Director of Product Development & Engineering

Director of Product Development & Engineering

Our Client:

Our client is a well-established and highly regarded firearms manufacturer known for their commitment to quality engineering, and exceptional craftsmanship. They first made their mark on the industry with expertly crafted handguns and have since expanded their portfolio to include other semi-auto pistols, revolvers, and precision rifles, maintaining their benchmark for quality and performance from inception to the present day. They continue to explore opportunities to diversify into new product categories to better serve their diverse customer base, including law enforcement, competitive shooters, hunters, and prepared citizens. If you value a strong company culture and a supportive work environment, this opportunity will not disappoint.

The Opportunity:

Our client is seeking a driven, experienced, and highly skilled Director of Product Development and Engineering to spearhead their design, engineering, and testing initiatives at their state of the art facility in the Southern US. The ideal candidate will have at least 20 years of experience in product design, development, and manufacturing in the firearms industry, with 15 or more of those years being in a leadership capacity. This person should also be an avid firearms user and enthusiast. This role calls for a proven leader, with a demonstrated ability to manage and develop teams consisting of Engineers, Machinists/Technicians, while continuing to drive innovation, and maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety. This is an exceptional and rare opportunity to apply your technical expertise and leadership skills with a company known for its precision, reliability, craftsmanship, and innovation in the firearms industry.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary, lucrative compensation programs with incentives
• Excellent cost of living advantage
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• 401K
• Generous relocation assistance
• PTO
• Direct access to the excellent leadership throughout the organization
• Spearheading the R&D of this highly esteemed manufacturer

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Embrace, uphold, and ensure compliance with the core values and morals of the company, positively contributing to the culture.
• Manage multiple concurrent engineering projects, ensuring they meet timing, quality, and cost objectives.
• Build, lead, and manage the engineering organization, including directing external engineering teams.
• Manage 3–5 management level direct reports, and a team of up to 20 Engineers, Technicians, and support staff.
• Develop and manage the annual operating plan and budget, maintaining viable contingency plans.
• Continually showcase a legitimate passion for firearms
• Ensure products are designed and produced in a way that optimizes cost efficiency, quality, and ease of manufacturing, with minimal waste.
• Oversee material selection and manufacturing processes to enhance enterprise-wide efficiency and product reliability.
• Drive collaboration with operations, suppliers, and assembly teams to confirm designs align with manufacturing capabilities and constraints.
• Lead and direct the Product Engineering team to ensure that GD&T principles are applied, and to ensure fit and function while meeting cost, time, and manufacturability goals.
• Implement design for manufacturability (DFM) best practices from the concept stage.
• Analyze manufacturing feedback to address production issues, improve design efficiency, quality, and customer warranty reduction.
• Support manufacturing, quality management, and procurement with product-related inquiries.
• Encourage and remain receptive to product improvement ideas from all levels of the organization.
• Stay abreast of industry and market trends and competitor products; attend and participate in trade shows as required.
• Keep the company informed of key technologies and recommend strategic advantages by way of investments.
• Ensure that Engineers stay updated on current technologies and certifications.
• Lead by example, set high standards for excellence, work with passion, and a sense of urgency.
• Provide clear communication, coaching, and development to enhance team performance.
• Develop and implement a long-term organizational plan to increase department responsiveness.
• Leverage assets and resources to drive meaningful product growth through both innovation and iteration.
• Collaborate effectively with other members of leadership to balance and achieve company goals.
• Support sales and business development efforts as needed.
• Engage with industry organizations and standards committees to stay informed of industry developments.

Qualifications:

• Must have 20 years of experience in the firearms industry in the areas of product design, product development, build, qualification, and certification; at least 15 of those years must be management experience.
• Must have a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Must be well steeped in firearms, preferably with experience in a multitude of product segments/weapon systems, and must be an avid user, and passionate about firearms.
• Must be knowledgeable in SAAMI procedures and specs for firearms product development, testing, and validation.
• Must be intimately familiar with 3D CAD software, and analysis tools, preferably SolidWorks
• Must have excellent time management skills, with the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines in a fast paced and seasonal environment.
• Must have a deep understanding of CNC machining and must be successful in designing for manufacturability in the firearms industry.
• This person must have strong project and program management skills to deliver projects on time and within budget.
• Must have stellar design instincts, the ability to function as the Chief Engineer, earning and commanding the respect of the Engineering team, and other coworkers.
• Must be technologically savvy, and be proficient in Microsoft Office products, and ERP systems.