Director of Engineering

CONFIDENTIAL CAREER OPPORTUNITY
Senior Engineering Manager
Robotics & Automation Manufacturing

Global Robotics Manufacturer | Greater Philadelphia, PA | $160K–$200K Base + Bonus

THE HOOK
You already know how to spot a bad design before it costs someone six figures. The question is whether anyone above you is actually listening. A robotics and automation manufacturer, now backed by one of the largest names in global robotics, is looking for someone to lead an 18-person engineering organization and be the final word on design before it ships. Full authority. A direct line to the top.

ROLE AT A GLANCE
Title: Senior Engineering Manager
Reports To: Managing Director, US CEO
Location: Greater Philadelphia, PA (on-site)
Travel: 5%, essentially none
Structure: 18-person engineering organization, run through 2 direct managers (Controls, Mechanical)

THE COMPANY
Our client designs and builds custom robotic and automation systems for manufacturers who can't afford downtime, engineered in-house from first concept through commissioning.

The company recently became part of a global robotics organization, pairing decades of hands-on manufacturing credibility with the resources of one of the largest robotics players in the world. Most shops this size don't have that kind of backing. Most companies with that kind of backing don't have this kind of hands-on engineering culture.

Robotics is one of the fastest growing corners of manufacturing right now, and this company is growing faster than the market around it.

"Robotics is a hot industry, and we're growing even faster than the market around us." — Managing Director

WHAT YOU'LL OWN

• Final say on every design review across the engineering organization, with the authority to kill a bad concept before it becomes a costly rework

• An 18-person engineering team, run through two direct managers, one controls, one mechanical

• The scheduling system that tells every engineer what they're on, how long they have, and where to get help before a project is at risk

• The concepting process for new automation challenges, leading staff engineers straight from customer requirement to solution

• The mentorship practices that turn a good engineering team into one that gets faster on every project after the last one

THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE
Base Salary: $160,000 to $180,000, up to $200,000 for the right experience
Bonus: Up to 20% of base salary, split 50/50 between individual performance (MBOs) and company performance
Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision insurance. $0/month for employee-only coverage, about $300/month for family coverage
Additional Coverage: Life insurance, long-term disability, and a 401(k) retirement plan
Time Off: 15 days of flexible paid time off plus nine paid holidays

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
If you can look at a design and know instantly what won't work, and you're tired of watching deadlines slip because nobody owns the schedule, this was written for you.

• Hands-on machine design experience, with the judgment to run a design review and catch what everyone else misses

• Real project management skill, someone who builds a schedule and holds it, not just tracks one

• Working fluency in both mechanical and electrical/controls design, enough to speak both languages credibly

• A mentor, not a dictator, who takes ownership when something goes wrong instead of assigning blame

• Bonus: Solidworks fluency, and exposure to food or pharmaceutical manufacturing environments

THE PATH FORWARD
The first 90 days are about establishing control: getting every engineer's schedule visible, setting design direction, and making good engineering practice the standard instead of the exception. That is the mandate leadership hands you on day one.

Twelve months in, success looks like a team that hits its deadlines and builds systems that get reused instead of rebuilt from scratch. From there, the path runs toward broader platform strategy, working directly with senior leadership on where the company's engineering capability goes next as the business scales inside a much larger global organization.

THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

1. HR Screen (30 minutes) — with the HR Manager, covering logistics and mutual fit

2. Technical & Leadership Interviews (two 1-hour conversations) — with the Director of Project Management and the Managing Director, going deep on design philosophy and team leadership

3. Executive Interview (1 hour) — with the company's global CEO, on strategic direction and long-term fit

READY TO LEARN MORE?
This is a confidential conversation. No resume required to start, no commitment either way. If it's not a fit, no one will ever know we talked.

Contact: Jay Veniard, VenTech Search
Email: jay@ventechsearch.com | ventechsearch.com