Vice President of Engineering
The Headhunters Recruitment
About the role
Position Overview
We are seeking a highly capable and hands-on Vice President of Engineering to lead our engineering team and drive execution across new product development, sustaining engineering, and engineering change management. This role requires a leader with 12+ years of experience in product development environments, a strong track record of managing engineering teams, and the ability to align engineering priorities with business goals.
The ideal candidate brings strong leadership in managing cross-functional engineering teams that include mechanical, electronics, electrical, and firmware disciplines. This person must be able to lead from the front, build structure, improve accountability, and deliver products from concept through commercialization. This is a hands-on leadership role with a strategic approach, suited for someone who can grow the team, strengthen development processes, and support long-term business growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage a team of 6 engineers with the ability to scale the team as business needs grow.
- Oversee the full product development lifecycle, including concept development, design, prototyping, testing, validation, launch, and continuous improvement.
- Lead both innovation and sustaining engineering efforts across the product portfolio.
- Provide cross-functional engineering leadership across mechanical, electronics, electrical, and firmware development.
- Build a high-performance engineering culture focused on accountability, collaboration, execution, and practical innovation.
- Align engineering deliverables with company strategy, customer requirements, operations needs, and commercial objectives.
- Support product reliability, cost reduction, manufacturability, and product quality improvements
- Work closely with leadership, sales, operations, supply chain and service teams to ensure engineering supports broader business goals.
- Implement and improve engineering processes, KPIs, and development discipline across the organization.
- Implement PLM software and process to improve workflow, data accuracy, product documentation, and change control.
- Support compliance and certification requirements for products used in hazardous and regulated environments.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required
- 12+ years of progressive engineering experience in a product development environment.
- Proven experience managing engineering teams and delivering results that support business growth.
- Strong experience leading mostly individual contributors.
- Demonstrated success leading teams through new product development and taking products from concept to commercialization.
- Strong background in product development, sustaining engineering, and engineering change management.
- Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams across mechanical, electronics, electrical, and firmware.
- Strong understanding of structured engineering execution, accountability, and business-driven prioritization
- Experience with ERP / PLM process integration
- Experience working in oil and gas and/or industrial manufacturing environments
- Strong communication and organizational leadership skills
- Able to operate as a hands-on leader while maintaining a strategic, business-focused approach
- Regulatory and Industry Requirements
- Experience with the following will be required:
- Regulatory compliance for hazardous area classification CSA & UL. API standards related to pumps
- IECEx certification
- ATEX certification
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with industrial controls or automation systems
- Working knowledge of electronics and embedded systems
- Experience improving product reliability and field performance
- Familiarity with design for manufacturability, validation, and product lifecycle best practices
What Success Looks Like
- Engineering delivers products and projects in line with business goals.
- New product development is predictable, disciplined, and effective.
- The team grows in capability, accountability, and output.
- Products move efficiently from concept to commercialization.
- Engineering continues to be a strong driver of growth, product quality, and competitive advantage
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada. Only candidates selected to move forward in the hiring process will be contacted.
Skills
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