Engineering Director - Systems & Design

How will you make a difference?

We are seeking a highly skilled and innovative Engineering Director to lead our Systems and Design organization, responsible for end‑to‑end engineering functions across all major disciplines, including systems engineering, hardware design, mechanical engineering, electronics, and cross‑functional integration. This role is pivotal in driving the development and customization of our Kineti

X Wayside Inspection products to meet specific customer needs and enhance overall product performance. The Engineering Director will lead a group of talented engineers from multiple disciplines and collaborate closely with product managers, architects, and third‑party experts to deliver high‑impact solutions.

• Product Design & Standardization
  • Develop and maintain a common base product hardware design architecture for wayside inspection systems.
  • Ensure standardization of mechanical, electronic, and system components for scalability and cost efficiency.
  • Drive continuous improvement of the base product for performance, reliability, and compliance, and well‑defined customization variability.
  • Define and own system‑level design, including hardware integration and interface specifications, and cross‑disciplinary engineering processes.
  • Establish system requirements and verification processes.
• Customization & Customer Solutions
  • Conduct gap analysis between reference base product designs and specific customer requirements for awarded customer projects.
  • Perform rapid prototyping and proof‑of‑concept (PoC) to confirm and test product customization or design changes.
  • Produce detailed requirements and work packages for development and delivery teams for implementation and deployment.
• Design Changes for Performance and Reliability
  • Identify high‐impact design changes to address reported product performance or reliability issues.
  • Utilize prototyping and PoC to validate and refine design changes.
• Collaboration and Governance
  • Work closely with product managers and architects to test and validate design concepts and new technologies for next‑generation products.
  • Explore opportunities to combine products from multiple product lines to offer enhanced or differentiated solutions.
  • Work closely with the architecture team to align system design with platform strategy and future roadmap.
  • Implement design governance processes for base and custom product workflows, ensuring process discipline and compliance with industry standards.
  • Drive adoption of process‑oriented approaches to ensure consistency, quality, and efficiency in product development and customization.
  • Establish, document, and continuously improve engineering processes, standards, and best practices across the disciplines within scope.
• Leadership and Management
  • Build and mentor a multi‑disciplinary engineering team (mechanical, electronics, systems, and other relevant engineering domains).
  • Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  • Champion process orientation within the team, encouraging systematic problem‑solving and structured decision‑making.
  • Engage and manage third‑party experts to provide additional expertise or manpower as needed to meet business demands.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering.
• Minimum 10+ years of experience managing engineering teams spanning systems engineering, hardware, and at least one other discipline.
• Demonstrated leadership in systems engineering and cross‑disciplinary integration.
• Expertise in mechanical engineering, electronics, and systems integration.
• Proven experience in modular product design and customization.
• Strong leadership and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Strong expertise in rapid prototyping, PoC, and gap analysis.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills.
• Ability to manage and lead a team effectively.
• Experience working with third‑party vendors and managing external resources.

• Familiarity with Wabtec Kineti
  
  X product lines.
• Experience with vision‑based and acoustic inspection technologies.
• Knowledge of rail safety standards…