American Battery Solutions has a full-time opening for an Executive Director, Engineering in Lake Orion, Michigan.
Job Summary
The Executive Director, Engineering, provides strategic and technical leadership in the development of battery technologies. This position guides innovation efforts, ensures engineering excellence, and supports cross-functional collaboration to deliver solutions across new product development, production launches, and ongoing product improvements.
As an experienced technology authority, the Executive Director, Engineering leverages extensive industry expertise to guide the development of high-quality, low-risk engineering solutions. In this role, the individual contributes both independently and collaboratively, ensuring that product development and delivery align with organizational goals and strategic priorities.
The Executive Director, Engineering serves as the primary technical authority, applying deep expertise to support innovative design efforts and resolve complex technical challenges across the organization.
Responsibilities
- Provide technical leadership and strategic direction to address design, operational, and system-level challenges across all phases of the product development lifecycle.
- Support and guide project teams by leading Technical Design Reviews, Project Gate Reviews, and providing targeted technical interventions to ensure engineering excellence.
- Oversee risk management efforts by contributing to risk assessments and approving mitigation and contingency plans to ensure 8dproduct reliability and performance.
- Promote continuous improvement by identifying and implementing strategies that enhance product quality, manufacturability, and safety, while balancing short-term execution with long-term organizational needs.
- Provide technical leadership for all American Battery Solutions (ABS) projects (OEM Customer, Komatsu, Core, and BMS) ensuring alignment with performance, quality, cost, and schedule targets.
- Oversee the Pack Lead Engineering group by fostering technical expertise, ensuring timely delivery of project milestones, and developing high-performing engineers through mentorship and coaching.
- Chairs the Technical Review Council (TRC), providing engineering oversight, well-substantiated technical decisions, and reinforcing a structured development process to instill confidence in product solutions.
- Direct structured problem-solving initiatives across products, guiding engineering 8D and Juhin efforts to ensure comprehensive root-cause analysis, resolution, and closure aligned with established KPIs.
- Monitor industry trends and stay informed on emerging technologies and engineering advancements to ensure alignment with the organization’s strategic vision.
- Adhere to federal and state regulations.
- Adhere to all company policies, processes, and procedures.
- Performs other duties as requested, directed, or assigned.
- Predictable and reliable attendance.
Position Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Systems Engineering or an equivalent discipline.
- Minimum of twelve (12) years experience in relevant engineering field.
- Minimum of five (5) years experience managing new product development.
- Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive leadership experience.
- Strong knowledge of product delivery processes and tools, with the ability to provide technical and functional solutions and insights to others.
- Experience in establishing overall direction and strategic initiatives within a business group.
- Ability to work in a dynamic start-up environment where initiative and ownership is a must.
- Demonstrated ability to influence decision-making and outcomes with internal stakeholders, external suppliers, and customers.
- Adept in troubleshooting methods and disciplined documentation of findings.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Extensive knowledge of engineering principles and procedures.
- Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Strong interpersonal and coaching skills.
- Excellent time management skills.
- Demonstratable analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
- Ability to travel up to 20% of time.
Key Competencies
- Influences Others: Has personal and organizational impact built on mutual trust, fairness, and honesty. Flexes their style to direct, collaborate, or empower, as the situation requires.
- Delivers Results: Achievement oriented, feeling a sense of urgency to reach goals on time, if not before.
- Mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities focused: Understands and actively supports the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities.
- Leads change: Persistently moves in the face of ambiguity, dilemmas, and resistance to get completion of changes in an organized way; adapts with flexibility to and copes with changing situations while maintaining focus on goal.
- Thinks strategically: Acts with the long-term future in mind. Considers future impact when weighing decisions. Anticipates trends and future consequences.
- Business process thinking: Being aware of and familiar with how business strategies and tactics work and their effect on the customer; understanding issues that impact your business or organization; knowing the competition.
- Decision Making & Analysis: Makes sound decisions based upon a mixture of data-driven analysis, expertise, experience, and judgment; collects relevant information, seeking input from others, and identifies connections and/or root causes of problems.
Physical Requirements / Working Conditions
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
- Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
- Constantly operates a computer and other office equipment.
- Ability to adjust focus, especially due to concentration on a computer screen.
- May need to lift and carry up to 30 pounds and/or position the body to reach items on the floor/below knee level or reach overhead.
- The person in this position needs to occasionally move about in industrial environments, and on uneven terrain.
- Works in a temperature-controlled office environment, with occasional work in outdoor weather conditions, and in industrial environments.
- The noise level in the work environment can be moderately loud.
Why Join Us
American Battery Solutions (ABS) provides comprehensive 100% employer paid benefit plans to employees and their family, competitive salary and retirement program. ABS employs a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Benefits Overview
- Paid time off includes 3 weeks vacation, up to 72 hours sick, 15 holidays, and parental leave.
- 100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance.
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) offerings.
- Company provided 401K savings plan with immediately vested matching contributions to help you save for retirement.
- Voluntary benefits offerings.
- Tuition assistance.
- Employee Referral Program.
- Employee development and career growth opportunities.
The Location - Lake Orion
American Battery Solutions Headquarters and Innovation Center is located in the heart of South-East Michigan in Orion Township. Orion Township is a Pure Michigan Trail Town that has a long-standing dedication to enhancing trails and pathways in its community, which is home to the Polly Ann Trail, Paint Creek Trail, and Iron Belle Trail. The township has more than 50 miles of trails. Southeast Michigan also boasts some of the best eating around! Whether your interest is in furthering your education, enjoying one of the many regional sporting events, or enjoying the vast outdoors that Michigan has to offer, you’ll be at the center of it here!
AMERICAN BATTERY SOLUTIONS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.
