ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Director Engineering Jobs in Tennessee (NOW HIRING)

Vanguard Soap

Director, Engineering

Memphis, TN · On-site

Director Of Engineering, Maintenance & Reliability Location: Memphis, TN Department: Operations Reports To: CEO / COO Position Summary Vanguard Soap is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director of ...

Vanguard Soap

Director, Engineering

Memphis, TN · On-site

Director Of Engineering, Maintenance & Reliability Location: Memphis, TN Department: Operations Reports To: CEO / COO Position Summary Vanguard Soap is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director of ...

Vanguard Soap

Director, Engineering

Memphis, TN · On-site

Director Of Engineering, Maintenance & Reliability Location: Memphis, TN Department: Operations Reports To: CEO / COO Position Summary Vanguard Soap is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director of ...

Wealth Access

Director Software Engineering

Nashville, TN · On-site

$244K/yr

Director Engineering Nashville, TN | Full-Time | Reports to CTO The Role Wealth Access is hiring a Director of Engineering to lead engineering execution across our application platform, data ...

Wealth Access

Director Software Engineering

Nashville, TN · On-site

$244K/yr

Director Engineering Nashville, TN | Full-Time | Reports to CTO The Role Wealth Access is hiring a Director of Engineering to lead engineering execution across our application platform, data ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsEngineering JobsDirector Engineering JobsDirector Engineering Jobs in Tennessee

Director Engineering information

What does a Director of Engineering do?

A Director of Engineering oversees the engineering department within an organization, leading teams of engineers and managers to deliver high-quality products or projects. They are responsible for setting technical direction, managing budgets, and aligning engineering goals with the company’s overall strategy. Their role involves collaborating with other departments, mentoring staff, and ensuring that engineering processes are efficient and effective. Directors of Engineering also play a key role in hiring, resource allocation, and fostering innovation within their teams.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Director of Engineering, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Director of Engineering, you need a solid background in engineering principles, leadership experience, and typically a relevant degree in engineering or computer science. Familiarity with project management software, development frameworks, and certification in Agile or similar methodologies are often expected. Exceptional communication, strategic thinking, and team mentorship skills set outstanding candidates apart. These competencies are crucial for driving technical excellence, aligning teams with business goals, and ensuring successful project delivery.

How does a Director of Engineering typically collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive project success?

A Director of Engineering regularly works with cross-functional teams such as product management, design, and quality assurance to align engineering efforts with business objectives. This collaboration often involves participating in strategic planning meetings, setting priorities, and ensuring open communication channels between departments. Directors of Engineering also play a key role in resolving roadblocks, mediating technical discussions, and fostering a culture of teamwork to deliver projects on time and within scope. Their leadership helps ensure that engineering solutions effectively address user needs and business goals.
What are the most commonly searched types of Engineering jobs in Tennessee? The most popular types of Engineering jobs in Tennessee are:
What are popular job titles related to Director Engineering jobs in Tennessee? For Director Engineering jobs in Tennessee, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Director Engineering jobs in Tennessee look for? The top searched job categories for Director Engineering jobs in Tennessee are:
What cities in Tennessee are hiring for Director Engineering jobs? Cities in Tennessee with the most Director Engineering job openings:
Director Engineering jobs near you
Infographic showing various Director Engineering job openings in Tennessee as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 12% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution.

Director, Engineering

Vanguard Soap

Memphis, TN • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted yesterday

Job description

Job Title: Director Of Engineering, Maintenance & Reliability Location: Memphis, TN Department: Operations Reports To: CEO / COO
Position Summary
Vanguard Soap is seeking a strategic, hands-on Director of Engineering, Maintenance & Reliability to lead the engineering, maintenance, and asset reliability functions across our industrial operations. This leader owns the performance, uptime, and longevity of the plant's equipment and facility infrastructure - maximizing asset reliability, minimizing unplanned downtime, and ensuring production capacity scales with rapid growth.
The role pairs deep reliability and process engineering expertise with strong maintenance leadership and disciplined capital project execution. The ideal candidate is a builder who can mature a reactive maintenance environment into a proactive, reliability-centered operation - implementing modern preventive and predictive maintenance systems, leading capital and automation projects, and developing a high-performing team of engineers, technicians, and planners.
Vanguard's manufacturing campus spans 14 acres and produces 40-50 million pounds of product annually with a team of more than 100 employees.
Key Responsibilities
ASSET RELIABILITY & MAINTENANCE EXCELLENCE
  • Build and lead a world-class maintenance organization spanning preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance across all production lines.
  • Implement and optimize a CMMS to drive PM compliance, work-order discipline, and data-driven maintenance decisions.
  • Establish reliability programs - Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) - to eliminate recurring failures and chronic downtime.
  • Drive measurable improvement in core reliability metrics, including OEE, MTBF, MTTR, and unplanned downtime.
  • Own MRO and critical-spares strategy to balance equipment availability against inventory cost.

ENGINEERING & CAPITAL PROJECTS
  • Lead process, project, and facilities engineering across all production lines and plant utilities.
  • Own the full capital project lifecycle: justification, design, procurement, installation, commissioning, and startup.
  • Evaluate and deploy automation, new equipment, and technology to expand capacity, efficiency, and reliability.
  • Manage equipment specification, vendor selection, and contractor execution for plant and facility projects.
  • Maintain facility infrastructure, utilities, and building systems to support safe, reliable operations.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT & OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
  • Partner with Operations to improve line efficiency, throughput, and asset utilization.
  • Apply Lean, Six Sigma, and TPM methodologies to reduce downtime, waste, and defects at the source.
  • Develop engineering and maintenance standards, SOPs, and documentation to ensure repeatability.
  • Use data and dashboards to prioritize improvement work and demonstrate ROI on reliability investments.

SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL & COMPLIANCE
  • Champion a zero-incident safety culture across all engineering and maintenance activities.
  • Ensure equipment and facility compliance with OSHA, EPA, and applicable environmental regulations.
  • Own critical safety systems, including lockout/tagout, machine guarding, and contractor safety.
  • Lead risk assessments, audits, and incident investigations with a prevention-first focus.
  • Support GMP and FDA compliance for equipment, utilities, and facility infrastructure.

LEADERSHIP & TEAM DEVELOPMENT
  • Lead, coach, and develop a team of engineers, maintenance technicians, planners, and supervisors.
  • Build organizational capability and bench strength to scale with company growth.
  • Own the engineering and maintenance budget, balancing cost, reliability, and capital priorities.
  • Serve as a key member of the operations leadership team and contribute to overall business strategy.
  • Drive accountability, performance management, and a culture of ownership.
KEY CAPABILITIES
  • Reliability Leadership: Proven ability to mature maintenance from reactive to predictive and reliability centered.
  • Engineering & Technical Acumen: Strong process, mechanical, and project engineering expertise.
  • Capital Project Execution: Track record delivering capital and automation projects on time and on budget.
  • Maintenance Systems: Hands-on CMMS implementation and data-driven maintenance management.
  • Continuous Improvement: Deep Lean, Six Sigma, and TPM expertise applied to asset performance.
  • People Leadership: Ability to attract, develop, and retain high-performing technical teams.
  • Business Acumen: Connects reliability and capital decisions to cost, capacity, and P&L impact.
QUALIFICATIONS
  • 10+ years of progressive engineering, maintenance, and/or reliability leadership in manufacturing.
  • Prior experience as Director or Manager of Engineering, Maintenance, Reliability, or Plant Engineering.
  • Demonstrated success implementing preventive/predictive maintenance and reliability programs.
  • Hands-on experience with CMMS platforms and reliability metrics (OEE, MTBF, MTTR).
  • Track record leading capital projects, automation, and equipment installations.
  • Experience in personal care, chemical, CPG, food, or contract manufacturing strongly preferred.
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or Electrical) required.
  • Preferred: Advanced degree (MBA or Master's in Engineering) and/or CMRP certification.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
  • Strong knowledge of GMP, FDA, OSHA, and environmental regulatory standards.
  • Experience supporting multi-shift maintenance coverage in a high-volume production environment.
  • Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, high-growth environment.

Apply