Job Code - EC1162
Technical Director
Industrial Connectors & Cable Assemblies | Product Development & Engineering Leadership
Location: Chicago, IL or Houston, TX
Reports to: Executive Management
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced, results-driven Technical Director to lead product development and engineering activities for a manufacturer of industrial electrical connectors and cable assemblies.
The ideal candidate combines strong technical leadership with demonstrated success in accelerating product development cycles and leveraging external engineering resources.
A primary objective is to build and manage a lean, agile, and scalable engineering organization that delivers innovative, cost-effective, and manufacturable designs with short development lead times.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering Leadership & Product Development
• Lead engineering activities, including new product development, product modifications, design improvements, and technical support for manufacturing.
• Develop an efficient engineering organization combining internal technical competencies with external engineering capabilities.
• Ensure engineering designs meet technical, quality, regulatory, cost, and manufacturability requirements.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Operations, Quality, and Procurement to align engineering priorities with business objectives.
Outsourced Engineering & Partner Management
• Develop and execute a strategy for outsourcing engineering design and specialized development activities.
• Identify, evaluate, select, and qualify third-party engineering firms, design houses, and technical service providers.
• Manage outsourced engineering projects, including RFQs, technical specifications, budgets, milestones, design reviews, and deliverables.
• Establish a reliable network of engineering partners providing specialized expertise, flexible capacity, and rapid response capabilities.
• Maintain full technical ownership, design control, and accountability for externally developed products.
Rapid Design & Development Execution
• Drive significant reductions in engineering design cycle times and accelerate time to market.
• Introduce efficient, streamlined development processes with clear milestones, fast decision-making, and effective project prioritization.
• Leverage parallel engineering, rapid prototyping, design reuse, and external development resources to accelerate execution.
• Establish fast-track engineering processes for customer-specific designs and urgent development requirements.
• Implement measurable KPIs for engineering lead times, project delivery, design quality, and external partner performance.
Candidate Qualifications
Required
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of engineering experience, including 5+ years in engineering leadership.
• Proven experience selecting and managing external engineering service providers and outsourced design projects.
• Demonstrated success reducing product development lead times and accelerating engineering design cycles.
• Strong background in electromechanical product development, engineering project management, and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, budgets, technical risks, and cross-functional teams.
• Strong commercial judgment, communication, and leadership skills.
Preferred
• Experience in electrical connectors, cable assemblies, power distribution, or related industrial electromechanical products.
• Experience with international engineering partners and global development organizations.
• Knowledge of precision machining, injection molding, electrical contacts, and rapid prototyping.
Ideal Candidate Profile
We are looking for a hands-on, commercially minded engineering leader who challenges traditional development processes, makes timely technical decisions, and delivers results with a lean internal engineering team supported by a strong network of external engineering partners.
Success in this role will be measured by faster design cycles, reliable project execution, effective outsourcing, high-quality engineering deliverables, and successful transfer of new designs into manufacturing.
Resume to: jobs@electroniccareers.com