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Director of Engineering Operations

LOCATION

St. Louis, MO — On-Site

REPORTS TO

Chief Operating Officer

TYPE

Full-Time, Exempt

DIRECT REPORTS

ETO Engineering Lead · CPT Engineering Lead

The Opportunity

Align Production Systems (APS) is a growing engineer-to-order and custom products manufacturer. We serve customers with complex, precision-engineered solutions across two business lines: Engineer-to-Order (ETO) and Core Products / Standards (CPT).

This is a newly created senior role — the connection between engineering execution and business outcomes at APS. You will manage two Engineering Leads directly and carry project delivery authority across both teams. You are not here to do engineering work. You are here to build the operating system that makes both teams scalable, accountable, and commercially effective: Stage Gate process, engineering standards, ERP adoption, and the development of the Engineering Leads themselves.

What You Will Own

Stage Gate & Project Delivery

• Design, implement, and own the Stage Gate process across ETO and CPT engineering
• Conduct go/no-go gate reviews with binding authority — not advisory input
• Serve as PM of record on high-value or complex ETO projects: own customer-facing schedule, milestones, and change orders
• Standardize kickoff, milestone, and escalation cadence across all ETO projects

Engineering Standards & Performance

• Own documentation, drawing, and BOM quality standards across both teams
• Drive Acumatica (ERP) adoption within engineering — hour tracking, BOM management, project cost reporting
• Establish and report weekly/monthly engineering variance metrics (cost, schedule, delivery) to COO
• Define 'done' criteria: what complete engineering output looks like before handoff to production

People Leadership & Organizational Impact

• Directly manage both Engineering Leads — goal setting, performance reviews, and development
• Translate APS revenue targets and sales pipeline into engineering capacity requirements
• Contribute to make/buy decisions, resource trade-offs, and capital investment justification
• Own the 3-year engineering capacity plan, updated annually against revenue targets
• Support integration of the Philippines-based engineering team into APS workflows

What You Bring

Required

• 8+ years in engineering; 3+ years in program, operations, or engineering leadership
• Demonstrated ownership of Stage Gate or structured project lifecycle processes
• Background in ETO, custom engineered, or low-volume high-complexity manufacturing
• Proven ability to hold accountability without direct engineering authority
• Experience managing customer-facing project delivery and change management
• Familiarity with ERP systems in an engineering context (Acumatica, SAP, NetSuite, or equivalent) preferred

Preferred

• Experience in a mid-size manufacturer ($10M–$50M revenue range)
• Exposure to distributed or offshore engineering team management
• PMP, PMI, or equivalent certification preferred
• Working knowledge of SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or similar CAD environments

What Sets You Apart

Systems thinker — you build processes that work when you're not in the room. Commercially literate — you understand how engineering decisions affect margin and delivery. Direct communicator — you bring recommendations, not options. Developer of leaders — you invest in the Engineering Leads as the primary lever for team performance.

What Success Looks Like

Metric

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Stage Gate

Implemented & active

Mature — low overhead

Self-running w/ Lead oversight

ETO Cost Variance

Baseline established

< 5% variance per project

Consistently within target

On-Time Delivery

Baseline established

> 90% on-time

> 95% on-time

Why This Role, Why Now

APS has two capable engineering teams and a growing sales pipeline. What we are building now is the operational structure that makes that growth manageable. This role is the keystone of that structure. You will have direct impact on margin, delivery, and customer satisfaction from day one, with full organizational backing and a clear mandate from the COO.