Director of Product Engineering

Description

The Body Art Alliance (BAA) is at the forefront of innovation, creating the tools and products to better serve our artists. From the first truly wireless tattoo machine, to the groundbreaking novel tattoo parlor on a cruise ship, BAA has cultivated the industry and been the “first of many.” We are dreamers, artists, creatives, innovators and pioneers, driven to propel the body art community across the world.  

We’re here to elevate, empower and take our industry to the next level. Our family of brands will continue to be led by their day one founders and continue to create and oversee our innovative product lines. While we are better united, our brands will always have that special touch that makes them unique. Our new partnership will allow us to create, design and manufacture products, create best-in-class educational content that transcends, and have a direct social impact in the communities we serve.  

The Body Art Alliance welcomes you home! Discover all that we offer and join our winning team. 

About The Role:

BAA is seeking an experienced and visionary Director of Product Engineering to lead and develop our dynamic internal and external team of engineers and stakeholders in delivering innovative and high-quality tattoo and permanent makeup products, initially focused on tattoo & permanent makeup machines, expanding into inks and accessories, and then into body jewelry. As the Director of Product Engineering, you will be responsible for overseeing the entire product engineering lifecycle, from conceptualization to deployment. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including marketing, sales, operations, and quality, to ensure the successful execution of our product roadmap.

Essential Skills and Experience
 

Immediate Needs:

• Finalize the transition of in-sourced manufacturing and assembling of legacy tattoo machines to out-sourced model manufacturing and assembling tattoo machines
• Develop, define, and deploy criteria for quality inspections of five core product families
• Partner with supply chain to ensure a proper supply plan against anticipated demand for both buy parts and manufactured parts for both legacy and new machines. Fully transition to supply chain team once stable condition is achieved
• Identify and transition to a lower cost contract manufacturer for machined parts
• Finalize the product engineering and development through leadership of our innovation partner and internal team for two core machines going to market in Q2 of 2025.
• Launch and lead 2026 Product Engineering Roadmap in partnership with Director of Product under Marketing
• Establish an engineering operating system (NPDI) to drive standardization across the development process and the organization

Team Leadership and Management:

• Lead, mentor, and inspire both an internal and external team of engineers and stakeholders, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Work closely with Marketing and Product Managers to define and translate product aesthetic and functional envelope into design requirements and requirement flow down
• Recruit, onboard, and retain top talent, ensuring the team has the skills and resources needed to succeed.
• Manage and oversee external engineering agencies, contract manufacturers, operational partners, and manufacturers to execute on the product roadmap from product development to successful deployment of the product in the market
• Set clear goals and objectives and operating and financial KPIs and provide regular feedback and performance evaluations to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Clearly define objectives and goals with KPI’s in place for operation and financial criteria.  Monitors and regularly reports on performance with with internal and external stakeholders.
   

Technical Strategy And Execution

• Define and drive the technical vision and roadmap for our products or services, aligning with company goals and objectives.
• Oversee the design, development, and implementation of scalable and robust engineering solutions, ensuring alignment with best practices ,industry standards and regulatory requirements.  Experience in ISO 9001 and Advanced Quality Product Planning (APQP) are a must.
• Constantly explore and evaluate  new technologies and tools, and make recommendations for adoption to enhance efficiency, performance, and innovation.
   

Project Management

• Manage engineering projects from  initiation to delivery with accountability to development stage-gate process & requirements, ensuring on-time and within-budget execution.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams, including marketing, sales, design, operations, and quality, to prioritize and execute engineering initiatives.
• Monitor project progress, identify risks and issues, and implement mitigation strategies as needed.

Quality Assurance and Testing

• Establish and maintain rigorous quality standards, processes and documentation for development, testing, continuous improvement and robust design. Implement automated testing frameworks and tools to ensure the capability, reliability, scalability, and security of our products or services.
• Conduct product reviews and performance optimizations to maintain high-quality.
   

Collaboration And Communication

• Collaborate closely with stakeholders across the organization, including product management, sales, marketing, and customer support, to understand requirements and priorities.
• Communicate effectively with executive leadership, providing regular updates on engineering initiatives, progress, and challenges.
•  Exercise organizational leadership as the technical subject matter expert who proactively communicates both internally and externally, representing the engineering team and promoting a culture of innovation and excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical  Engineering or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Must have consumer products experience and ideally has experience in recognized Consumer Products businesses with world-class design, development, and go to market processes.
• Must have experience with Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Design for Manufacturing (DFM), manufacturing techniques and processes, including: CNC machining, plastic injection molding, casting, assembly and electro-mechanical devices
• 12 years of comprehensive experience including, R&D, product development, and product engineering, with 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record of successfully leading and delivering complex engineering projects from conception to launch
• Deep understanding of product development methodologies, tools, and best practices
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams
• Ability to develop and create organizational structure as the design process improves
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities, with a strategic mindset and a focus on results
• Experience working in or with gaming or interactive, handheld consumer products is a plus

Qualifications