ABOUT THE COMPANY

TASSCO (Total Alloy Steel Solutions Company) is a leading distributor and fabricator of high- quality alloy steel abrasion and impact resistant steel plate including TASSCO XT, TASSCO HD. TASSCO Fused Alloy, TASSCO Comp-C, & TASSCO CORRHARD. Our investment in advanced processing capabilities allows us to focus on custom driven fabricated solutions for customers in raw material handling applications. Our innovative solutions resist and withstand impact and abrasive conditions. TASSCO's solutions are supplied to a diversified set of industries that include steel production, surface mining, underground mining, pulp and paper, aggregate, cement, power generation, and foundries.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Director of Engineering & Design for TASSCO, you will report directly to the CEO in this newly created role where you are entrusted with the strategic leadership, vision, and technical oversight of our design and engineering teams. Your primary responsibility will be to build out and develop our teams, drive innovation, ensure compliance, and deliver top-quality material handling and processing solutions tailored to our specialized market segment. While leading a team of seven experts through fieldwork, design, research, and quality improvement, you will collaborate closely with our sales and estimating teams to exceed customer expectations with every project. Your performance will be pivotal in advancing TASSCO's position as a leader in the abrasion and impact resistant material handling solutions market, contributing to our continued growth and success.

REQUIREMENTS

Your Performance Objectives – What You will accomplish.

Within your first 3 months, establish a streamlined product design and engineering department process roadmap while building your expertise in our product solutions and industrial market space.

• Develop an understanding of how TASSCO’s product design solutions generate value to our customers, including how we differentiate through premium materials. Train or travel with existing staff, interview customer facing roles, and participate in discovery calls with team leaders.
• Develop an understanding of our target market.
• Develop relationships with key stakeholders including sales and production leadership to understand paths to streamline collaboration & processes to meet customer delivery expectations.
• Begin the evolution of TASSCO’s design and engineering processes with an initial focus on streamlining processes that decrease the time frame of deliverables to internal & external stakeholders while ensuring accuracy during hand off.
• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the existing engineering team, identifying areas for improvement and skillset gaps, initiating targeted training programs, or recruiting efforts to enhance team skillset gaps and improve cohesion.
• Understand and evaluate our existing product design tools, software, technology, and processes to identify areas of improvement and present an evolved (future-state) streamlined process to our Operations Leadership Team.
• Initiate a cross-functional cadence and communication plan for how product, priorities, roadmap, and strategy should be shared across the company so that all stakeholders are aligned.
• Work with the Operations Leadership Team to align team strategy and investments with the company goals and targets.
• Participate in Operations Leadership Team’s weekly planning sessions.

Within your first 6 months, implement TASSCO’s product design and engineering department process roadmap to drive improvement in communication, expectations, quality, product lead times, and customer satisfaction.

• Implement process improvements that result in measurable enhancements to reduce engineering department handoff times and meet customer expectations.
• Initiate a cross-functional collaboration framework, establishing regular communication channels and kickoff meetings to reduce project delays and improve interdepartmental synergy.
• Establish project management practices and responsibilities within the engineering team to lead the orderly progression of projects from the proposal stage through project installation by interacting with the client, production team, and sales advocacy teams.
• Establish time frame expectations for engineering department to deliver drawings to estimating department after field data acquisition and hold team accountable to meet commitments.
• Establish engineering production timeline expectations for customer approval drawings & for construction drawings after receipt of customer purchase order and hold team accountable to meet commitments.
• Develop and implement a detailed engineering proposal document to replace or accompany a TASSCO quote which clearly defines project scope, expectations, timelines, & deliverables for the customer.
• Develop & implement workflows and approval processes within existing technology platforms and based on industry best practices, that capture design evolution, design changes, and design approvals to meet customer expectations and ensure manufacturing accuracy.
• Identify firms abroad which can provide drafting and engineering services to TASSCO and implement within operation.
• Work with customer facing teams to develop an effective feedback loop into our engineered products.
• Participate in Operations Leadership Team’s quarterly planning sessions.

Within your first 12 months, establish a mature design and engineering organization by continually evolving the department’s processes, best practices, use of technology, and interdepartmental collaboration, ultimately improving our customer’s experience.

• Establish department KPI’s that align with revenue, profitability, company goals and objectives, and customer alignment and hold team accountable to these metrics.
• Incorporate engineering production steps into TASSCO ERP software for planning and scheduling visibility.
• Develop & implement a best practice of including manuals, guarding, and safety labeling on engineered industrial equipment.
• Invest in the professional development of TASSCO’s design Engineers through training, mentoring, and guidance.
• Effectively manage the engineering team to leverage strengths of various team members on projects.
• Explore use of scanning / LIDAR software on mobile devices to enhance sales team ability to acquire field data more economically.
• Manage the continued growth and maturity of TASSCO’s product design and engineering department.
• Participate in Operations Leadership Team’s annual planning sessions.

Core Competencies – What We are looking for.

• Strategic Leadership : Develop and communicate a clear engineering vision and strategy aligned with TASSCO's mission and goals. Refine current product design and engineering team into highly functioning organization while balancing strategic product planning with product delivery that creates high customer value and revenue growth.
• Product Development: Oversee the design and development of abrasion and impact-resistant material handling solutions, ensuring precision, reliability, and compatibility with customer requirements, driving innovation to enhance product performance and value.
• Team Management : Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of design engineers and technical professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement, providing guidance and support to empower team members to excel in their roles. Succession Plan in 1–3 year time frames.
• Team Development : Build a cohesive and effective product design and engineering team. Ability to source, select and sell A-players on joining TASSCO’s team.
• Technology and Innovation: Maintain a deep understanding of material handling technologies, industry trends, and best practices, engaging with design and engineering teams in a credible way.
• Project Management: Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of engineering projects, ensuring alignment with timelines, budgets, and customer requirements, implementing effective project management methodologies to optimize project outcomes and customer satisfaction.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure that all design and engineering work complies with applicable industry codes, standards, and regulations to guarantee safety, quality, and reliability in our material handling solutions. Implement quality improvement initiatives to continuously enhance product quality and performance.
• Customer Focus: Embrace and operate with a customer obsession. Collaborate closely with sales, field service, and sales support teams to understand customer needs and develop tailored solutions.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Education: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related field preferred.

Core Required Experience

• 10 years prior experience in a similar engineering leadership role with expertise in material handling and processing.
• 5 years building and leading project teams and/or directly managing.
• Proven ability to drive change and lead organizational transformation initiatives.
• Precision measuring tools experience.
• Knowledge of ERP software.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office: Word, Excel and PowerPoint for documentation and reporting.

Additional, preferred skills may include:

• Experience with Discrete Element Method (DEM) technology.
• Certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP).
• Registered and active Professional Engineer (PE) status.
• Experience with laser scanning technology particularly FARO equipment and software.
• Metallurgical knowledge.
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations and analysis
• Technical drawing experience for sketches & 3D models of structural steel and material handling software like Fusion 360, Inventor, SolidWorks and/or AutoCAD, and 2D drawings in AutoCAD

BENEFITS:

Medical, Dental, & Vision Plans, 401(K) with company match, paid Vacation and Sick Leave days along with eight (8) paid company recognized holidays

TASSCO is an equal opportunity employer