Variant Analyst Jobs in Portland, OR (NOW HIRING)

The Director of Product Line Engineering provides technical and lifecycle leadership for ZincFive’s released battery-based power solutions. This role sets engineering direction and drives cross-functional initiatives to improve product performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, serviceability, and end-of-life circularity. Responsibilities include but are not limited to change governance, continuous improvement, cost engineering, field and service support, and technical roadmap development. This role will work onsite at ZincFive’s headquarters in Tualatin, Oregon, and reports to the VP of Engineering. 

Director of Product Line Engineering Job Duties: 

• Leads cross-functional alignment on product improvements, cost reduction initiatives, new service opportunities, upgrade pathways, and end-of-life strategies
• Lead, develop and manage a team of electrical and chemical engineers
• Represents released product lines' technical requirements in executive, operational, and engineering forums
• Ensures product architecture, design intent, technical documentation, and configuration integrity remain current and consistent
• Oversees engineering change governance, including ECO/ECN processes, while ensuring compliance with regulatory, reliability, and quality standards
• Drives lifecycle management for released products, including continuous improvement roadmaps, field upgrades, and end-of-life transitions
• Acts as the primary technical liaison for field operations, service teams, customer escalations, and commercial stakeholders
• Partners with engineering, operations, service, quality, supply chain, and commercial teams to align product strategy, resolve issues, and achieve business objectives
• Anticipates and resolves component obsolescence, vendor-related risks, supply-driven changes, and other technical lifecycle challenges 
• Develops commonality, value engineering, and cost-out strategies to simplify manufacturing, reduce costs, and improve supply security
• Utilizes reliability, manufacturing, warranty, field, and service performance data to prioritize engineering actions and portfolio improvements
• Provides technical guidance on product configurations, options, variant strategies, and field upgrade feasibility
• Oversees technical content and collateral supporting installation, commissioning, service, warranty, and customer support activities
• Leads portfolio-level continuous improvement programs focused on cost, quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction
• Fosters strong interdepartmental collaboration to enhance customer service, streamline processes, and support shared business goals
• Domestic and international travel (up to 25%) 

Job Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline
• 13+ years of experience leading complex engineering programs in energy storage, power electronics, industrial equipment, or similar industries
• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience, including team leadership, coaching, mentoring, and talent development
• Demonstrated systems engineering expertise with experience in complex hardware development environments and stage-gate processes
• Strong experience managing released product lifecycles, including engineering change control, configuration management, cost reduction, quality improvement, field support, and end-of-life transitions
• Proven ability to lead product health and continuous improvement initiatives using reliability, warranty, operational, and field performance data
• Experience managing vendor performance, component obsolescence, supply chain risks, and supply-driven engineering decisions
• Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, sourcing strategies, value engineering, and cost optimization through engineering design decisions
• Ability to operate as a senior technical leader, influencing and aligning cross-functional stakeholders across engineering, manufacturing, operations, quality, supply chain, and commercial organizations
• Excellent communication, presentation, and decision-making skills, with the ability to facilitate executive discussions, technical deep dives, and complex stakeholder alignment around competing priorities and tradeoffs
• Proven ability to prioritize engineering resources and make strategic portfolio-level decisions while maintaining strong execution discipline
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and leading teams through evolving technical and business challenges
• Knowledge of UL, IEC, and IEEE standards applicable to energy storage and power systems
• Experience with battery technologies, thermal management, power conversion systems, and connected product or field analytics environments 

Preferred Experience/Skills 

• Master’s degree in mechanical, chemical, or electrical engineering  

Key Competencies:

• Strategic and operational leadership
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
• Planning, organizational and problem-solving skills
• Strategic thinking, strong business acumen and pragmatic decision making
• Creativity and innovation
• Teamwork and collaboration

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: 

• Work involves sitting, standing, and lifting up to 10 pounds
• Repetitive typing and computer work for extended periods of time
• Domestic and international travel 
• Ability to wear PPE on face and body when required
• Manufacturing, warehouse, lab, and office environments
• Must be able to maintain a level state of alertness while performing this job 

Salary offers will depend on factors that include the location you work from, your level, education, training, specific skills, years of experience and comparison to other employees already in this role. 

In addition, the successful candidate for this position will become eligible for a comprehensive set of outstanding benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k, paid sick time, paid time off for vacation, paid holidays, paid community service days, professional/personal learning program, and applicable state/federal paid family leave. 

ZincFive is committed to employing a diverse workforce. As an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status. We maintain a safe workplace and perform pre-employment testing. ZincFive is a participant in E-Verify and receives employment authorization of new hires through Social Security and the Department of Homeland Security databases.