Global Manager/Global Director, Design Assurance in Product Development

Reporting to our Executive Director of Global Research and Development, this pivotal role is responsible for overseeing design assurance and R&D processes, developing and refining tools and methodologies to support the creation of vital safety products. We seek a transformative leader who will instill a mindset of design excellence within our development teams and advance our understanding of design rationale and methodologies.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Serve as a culture-impacting leader in Design Assurance within R&D at MSA.
• Embed Quality within the Engineering discipline – “We own Quality.” Act as a standard bearer for Quality in everything we do at MSA R&D, ensuring adherence to our Quality Management System (QMS) and facilitating or contributing to the design process.
• Champion the development and deployment of systems and tools to drive innovation and further MSA's design assurance mindset.
• Recommend and implement organizational structural changes to meet design assurance goals and objectives.

Design Process Management:

• Collaborate with global engineering discipline leaders to ensure:
• Training and skillset expectations are in place, with adequate training programs available.
• Design review methodologies and processes exist and are being followed.
• ISO procedures adequately document our design assurance-related activities.
• Cross-functional collaboration with supplier and internal quality groups to ensure seamless handoffs of new product launches or enhancements.
• Own the New Product Development (NPD) process and R&D governance structure.
• Lead NPD process continuous improvement efforts, including updating and modernizing the current process.
• Oversee training and training requirements for R&D associates to execute on a design assurance strategy.

Governance:

• Standardize design assurance practices across global design centers.
• Audit and provide governance to development teams in design assurance tools and the NPD process.

Continuous Improvement:

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in design assurance to enhance efficiency and quality through tools and process enhancements.

What Sets You Apart (Experience):

• Recognized as a strong technical contributor to R&D activities
• Strong technical and problem-solving background with experience in Design for Six Sigma, applied statistics, and lean methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to lead team activities and act as a coach to a broad R&D organization with varying levels of experience in Design Assurance.
• Possess a growth mindset, providing a positive influence to teams as they navigate new challenges and unearth new opportunities to delight our customers with innovative, best-in-class safety products.
• Experience in the development and verification of complex hardware and software products.
• Able and willing to support global teams through strong communication skills and willingness to travel up to 30%.

Education and Years of Experience:

Education (Required):

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering/sciences.

Education (Preferred):

• MBA

Senior Manager:

• Level two: At least 10 years of relevant experience required. At least 3 of these years should include experience in new product development/engineering project management.
• MS degree may be substituted for up to 2 years of relevant experience; PhD may be substituted for up to 4 years.

Director:

• 15 years of professional experience, including engineering and new product development, from concept through complete life cycle.
• MS in Engineering Discipline or MBA. Advanced degree can be substituted for 2 years’ experience.