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Director Of Engineering Jobs in Madison, WI (NOW HIRING)

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Director Of Engineering information

See Madison, WI salary details

$73.6K

$196.2K

$255.9K

How much do director of engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for director of engineering in Madison, WI is $196,194.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $142,600.00 and $254,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a director of engineering do?

A director of engineering is the head of the engineering team or department. This is a leadership position in upper management, but unlike other director roles, the director or engineering plays an active part in the development of a project. They work with their team of engineers to set goals, plan projects, build a timeline, and stay within budget. Their duties and responsibilities also include project management, hiring new team members, presenting budgets and plans to other departments, and meeting with upper-level management.

What does a director of engineering do?

A Director of Engineering is responsible for overseeing the engineering department of a company, ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget. They lead and mentor engineering teams, set technical direction, and collaborate with other departments to align engineering goals with overall business objectives. Additionally, they are involved in hiring, resource allocation, process improvement, and the implementation of best practices to drive innovation and operational excellence.

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 strong leadership abilities, deep technical expertise in engineering principles, and typically a degree in engineering or a related field. Familiarity with project management tools, software development methodologies, and experience with technical architecture or cloud platforms is common. Exceptional communication, strategic thinking, and team-building skills help foster collaboration and drive organizational goals. These skills and qualities are crucial for aligning engineering efforts with business objectives and delivering high-impact solutions.

What are some common challenges faced by a director of engineering, and how can candidates prepare to address them?

Directors of Engineering often navigate challenges such as aligning technical teams with business objectives, managing cross-functional collaboration, and balancing short-term deliverables with long-term strategic planning. Candidates can prepare by developing strong communication skills, gaining experience with organizational change management, and staying current on industry best practices. Additionally, fostering a culture of innovation and empathy within teams can help address common hurdles and ensure sustained team performance.

How much does a director of engineering earn?

A director of engineering typically earns between $120,000 and $200,000 annually, with salaries varying based on industry, company size, location, and experience. Senior roles may include bonuses, stock options, and other benefits, especially in tech and large corporations.

What are the most commonly searched types of Of Engineering jobs in Madison, WI?

The most popular types of Of Engineering jobs in Madison, WI are:

What are popular job titles related to Director Of Engineering jobs in Madison, WI?

For Director Of Engineering jobs in Madison, WI, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What cities near Madison, WI are hiring for Director Of Engineering jobs?

Cities near Madison, WI with the most Director Of Engineering job openings:

Infographic showing various Director Of Engineering job openings in Madison, WI as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 7% Part Time, 4% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $196,224 per year, or $94.3 per hour.

Director of Engineering & Chief Engineer - Recycling

Janesville, WI โ€ข On-site

SHINE Technologies, LLC
Clean Energy Servicesย โ€ขย 201 - 500 employees

$175K - $225K/yr

Full-time

Posted 27 days ago


Job description

Description:

SHINE is seeking the engineering leader for our used nuclear fuel (UNF) Recycling product line. The US has more than 95,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel and nowhere to put it. The Director of Engineering & Chief Engineer - Recycling leads the engineering necessary to turn it back into energy: both building the team and carrying a nuclear process design from preliminary stage through detailed design, NRC licensing, procurement, and construction. The process, liquid-liquid separation, has been commercialized before, but we are integrating new technologies to improve proliferation resistance and maximize recovery.


The person in this role is responsible for building and leading the core Recycling engineering team. They will own hiring, development and performance for the engineers and discipline leads who design the facility, and set the technical standard to which it works. This leader attracts senior engineers who have other options, develops them, and grows the next level of technical leadership beneath them.


The Director of Engineering & Chief Engineer - Recycling owns the requirements set for the Recycling facility: applying a graded approach, removing what cannot be justified, and defending the result while meeting our safety goals. They weigh risk against benefit and defend the reasoning.


The base salary range for this position is $175,000 - $225,000 per year plus a comprehensive compensation package. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location.


Duties and Responsibilities of the Director of Engineering & Chief Engineer - Recycling:

Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Build and Lead the Team

· Build and lead the core Recycling engineering team and set the technical standard to which it works.

· Own engineering scope, schedule and budget for the Pilot facility.

· Set the tone for a challenging program. Bring resilience and levity, and judgment about which fights are worth winning.

· Own the integrity of the baseline design and hold the team to it.

· Collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team to progress design and licensing of the Recycling Pilot facility.

Own the Engineering and Design

· Serve as Chief Engineer for the Pilot facility.

· Make the final call on cross-discipline technical trade-offs.

· Own the requirements strategy. Set and defend the approach to codes and standards, seismic design, and application of nuclear quality requirements, applying a first-principles, graded approach, and removing any requirements that cannot be justified.

· Explicitly weigh risk against benefit on engineering decisions.

· Understand regulatory margin.

· Hold technical positions under pressure when the evidence supports it.

· Partner with licensing to develop defensible regulatory positions, propose creative alternatives, and carry them to the NRC.

· Set the technical standard for equipment specification and vendor requirements. Hold the team and design partners to it.

· Set direction, review and when necessary perform nuclear analyses in areas such as radionuclide inventories, dose rates, biological shielding and waste classification.

· Lead hazard and operability studies (HAZOPs) and design reviews.

· Own equipment layout decisions that maximize process efficiency, factoring in operation, maintenance, and safety considerations.

· Identify and evaluate key technical project risks, develop solutions, and communicate to senior management.

· Ensure the appropriate level of documentation is maintained.

Success in the First Eighteen Months:

· A core engineering team is hired, retained, and operating to a defined technical standard.

· The baseline design has reached an agreed maturity and is under configuration control.

· The requirements set has been reduced to a defensible minimum, with the reasoning documented.

Requirements:

· Evidence of building a technical team from a small core: senior engineers this person recruited personally, who had other options, and who stayed.

· Evidence of holding a hiring bar under pressure—a seat left open rather than filled with the wrong person.

· Demonstrated judgment on regulatory conservatism: has challenged a default requirement and found a path that was as safe or safer, and materially faster or less expensive.

· Ability to critically evaluate information, and the confidence to ask questions when things do not make sense.

· Ability to think strategically and take decisive action once the necessary information has been gathered.

· Energized by solving interesting design engineering challenges.

· Willingness to learn and understand new technology and technical processes.

Experience designing or selecting equipment for operation in harsh environments.

· Ability to navigate a large, interconnected set of design and regulatory requirements and identify which of them can be removed.

· Ability to manage multiple activities, prioritizing them in a way that contributes most to Company success.

· Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline.

· Ten years or more of relevant engineering experience, including experience leading engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

· Knowledge of nuclear fuel cycle processes.

· Nuclear safety analysis experience.

· Experience with chemical process technology transfer.

· Experience scaling from Pilot to Commercial facilities.

· Familiarity with facility design, licensing, and construction under any part of 10 CFR, 10 CFR Part 50 or equivalent DOE regulations.

· Experience interacting directly with a regulatory body, such as NRC.


Eligibility for employment is conditioned on the applicant’s ability to qualify for access to information subject to U.S. Export Controls. Additionally, applicant’s eligibility may be conditioned based upon meeting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements for access to Safeguards Information, which typically requires a pre-employment drug screen, fingerprinting and criminal background check.

SHINE values diversity in all its forms as a critical component of innovation, which is fundamental to our success. Every member of the SHINE community benefits from the talents and experiences of our peers, from the mutual respect we exercise, and from the responsibility we take for our actions.

SHINE Technologies, LLC maintains affirmative action plans for individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.


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