Director of Engineering

JOB TITLE: DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY: Lead Future Form’s Sales Engineering function across all locations, owning the quoting, estimating, and design-for-manufacturability process that converts customer drawings and RFQs into accurate, profitable, on-time quotes and production-ready orders. Sets departmental strategy, standards, KPIs, and staffing; develops the Sales Engineer I-III team; and partners with Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality to protect margin, grow revenue, and ensure jobs are released to the floor right the first time.

CORE VALUES: The following list of Core Values and Behaviors are necessary to meet the minimum requirements:

TEAMWORK

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

LEAN

NUMBERS FOCUSED

EXCELLENCE

FUN

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES:

Essential

• Lead, hire, develop, and manage the Sales Engineering team (Sales Engineer I, II, III) across all Future Form locations, including goal setting, performance reviews, and career progression
• Lead the NPI (new product introduction) team
• Set strategy, priorities, and staffing levels for quoting and estimating aligned with company growth goals; present plans and results to the President/CEO
• Own the end-to-end RFQ-to-order process: intake, review, estimating, pricing, quote delivery, follow-up, and order entry
• Establish and maintain estimating standards, labor rates, material usage models, and pricing guidelines; ensure consistency across sites
• Review and approve quotes above defined dollar, complexity, or margin thresholds before release to customers
• Define, track, and report department KPIs (quote turnaround time, win/hit rate, quoted vs. actual margin, order accuracy, change order response time)
• Lead quoted-vs-actual reviews with Operations and Finance to identify and correct margin erosion on new and repeat jobs
• Drive design for manufacturability (DFM) and cost reduction with customers and internal teams, partnering with Manufacturing Engineering
• Partner with Sales leadership on account strategy, new business development, pricing decisions, and key customer meetings
• Serve as senior technical point of contact for customers on complex quotes, design reviews, and engineering changes
• Oversee customer change order management and engineering change documentation; ensure changes are released to production accurately and quickly
• Ensure orders released to production include complete, accurate information (drawings, routings, materials, outside processes)
• Coordinate with Supply Chain on material and outside-process pricing; establish supplier price inquiry standards
• Lead new job and new product kick-off meetings with Production, Quality, and Supply Chain
• Develop standard work and a formal, documented training program for the Sales Engineering career ladder
• Evaluate and implement quoting, estimating, and CAD tools and ERP improvements to increase speed and accuracy; partner with the Director of Technology on systems

• Manage department budget and resource planning
• Travel between Future Form locations and to customer sites as needed
• Maintain the responsibilities of the ISO 9001 system in accordance with the requirements defined in the Quality Manual, and Procedure Level documentation
• Participate actively and positively in Lean activities
• Other duties as assigned

REPORTS TO: President

WORKS WITH: Customers, vendors, Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Director of Technology, Future Form Team Members at all locations

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Follow all OSHA safety regulations and those set by Future Form.

REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Essential

• 10+ years of experience in precision sheet metal, fabrication, or related manufacturing, including quoting/estimating and engineering
• 5+ years leading engineering, estimating, or technical teams, including hiring, coaching, and performance management
• Expert understanding of sheet metal fabrication processes (laser, punch, press brake, welding, machining, powder coat, hardware insertion, assembly) and their cost drivers
• Proven ability to build or improve a quoting/estimating process with measurable gains in turnaround, accuracy, and margin
• Strong financial acumen: cost modeling, margin analysis, pricing strategy, and labor/material standards
• Advanced blueprint reading, GD&T, and 2-D drawing standards
• SolidWorks experience – design, modeling, and drawing creation; ability to review and approve team work
• Ability to communicate technical and commercial information clearly to customers, executives, and shop floor teams
• Ability to influence at all levels and lead cross-functional problem solving
• Strong computer skills, i.e.: Excel, Word, Outlook, ERP systems
• Organizational skills and ability to manage multiple, changing priorities under deadline pressure
• Take actions to set up/enable other team members for success
• Attention to professionalism in the workplace
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or related technical field (equivalent progressive experience considered)
• Experience in data center enclosure, electrical enclosure, or rack/cabinet manufacturing
• Experience leading a team across multiple sites
• Experience with ERP quoting/estimating modules (e.g., NetSuite) and quoting software implementation
• Lean / Six Sigma training or certification
• Familiarity with sheet metal nesting and CAM software

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF POSITION:

Sit 70%, Stand 10%, Walk 15%, Drive 5%.

Maximum (minutes): Sit 336, Stand 48, Walk 72, Drive 24.

Must have normal vision (with or without corrective lenses) and hearing (with or without corrective hearing aids).

Working Environment: Office environment with regular time on the shop floor. Light noise level in the office, ranging to moderate noise level in the shop. Occasional exposure to dust, heat and cold. Regular travel between Future Form locations and occasional travel to customer sites.

This position will require drug testing per policy.