Director of Design Engineering

Director, Global Design Engineering

Medical Device / Bioprocessing Manufacturing

A growing global manufacturer serving the bioprocessing and life sciences industries is seeking a Director of Global Design Engineering to lead and scale its worldwide product design engineering function.

This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for driving engineering design standards, CAD systems, tooling design strategy, engineering data integrity, and design-for-manufacturing excellence across multiple global sites.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in injection molded plastic components, tooling design, regulated product development, and engineering process leadership within medical device, bioprocessing, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.

This role is far more than traditional CAD management. The organization is seeking a leader who understands how product design, tooling, manufacturing, engineering documentation, ERP/PDM systems, and change control all connect to drive operational execution and customer success.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the global design engineering and CAD function across multiple manufacturing sites
• Establish and continuously improve CAD standards, templates, design libraries, and engineering best practices
• Drive engineering documentation accuracy, drawing throughput, BOM management, and engineering change control processes
• Provide leadership in plastic component design and injection mold tooling strategy
• Partner closely with Manufacturing, R&D, NPI, Quality, and Operations to drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM/A) and Design to Cost initiatives
• Support risk management activities including FMEA and design reviews
• Oversee engineering data integrity across PDM and ERP systems
• Lead, mentor, and develop engineering and drafting personnel globally
• Support product configuration management and technical documentation processes
• Provide technical expertise to customers, sales, and cross-functional teams

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering required; advanced degree preferred
• 10 years of engineering experience within regulated manufacturing environments
• 5 years leading engineering teams
• Strong hands-on expertise with SolidWorks (3D and 2D)
• Deep experience with injection molded plastic component and tooling design
• Experience with engineering change control, risk management, and FMEA methodologies
• Strong understanding of BOM management, drawing control, PDM, and ERP systems
• Experience supporting manufacturing and NPI environments
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative organization

Preferred Background

• Medical device, bioprocessing, pharmaceutical, or life sciences manufacturing experience
• Single-use consumables or fluid management product experience
• Experience supporting global engineering organizations
• Exposure to automated assembly and complex manufacturing systems

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

This is an opportunity to shape and modernize a global engineering design organization inside a growing and highly technical manufacturing environment. The role offers significant visibility, strategic influence, and the ability to directly impact engineering execution, product quality, manufacturability, and speed to market.

If you are an engineering leader who understands both the technical and operational sides of product development and manufacturing, this could be an outstanding next step.