Director Program Engineering

REPORTS TO: Vice President of Engineering

SUPERVISES: Program Engineering and Project Engineering Staff

Authorities / Responsibilities

The Director Program Engineering is responsible for leading and overseeing complex engineering programs across the company’s broad portfolio of U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Military Sealift Command programs.

• Serves as a key advisor to executive leadership, providing strategic guidance and consultation on win strategies, technical approaches, and technology differentiators for high-priority programs.
• The position interfaces directly with high ranking military and DoD customers.
• Primary technical leader for the new construction portfolio from concept through delivery
• Strategic technical leader on critical activities, including but not limited to: Technical Review Board (TRB), Technical Exchange Meetings (TEM), Configuration Control Board (CCB), Program Management Review (PMR), and Risk & Opportunity Board.
• Works across the program portfolio to address and resolve critical ship design challenges.
• Drives continuous improvement initiatives, in engineering processes, tools, and cross-program technical reviews.
• Champion long term strategic technical objectives within new construction programs.
• Develops integrated management plans by analyzing work scope, developing budget and schedule targets, assessing technical risks, preparing alternative technical strategies, communicating technical guidance, and determining required program skill mix and resources.
• Develops trusted partnerships with customers and stakeholders
• Provide leadership to overcome complex technical challenges
• Recruits, interviews, hires, trains, and develops new program engineering leadership, individuals who will be the designated technical leader on each program.
• Administers performance evaluations and coaching for subordinates.
• Manages subcontract resources either assigned in-house or through outsource work assignments. Reviews work being performed to ensure that consistent performance is attained in developing Engineering work products.
• Fosters unit cohesion. Facilitates and leads technical and design problem solving discussions.
• Assists in negotiation of technical and design issues with customers
  
  

Qualifications / Knowledge / Experience

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in engineering or other Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline with 14 years of related experience OR Master of Science (MS) in engineering or STEM discipline with at least 12 years of related experience.
• Minimum 14 years shipbuilding design and construction experience
• Demonstrated leadership experience in an environment that has a high degree of complex systems integration across a broad supply base.
• Strong knowledge of ship design process and proven experience successfully leading multi-disciplinary teams throughout the process.
• Disciplined cost management experience gained from leading technical requirements within fixed price contracts.
• Demonstrate a sense of urgency and ownership
• Ability to lead teams to overcome complex technical challenges and influence key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated collaborative leadership style, strong technical skills, and highly effective communication skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic organization and effectively partner across organizational lines to achieve goals and objectives
• Progressive engineering experience required, including some at a supervisory level or higher.
• In-depth knowledge of ship design and construction practices, government and commercial contracting principles, American Bureau of Shipping Rules, and US Coast Guard and Navy requirements as they apply to marine systems.
• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate technical and design issues to external and internal customers, as well as subordinates. Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
• Requires demonstrated abilities to plan, organize, lead and control assigned work scope.
• Pro-active leadership style required, with a strong ability to plan ahead, anticipate challenges, facilitate strategies, manage conflict, and provide effective counsel to customer and others within the Company.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree(s) in Business/Management and/or Engineering
• Experience with program management, including earned value management, schedule and resource management, customer management, and scope management.
• Experience with systems engineering including technical performance management, risk and opportunity management, requirements management, configuration and change management and systems integration.
• Experience with advanced ship design and digital engineering technology such as Product Lifecycle Management.
  
  

Tools

N/A

Direction Exercised

As required by Executive Management.

Discretion Exercised

As required by Executive Management.

Liases With

Internal and External Customers, as required.

Additional Guidelines

Candidates must meet the following employment eligibility guidelines to be considered for employment with Austal USA:

• 18 years of age or older at time of application
• Able to provide proof of US Person Status
• No felony convictions of Theft/Deception or Violent crimes within seven years from disposition date
• No felony convictions of Drug crimes within three years from disposition date
• Willing to submit to a drug screen
• Willing to submit to a background check
• Candidates for this position must be able to obtain and maintain required Security Clearance.
  
  

Equal Employment Commitment

Any qualified individual with a disability who is having difficulty in completing an application because of incompatible technology or other disability-related application issues may contact us at the following phone number for assistance: 251-445-1932.

Austal shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR

• 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a) and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability. Austal’s commitment to equal employment opportunity applies at all levels of employment, in all job titles, including the executive level, and to all employment actions, including but not limited to decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion.