for future business growth.

• Streamline engineering processes to cut unnecessary costs, solve complex technical roadblocks, and smoothly guide teams through organizational changes.

Engineering

• Oversee the auditing, recovery, and strict configuration control of acquired product documentation to seamlessly transition legacy baselines into the existing manufacturing facility.

• Establish target KPIs for documentation quality and change control to accelerate integration speed, minimize production downtime, and secure formal customer acceptance of the relocated baselines.

• Provide technical leadership across the sustainment lifecycle, driving engineering efforts to resolve product obsolescence, component availability, and manufacturability issues inherent to acquired legacy products.

• Partner with program management and factory leadership to resolve complex production roadblocks, ensuring system-level solutions seamlessly align with existing manufacturing operations, budgets, and schedules.

• Guide engineering teams through design reviews, technical investigations, failure analysis, and qualification activities to guarantee all engineering data, drawings, and customer deliverables meet strict contractual and quality requirements.

Documentation & Configuration Management

• Establish and maintain company-level standards, policies, and governance for technical documentation and configuration management across all programs and manufacturing sites.

• Design and execute consistent Configuration Management Plans (CMPs) and Configuration Control Board (CCB) processes to verify that contractual configuration requirements are strictly met.

Serve as the senior escalation point for complex documentation issues, leading engineering change control efforts for product improvements, component obsolescence, and new design integrations.

Customer, Program & Executive Engagement

• Serve as the senior technical point of contact during executive reviews, contract discussions, and customer meetings to establish strong relationships and align engineering capabilities with market demand.

• Partner with program managers and site leadership to define requirements, allocate technical resources, and deliver integrated manufacturing projects on schedule and within budget.

• Translate customer and contractual requirements into clear organizational priorities while communicating technical risks and business impacts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Drive compliance for ITAR, EAR, and export controls within engineering and documentation, keeping Technical Data Control Plans, CUI frameworks, and employee training current and effective.

• Maintain deep operational awareness of industry standards (NIST, CMMC, AS9100/AS9102, IPC) while leading internal, customer, and regulatory audits to ensure corrective actions are seamlessly implemented.

• Proactively identify engineering, documentation, and configuration-related compliance risks across acquired product lines, developing strong mitigation strategies and reporting significant impacts to executive leadership.

Technology & Process Transformation

• Lead modernization initiatives and establish governance for PLM and ERP platforms, driving smooth system migrations and data integrations when onboarding acquired product lines.

• Champion digital transformation projects—including paperless manufacturing, automated engineering workflows, and AI-assisted document processing—to improve data integrity and traceability.

• Guide engineering and documentation teams through major organizational shifts, such as new site launches and program transitions, while utilizing KPIs and maturity models to measure success.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education & Experience: Typically requires bachelor’s degree in Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience) or 12+ years of progressive technical management and 5+ years of leadership experience in EMS, PCBA, defense, or aerospace manufacturing.

• Core Technical Expertise: Solid experience with PCBA processes, NPI, product sustainment, and component obsolescence, along with working knowledge of configuration management (CMPs, CCBs, audits) and PLM/ERP system integration. A well-rounded technical background with exposure to electrical, mechanical, and software/firmware disciplines is preferred. 

• Compliance & Operations: Practical knowledge of ITAR/EAR, CMMC, AS9100, and IPC standards combined with direct accountability for departmental budgets, resource planning, and regulatory audit readiness.

• Leadership & Communication: Leadership experience and an ability or strong desire to transition into leading a close-knit technical team, while comfortably explaining technical issues and project risks to customers and site executives. 

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This job description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.