Vice President Manufacturing Engineering Jobs in Oregon

About the Role

Armada is seeking a visionary VP of Customer Engineering to lead a world-class, globally distributed team of Customer Engineers at the forefront of AI infrastructure and edge computing. This is a pivotal leadership role for a builder and operator who thrives at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technology and large-scale industrial deployment.

As Armada accelerates adoption of its AI-powered edge platform spanning ruggedized modular data centers, GPU-accelerated inference, and real-time edge AI this leader will shape how we engage with customers globally: from initial technical discovery through validated, deployment-ready architectures. You will own the pre-sales technical lifecycle across all regions, ensuring our Customer Engineers operate with rigor, speed, and clarity in North America, EMEA, APAC, and emerging markets.

The CE function guides customers from mission-critical AI ambitions and complex operational environments to scalable, field-proven Armada solutions taking each opportunity 80% of the way by scoping requirements, framing AI infrastructure trade-offs, validating feasibility, and ensuring full qualification before moving to detailed engineering.

VP, Customer Engineering & Value Engineering 

About the Role 

Armada is seeking a visionary VP of Customer Engineering & Value Engineering (Global) to lead a world-class, globally distributed organization at the forefront of AI infrastructure and edge computing. This is a pivotal leadership role for a builder and operator who thrives at the intersection of cutting-edge AI technology, commercial execution, and large-scale industrial deployment. 

This leader will own and scale both the Customer Engineering (CE) and Value Engineering (VE) functions globally, ensuring tight integration between technical discovery, solution architecture, and business value articulation across the entire pre-sales lifecycle. 

As Armada accelerates adoption of its AI-powered edge platform-spanning ruggedized modular data centers, GPU-accelerated inference, and real-time edge AI-this role will define how we engage with customers worldwide. From initial technical discovery through validated, deployment-ready architectures and quantified business outcomes, you will drive a consistent and high-impact motion across North America, EMEA, APAC, and emerging markets. 

The combined CE + VE organization guides customers from mission-critical AI ambitions and complex operational environments to scalable, field-proven Armada solutions-taking each opportunity ~80% of the way by: 

• Scoping technical and business requirements 

• Framing AI infrastructure trade-offs 

• Validating feasibility and ROI 

• Ensuring full qualification prior to deep engineering engagement 

You will build a best-in-class global pre-sales engine where: 

• Customer Engineering drives technical discovery and architecture 

• Value Engineering quantifies ROI, operational impact, and strategic value 

• Together, they accelerate revenue while enforcing discipline, consistency, and scale 

 What You'll Do 

Build & Scale a Global Customer Engineering & Value Engineering Organization 

• Lead, coach, and develop a globally distributed team across North America, EMEA, APAC, and emerging markets 

• Own global hiring strategy across Customer Engineering and Value Engineering, building presence in new regions and scaling existing teams 

• Establish operating rhythms, onboarding frameworks, and standards for technical and commercial excellence worldwide 

• Create career pathways that develop Customer Engineers into AI infrastructure architects and Value Engineers into strategic advisors 

• Build a culture of continuous learning across AI, edge computing, and industrial deployments at scale 

Drive AI-Focused Technical Discovery & Value-Based Solutioning 

• Champion a rigorous AI-first discovery methodology, integrating both technical and value-based frameworks 

• Guide teams to uncover:  

• AI workload requirements 

• Business drivers and ROI levers 

• Data sovereignty and regulatory constraints 

• Connectivity realities across global environments 

• Ensure translation of complex environments into:  

• Validated edge architectures (Galleon, Atlas, GPU stack) 

• Clear economic value propositions and business cases 

• Define standards for:  

• AI inference, real-time analytics, and ML pipelines 

• Value quantification, ROI modeling, and executive-level narratives 

Elevate Global Pre-Sales Excellence (Technical + Value) 

• Set the global bar for:  

• Architecture quality 

• Discovery rigor 

• Value articulation 

• Proof-of-value frameworks 

• Standardize technical and commercial qualification frameworks ensuring opportunities are:  

• Technically feasible 

• Economically justified 

• Strategically aligned 

• Implement global review cadences combining:  

• Architecture validation (CE) 

• Business case validation (VE) 

• Drive consistency across regions while maintaining local adaptability 

Partner Cross-Functionally to Accelerate Global Revenue 

• Collaborate with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Deployment teams globally 

• Align technical architectures with business outcomes, including:  

• ROI 

• Operational efficiency 

• AI-driven transformation 

• Partner closely with verticals including energy, defense, telecom, and industrials 

• Feed global insights into:  

• Product roadmap 

• Hardware evolution 
• Platform strategy 

Build Scalable Methodologies & Playbooks 

• Develop globally consistent:  

• AI edge reference architectures 

• ROI frameworks and value playbooks 

• Proof-of-value methodologies 

• Create repeatable patterns across:  

• GPU deployments 

• Hybrid edge-cloud architectures 

• Satellite-connected environments 

• Enable regional teams with:  

• Localized regulatory and deployment considerations 

• Partner ecosystem integration 
• Balance global consistency with regional agility 

Core Skills & Capabilities 

Global Leadership & Team Development 

• Proven experience building and scaling global CE and/or VE organizations 

• Strong talent builder with ability to develop technical and commercial leaders 

• Ability to operate in ambiguity and bring structure to high-growth environments 
• Experience working across international markets, enterprises, and governments 

AI Infrastructure & Edge Architecture 

• Deep expertise in:  

• GPU compute and AI inference 

• Distributed systems and edge computing 

• LLM and ML deployment 

• Strong understanding of infrastructure trade-offs:  

• Latency vs bandwidth 

• Edge vs cloud 

• Sovereignty vs scale 

System Architecture & Engineering Design 

• Ability to architect end-to-end systems across:  

• Modular data centers 

• Networking, storage, compute 

• Fluency in:  

• Engineering documentation 

• Deployment planning 

• Real-world infrastructure constraints 

Value Engineering & Strategic Storytelling 

• Strong ability to:  

• Build ROI models and business cases 

• Translate technical solutions into executive value 

• Influence C-level stakeholders 

• Expertise in commercial positioning and competitive differentiation 

Required Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical field 

• 7+ years leading Customer Engineering, Solutions Architecture, or Value Engineering teams globally 

• 7-10+ years in pre-sales, AI infrastructure, data center, or distributed systems 

• Deep expertise in:  

• GPU infrastructure (NVIDIA ecosystem) 

• AI frameworks (TensorRT, ONNX, etc.) 

• Datacenter and edge architecture 

• Experience with:  

• Kubernetes, virtualization, cloud (IaaS/PaaS) 

• Proven ability to influence C-level stakeholders globally 

• Willingness to travel internationally, including remote/field environments 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience in energy, defense, telecom, utilities, or industrial sectors 

• Exposure to modular/mobile data centers 

• Experience with:  

• Edge AI optimization 

• OT/IT convergence 

• Satellite/LEO connectivity (Starlink, VSAT) 

• Global experience across EMEA, APAC, or Middle East 

• Relevant certifications (AI/ML, cloud, datacenter) 
  

Compensation & Benefits

For U.S. Based candidates: To ensure fairness and transparency, the on-target earnings salary range for this role for candidates in the U.S. are listed, varying based on location experience, skills, and qualifications.  In addition to the salary, this role will also be offered equity and subsidized benefits (details available upon request).

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision (subsidized cost)
• Health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), and dependent care FSAs (DCFSA)
• Retirement plan options, including 401(k) and Roth 401(k)
• Unlimited paid time off (PTO)
• 14 paid company holidays per year