Chief Engineer

Scope of Work

The Chief Engineer (Engineering Manager) will be responsible for the day-to-day Engineering functions of the company, including oversight of and ultimate responsibility for engineering personnel. The responsibilities of the Chief Engineer will include, but not be limited to, administrative, personnel, facilities, and project management tasks. A large component of the Chief Engineer responsibilities will fall under traditional engineering responsibilities.

MSI is an engineering-led company so it is imperative that the Chief Engineer establish and follow good protocol and procedures as the department initiates projects, develops timelines and action items, and creates the structure of work to follow.

Responsibilities

The Chief Engineer will have a number of daily responsibilities and functions, including ensuring that all engineering tasks and action items are completed on-time, within budget and are executed with the highest quality.  

•Manage: Oversee the operations of the Engineering Department. The Chief Engineer will review job/projects with Senior management to ensure feasibility and that the proper personnel are in place from the Engineering Department to complete the work under the Chief Engineer’s guidance and direction. The Chief Engineer will manage the processes of workflow in and out of the engineering department (i.e. work order requests, purchasing requests and invoicing requests). Support proposal development in the form of establishing a technical baseline, technical writing, BOE/Costing, BOM and concept development.   

•Take Direction: Interact with Senior management and take direction. Assist Senior management with its duty to lead the Company.

•Direct: Distribute projects and work assignments to the engineers in the Engineering Department. Create project outlines including action items and calendar of events/milestones which ensure their timely completion. Stays engaged and ensures that the assignments are completed in a timely fashion, at the highest standards of quality.

•Interact: Work with and interact with other Departments and Department Heads to ensure engineering is in-line with the overall effort to complete tasks and work assignments on time and at budget. This includes working closely with the Production Department to ensure high quality products are delivered per the production schedules. It also includes working closely with the Business Development/Sales Department/Capture Team and customers.

•Schedule: Attend meetings for Sales, Management and Production. Ensure communication from these meetings are properly disbursed within the Engineering Department. Support the engineering team to meet schedule, design/gate reviews and key milestones. 

•Personnel: Ensure Engineering Department is properly staffed with knowledgeable engineers and support staff to complete the tasks and assignments of the Department. The Chief Engineer will be working with the HR Department Head on employment issues related to the Engineering Department, including ensuring that the Engineering Department is properly staffed in terms of the number of Engineers (and Support Staff) in the Department and that they all perform at the highest level required by the Company. Additionally, the Chief Engineer will be involved with the maintenance and upkeep of all employee records, the finding of and initial vetting of all new employees, the periodic review of employees in the department, and contributing to managing all documentation and ancillary items of employees, as well as, and the termination of employees when necessary. As part of this role, the Chief Engineer will help grow and groom the next generation of engineering leadership.  

•Oversight: Manage the Engineers and Support Staff of the Department on a regular basis. As needed, coach and provide guidance to the team. 

•System Requirements: Work with the Intuitive ERP system to ensure production work orders contain the correct assemblies to meet the customer’s orders. Use iSolved Payroll system to manage employee’s PTO schedules.

•Labor Accounting: Ensure that all Engineering Department employees are using the Shop Floor Manager system properly to account for time on both customer and R&D projects, which includes ensuring that Expense Work Orders and Standard Work Orders are in the system and accessible.

•Information Sharing: Communicate with and provide oversight and direction to the Engineers to ensure the Engineering Department is led in a cohesive environment and that projects are designed to produce the highest quality product that satisfies the customer’s needs. Interact with the Operations, Inventory, and Production Departments to ensure that each Department can complete the tasks required. Work with the Operations (specifically the Purchasing group) and Inventory Departments to make sure that the correct materials are ordered and accounted for within the Company.

•Policies and Procedures: Work with Senior management to make sure those good policies and procedures are in place for all employees. Have processes and procedures in place, in the Engineering Department, to make sure that suggestions and changes are evaluated and implemented when needed. Continuously identify and implement engineering process improvements along with meaningful metrics to assess overall progress. 

Skills and Qualifications Required

•Minimum of a BS Engineering degree

•Ten+ years of progressively responsible experience in the Engineering field and leadership.

•Personal qualities of grit, integrity, credibility, discretion, and professionalism.

•Proactive, hands-on strategic thinker who will own the responsibility for Engineering duties.

•Solid experience coordinating Engineering activities and reporting to management.

•Technology savvy with experience utilizing and overseeing software systems for Engineering, especially Creo. Experience and proficiency with ancillary systems such as Microsoft Project, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Powerpoint, etc.)

•Highly organized, responsible, proactive and forward looking and thinking.

•Ability to interact with all types of people under pressure (work well with others).

•Keen analytic, organization and problem-solving skills which allow for strategic data interpretation (versus simple reporting).

•Strong interpersonal, presentation and communication skills; experience in effectively communicating key data, including presentations to senior management, Board members, or other outside investors.

•US Citizenship is a requirement.

The Chief Engineer reports to the CTO/VP Engineering. The position requires full time work week spent in the shop/office. Normal hours are Monday – Thursday 7am-4:30pm and Friday 7am-12:00pm. There may be some travel expected as part of the regular duties for this position, but the majority of the time will be spent at the main office. 

Classification

•Position is full-time, Exempt

Benefits 

•401(k) with employer match 

•Dental Insurance 

•Disability Insurance 

•Health Insurance 

•Vision Insurance 

•Paid Parental and Maternity Leave 

•Life Insurance 

•Paid Time Off – 3 weeks per year to start (prorated in first year of employment) 

•Continuing Education 

•Annual Year End Paid Holiday Closure 

MSI Defense Solutions is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to providing a workplace free of any discrimination or harassment.