Technical Director Jobs in Decatur, IL (NOW HIRING)

Position summary

The Senior Manager, Embedded Engineering leads TCCI’s Decatur-based embedded engineering team, an established, technical group, and is accountable for delivering high-quality embedded software, hardware, and electronics on time, on cost, and to customer specifications. This is first and foremost a leadership role: earning the trust of an expert team, bringing clarity and discipline to how the work gets planned and delivered, and owning outcomes across the full embedded development lifecycle. The successful leader partners across cross-functional, program, and global engineering teams to drive seamless execution across regions.

A core charter is to build the Decatur embedded function into TCCI's Center of Excellence, codifying standards, tooling, and methodology that scale across product lines. The focus today is electric compressors for EVs, but product and industry scope is expanding, and the seat is built to scale with it.

The successful candidate brings proven leadership of multi-disciplinary engineering teams, strong program and project management discipline, and a track record of maturing NPD and requirements processes. Deep domain expertise is welcome but secondary; what matters most is the ability to lead a technical team, build trust quickly, and deliver results in a Tier 1 automotive or comparably complex hardware environment. This seat is built to grow. The right leader will expand into broader scope as the function and product portfolio scale.

Lead the Team Delivering Electric Compressors and Electronic Systems

· Lead and develop the Decatur-based Embedded Engineering team, owning delivery and outcomes across embedded hardware, software, electronics, and motor controls. Set direction and hold the bar on quality, while empowering the team to define the architecture standards that support platform reuse and automotive expectations.

Mature the TCCI Embedded Center of Excellence

· Build the function into a durable capability with codified standards, tooling, and methodology, and a short and mid-term capability roadmap aligned to product commitments.

Coordinate Embedded Efforts Globally

· Work closely with global engineering teams on shared development with clear scope, clear handoffs, and async-friendly workflows that bridge time zones; travel globally as needed for in-person collaboration and team building.

Cross-functional Integration with Chief Engineers, Product, and Applications Teams

· Partner with Chief Engineers, Product Management, and Applications Engineering to translate product and customer requirements into clear embedded commitments, and ensure the team owns and delivers embedded content in RFQs and pre-production documents.

Partner PMO to Mature Engineering Processes

· Partner with the Global PMO to integrate embedded deliverables, gate criteria, and review cadence into TCCI's NPD stage-gate process.

Build and Manage Requirements Tracking and Compliance

· Strengthen requirements traceability from customer needs through validation, and drive embedded compliance with IATF 16949, APQP, and applicable functional-safety standards for OEM reviews.

Internal AI Capability Building

· Partner with TCCI's AI Strategy & Execution function to identify and deliver AI-enabled productivity gains, and grow the team's AI fluency through targeted use and training.

Required qualifications

· 7+ years of engineering management experience, including direct leadership of multi-disciplinary teams, with a demonstrated ability to earn the trust of a deeply technical team.

· Strong program and project management discipline, with experience designing and operating NPD / stage-gate processes in an engineering organization.

· Track record of building durable engineering capability and process discipline that delivers repeatable results, not just one-off programs.

· Demonstrated experience leading geographically distributed engineering teams across time zones.

· Working familiarity with automotive Tier 1 quality and process disciplines (examples include IATF 16949, APQP, PPAP, DFMEA, PFMEA) and requirements traceability, or the proven ability to come up to speed on a quality framework quickly.

· Engineering experience in a Tier 1 automotive or comparably complex hardware environment, with enough technical depth to be conversant with the team and credible with customers. BS in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience.

· A leadership style grounded in trust, clear process, and accountability for results.

· Willingness to travel (under 25%) and to manage regular evening meetings with China-based counterparts.

Preferred qualifications

· MS in Engineering or MBA.

· Domain experience in mobile HVAC, vehicle electronics, or electric powertrains.

· Direct experience with electric compressor, heat pump, EV thermal management, or heavy-duty HVAC (bus, off-road, commercial vehicle) product engineering.

· Direct experience implementing or operating to IATF 16949 and APQP-driven processes.

· Implementation experience introducing AI-assisted workflows in an engineering environment.

· Customer-facing experience with OEMs.

· Engineering budget management, cost-reduction (VAVE), and engineering efficiency / organizational design experience.

· Experience supporting bus, off-road, commercial vehicle, or heavy-duty HVAC programs.