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Brooks Utility Products Engineering Leader |
Job Type Full Time (Exempt) | Location Novi, MI – On-Site | Reports To VP / GM | Direct Reports 6 |
About Brooks Utility Products
Brooks Utility Products is one of America’s oldest electric utility manufacturers, uniting E.J. Brooks & Company, Meter Devices Company, and Ekstrom Industries into the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio — all engineered around utility safety, security, and productivity.
The industry is entering a generational build cycle. Grid hardening, an accelerating AMI upgrade wave, and unprecedented load growth from data centers, electrification, and reshored manufacturing are driving demand straight through our core product lines — while rising energy theft and tightening grid-security mandates put our sealing and locking equipment front and center. This is the electric super cycle, and Brooks sits at the heart of it.
Position Summary
We are seeking an Engineering Leader to own the Engineering and Product Management function across our full portfolio — electrical products, security products, and test equipment. This is the senior engineering role in the business, with three mandates: the engineering team, the R&D and new product development portfolio, and serving as the face of engineering to our customers. Our products are electromechanical at their core — diecast and formed metal, molded polymers, current-carrying assemblies built to survive decades in the field — so hands-on depth in mechanical design, manufacturing processes, and DFM matters more than any single specialty.
Work model: Full-time, on-site at our Novi, MI facility. Our team does its best work together — in the lab, on the shop floor, and around the whiteboard.
What You’ll Own
- Engineering Leadership — Lead and direct the engineering team, set priorities, expectations, and the standard of work. Recruit, coach, and develop the team as the business grows.
- Core Workflows — Own the workflows the business runs on: custom product development (R&Ds), ECRs, and product deviations. Drive each to closure and streamline how they run across functions to improve accuracy, cycle time, and first-pass quality.
- Technical Interface with Customers — Lead technical discussions with utility engineering and standards groups, distributors, and OEM partners. Engage with the commercial team, collect VOC in the field, and convert it into products that win.
- Accelerate the Product Roadmap — Partner with commercial leadership and management to build and maintain a multi-year roadmap grounded in VOC, market research, and competitive benchmarking. Own the intellectual property strategy behind it.
- Own the NPI Portfolio — Drive new product development from concept through commercialization — scope, resourcing, schedule, budget, technical risk, and commercial outcome.
- Manage the Product Lifecycle — Own the full lifecycle of the Brooks product portfolio. Lead product line simplification through 80/20 with commercial, operations, and supply chain teams. Utilize VAVE principles to strip out non-value-added costs while enhancing the core features. Contribute to pricing strategy, launch plans, and the technical tools the sales team needs to drive sales growth.
- Design for Manufacturability & Reliability — Balance performance, manufacturability, cost, quality, and reliability. Own programs for design validation, reliability testing, and component selection, plus third-party certification (UL, ANSI, IEEE, NEMA).
- Partner with Operations and Quality — Support tooling, process development, and production readiness for new and changed products; ensure clean transfer into full-scale production. Drive root cause and corrective action using Lean and structured problem-solving.
- Expand Engineering Capabilities — Build internal prototyping and lab capability into a competitive advantage: faster design iterations, less reliance on outside test houses, and validation data we can put in front of utility customers directly. Make the case for the tools, equipment, and talent required to build next-generation products.
- Set the Bar — Own the standards that define good work — drawings, BOMs, specifications, technical literature, and how engineering shows up with customers. Make performance visible through KPIs on engineering effectiveness. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
What You Bring
- Education & Experience: BSME or BSEE preferred. 10 years in engineering including 4 years leading a team, with a demonstrated record of new product development.
- Electromechanical Depth: Strong hands-on capability with electromechanical product design and the processes behind it — die casting, sheet metal forming and stamping, CNC machining, injection and compression molding, welding. Proficient in 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred) and ERP for BOM management.
- Standards Fluency: Working knowledge of third-party testing and certification (UL, ANSI, IEEE, NEMA). Familiarity with electric utility revenue metering requirements is a strong plus.
- Execution: Proven ability to run multiple simultaneous workflows with clear prioritization and risk management. Lean / Six Sigma experience preferred.
- Presence: Credible and composed in front of both utility customers and executive leadership. Can present a technical position to the standards committee and a business case to the leadership team.
- Preferred: Prior experience in the electric utility industry — utility, manufacturer, or distributor side. Exposure to medium-voltage equipment, and revenue metering equipment is a strong plus. Familiarity with FEA or simulation tools, power systems analysis, and with PCB, sensing, or embedded/IoT products.
- Mindset: Entrepreneurial, analytical, and hands-on. You take ownership and act with urgency, you enjoy customer conversations, have a strong desire to win, and you take pride in developing engineers.
Travel & Physical Requirements
- Travel: 20-25%
- Physical Demands: Ability to lift up to 50 pounds. 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 the essential functions.
Brooks Utility Products is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.